Often mistakenly called
the Palmer Knot, the Palomar Knot is arguably one of the best knots
to know how to tie – especially for the avid fisherman. It is an extremely
easy knot to tie, exceptionally strong, and very popular with bass
fishermen for tying on jigs and worm hooks. It’s also the only knot that
will work with Fire Line®. I’ve been told that it is somewhat awkward to
tie when using lures with treble hooks, but it is the knot of choice for
many anglers I know – including the owner of the resort I frequent in the
summer.
To illustrate the tying of the Palomar knot, I have taken the liberty of
crafting an insanely large “hook” from a coat hanger, and then using
braided nylon clothesline so that the steps of tying the knot can be more
easily seen and followed.
The first step is to
double about 4 – 6 inches of line (don’t skimp) and pass the loop
through the eye of the hook.
(You can alternately thread the line through the
eye and back to achieve the same affect...)
I’ve found that although
it doesn’t seem to make any difference, it works best to pass this
loop through the “front” of the eye of the hook to start.
Let the hook hang loose
beneath the line, and then tie an overhand knot in the doubled line.
Avoid twisting the line
when tying and don't over-tighten the knot at this point. Make sure
that there is an ample portion of the loop remaining.
Now pull the loop of line
far enough to pass it over the front end of the hook.
(From the
second photo
above, if you start by passing the original loop through the “back” of the
eye of the hook, you would now pass the loop from the overhand knot over the
back end of the hook.)
Make sure the loop
passes completely over the hook.
To tighten the finished
knot, pull the tag end while holding the standing line. Clip the tag
end.
Note: The “tag” end is the end of the line not leading to the
fishing reel.
That’s it. That’s the
Palomar knot in a few easy steps!
It has been said that
this knot can be easily tied in the dark. For me, it begs the question:
“What the heck are you doing fishing in the dark? Didn’t you catch
your limit during the day?” Just kidding… In any case, I hope that this
gives you yet another method of attaching a hook or lure to your line. I
also hope that it helps you to catch and release more fish. Good fishing…
and I’ll see you On the Lake.
By 
