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The Improved Clinch Knot: a timeless classic. The standard clinch knot was already used by sailors in the 19th century. When nylon fishing lines first appeared in the 1930s and 1940s, fishermen noticed that the standard clinch knot would sometimes slip and untie under the sudden tugs of a large fish. In response, someone (legend attributes this to American bass anglers) added one simple yet ingenious touch: a final pass of the running end through a large loop. Thus, the Improved Clinch Knot was born. Since the 1950s, this version has been printed on all hook packages, in every other fishing book, and still hangs on the walls of camps on the Putorana Plateau.
When the Improved Clinch is Really the Right Choice
- Monofilament line 0.08–0.40 mm
- Fluorocarbon up to 0.35–0.37 mm
- Fine braid up to #0.8–1.0 (0.12–0.14 mm)
- Hooks, swivels, small snap hooks and jig heads with a regular or small eye
- Catching fish up to 8–10 kg on thin leashes
- When the eye is too small for a Palomar
- When you need to change a bandage quickly and without a flashlight
On the Putorana Plateau, the improved clinch is still the main knot for:
- all light and medium fly fishing (classes 4-7)
- dry flies and nymphs for grayling and whitefish
- streamers for char up to 5–7 kg
- leashes 0.12–0.20 mm
Step-by-step instructions (just like the Putorana Plateau guides knit)
- Thread the fishing line through the eye by 12–15 cm.
- Make 5-7 tight turns with the running end around the root end (turns go from the eye to you).
Number of turns:
– 0.08–0.18 mm → 6–7 turns
– 0.20–0.30 mm → 5 turns
– 0.32–0.40 mm → 4–5 turns - Return the running end to the first small loop just at the eye.
- Now (this is the "improvement"!) pass the same end through the large loop you just formed.
- Wet the knot.
- Slowly tighten the main end while simultaneously tightening the running end - the threads should lie in an even row.
- Give the main line a sharp tug and the knot will set firmly.
- Trim off the excess, leaving 1–1.5 mm.
For an experienced fisherman, the time is 5–7 seconds, even with gloves.
Video instructions on how to tie an improved clinch knot
Real strength
- Monofilament line - 92-96%
- Fluorocarbon up to 0.35 mm — 90–94%
- Fluorocarbon 0.40+ mm - drops to 80-85% (not used)
- Fine braid (#0.6–1.0) — 87–93%
- Thick braid (#1.5 and above) – 70–80% (slips)
The advantages for which millions love him
- It knits by touch in complete darkness and at -30 degrees Celsius.
- Fits the smallest ears where a Palomar won't fit.
- Minimum line consumption
- Simplicity - even a child can knit correctly the first time
- Tested for decades on billions of fish worldwide
Hard Disadvantages (You Need to Know and Remember Them)
- On thick fluorocarbon (0.40+ mm) and medium/thick braided line it slips
- When a fish weighing 12+ kg jerks on a thin leash, it can cut itself.
- On the Putorana Plateau, guides strictly prohibit using leashes thicker than 0.25 mm when fishing for salmon and large char - there were too many unfortunate escapes in the 2000s and 2010s.
Improved clinch on the Putorana Plateau today
Yes, Tube Fly Snell, Riffle Hitch Snell and Palomar on heavy lures rule here.
But the improved clinch lives and wins in the following situations:
- all light fly fishing for grayling and whitefish
- dry flies, mayflies, nymphs No. 10–18
- light streamers and wet flies on single-handed rods of class 5–6
- 80–90% of visiting amateur fishermen
- when in the evening at a parking lot you need to tie 30-40 flies to new leaders in 10 minutes
The Putorana Plateau guides say simply:
"For grayling and whitefish – clinch. For salmon and large char – everything else."
Conclusion
The Improved Clinch is not the strongest or most modern knot.
This is the most durable and most widely used knot in the history of fishing.
It was, is, and will continue to be a source of fish for millions of people around the world, from the lakes of Canada to the turbulent rapids of the Putorana Plateau rivers.
If your goal is a trophy grayling weighing 2+ kg on a dry fly or a whitefish on a nymph, feel free to tie an improved clinch and enjoy.
If you're fishing for a real salmon or a 15-kilogram char from the Putorana Plateau, leave the clinch for the small fish and put something more serious on the main leader.
But the fact remains: as long as there are anglers, there will be an improved clinch.
