🪝 Fishing Knot Strength Reference Chart
A quick reference for how much of a line's rated breaking strength common fishing knots typically retain when tied correctly.
What the percentages mean
KNOT_STRENGTH is a fixed eight-row table, not a calculation. Each figure is the share of the line's rated breaking strength the connection holds:
knot strength % = breaking load at the knot ÷ line rating × 100Run the bands against 20 lb line and the spread shows. A Palomar at 95% parts near 19 lb, a uni or Trilene at 90% near 18 lb, an Albright at the bottom of its 80-90% band near 16 lb — a 4 lb difference on one spool, which is why the leader connection is where big fish are lost.
Reading these numbers honestly
- They are laboratory averages. Straight-line pull tests on fresh line, tied carefully under a bench light. Your knot, tied in wind at dawn on line that has been through structure, is a different sample.
- Tying quality outweighs the choice of knot. The gap between a well-tied and a badly-tied version of one knot is far wider than the gap between two knots on this chart.
- The chart does not distinguish materials. Braid is slick and can creep in knots that hold mono perfectly, and stiff fluorocarbon seats differently again.
Frequently asked questions
What is the strongest fishing knot?
On this chart the Palomar, at roughly 95-100%, though the line-to-line blood and double uni are close behind. In practice the strongest knot is the one you can tie correctly every time in poor light, because a sloppy Palomar loses far more than the few per cent that separates these rows.
Why does my line always break at the knot?
Because that is the weakest point by design: the line bends sharply and presses on itself there. Breaking well below the rating usually means the knot was cinched dry, seated too fast, or tied in line already nicked by teeth, rocks or a previous wind knot.
Do these figures apply to braid?
Not reliably. The chart does not separate braid from mono, and slick braid behaves differently in the same knot, often needing extra turns or a doubled tag. Pull-test your own connection before you trust it to a fish.