How To Tie A Clinch Knot

The Clinch Knot is probably the first knot I ever learnt as a fisherman. It varies in the amount of turns you use and it varies in that you can do an improved clinch or a clinch, but as a fisherman, the Clinch Knot, I think, is probably the easiest and the most useful we can learn. Again, using braid to show the knot rather than monofilament through the eye of the hook, and I've chosen a salt water hook here for this knot, wrapping around the mainline now, everyone makes this look awkward, and I'm sure I look awkward at times, but wrapping round the main line, four times - or there about, I'm sure the knots are strong with two turns, six turns but four turns is what I aim for.

Once you've done your four turns, back through the bottom of the knot that loops, that's at the bottom - that's pretty much it, that's the Clinch Knot, now, obviously before we slide that into place - wet the knot, on nylon especially - that's very important - and we slide that knot into place and it creates a barrel above the eye of the hook. That's the Clinch Knot completed. That knot there works wherever you go for fishing, it's not the best knot for very fine nylons but for monofilaments of, let's say, 15-20 pounds and above, it's ample and it doesn't need anything more complicated than that and the great thing about it is we can tie it very quickly.

It's a useful knot for fly fishermen, for salt water fishermen, fresh water fishermen. You can use that knot for most hoop ties with diameters taken into consideration we need to sometimes look for at the improved clinch but for most hooks and nylons, that's absolutely fine.