The Palomar knot is one of the strongest, easiest knots there is, and its new use is tying it without a hook eye so you can drop it over any open object, including the bare spool of a spinning reel, to tie braid straight to the spool with no mono backing, tape, or glue. You double the line, make an overhand loop as an imaginary hook eye, and pass the knot through it. In this How 2 Tuesday I am in Venice, Louisiana with Anthony Randazzo, who shows a couple of clever variations.
Watch now: press play on the video above and follow along.
Anthony Randazzo shows how to tie a Palomar knot without an eye to pass the line through. Normally you double the line and run it through the eye of a hook, but Anthony figured out you do not need the eye. You double the line, make an overhand loop in your hand, pass the whole overhand knot through the loop, and you have a Palomar that you can drop over any open object, like the spool of a spinning reel, a spinnerbait, a jig spinner, or even a dock line.
Double the braid, make an overhand loop in your hand, pass the doubled overhand knot through the loop to form the Palomar, then drop that loop over the spool of the spinning reel and cinch it down. Anthony Randazzo adds two half hitches over the spool with the braid for insurance, then trims the tag end. After that you spool up normally. It works on a bare metal spool whether or not it has a rubber gasket, with no tape or super glue needed.
Because the Palomar is one of the strongest knots there is, and tying it directly to the spool means if a big fish takes all your line and reaches the spool, you have a real chance to stop it instead of losing everything. Anthony Randazzo notes you want a strong knot at your lure and a strong knot at the spool, so why not use the Palomar at both ends. Tom called it a great time saver over his old method and the strongest hookup to the spool you can get.
The traditional Palomar requires passing the doubled line through a closed loop, which is why most people only use it on a hook eye. Anthony Randazzo's insight was that you can create that loop yourself with an overhand knot in your hand, an imaginary hook eye, so the knot works around any open object. That opens the Palomar up to spinning reel spools, spinnerbaits, jig spinners with an open loop, and dock lines, far more uses than the closed-eye version allows.
Tom's old method took a lot more time. He would tie a uni knot to put about ten yards of monofilament backing on the spool, then tie a double uni knot to join the braid to the mono, and spool up from there. Anthony Randazzo's trick lets him skip the mono backing entirely and tie the braid straight to the bare spool with a strong Palomar, which Tom said would save a lot of time since rigging gear already eats up so much of the day.
No. The reason people use mono backing, tape, or super glue is that braid can slip on a slick spool. Tying the Palomar directly to the spool and adding a couple of half hitches locks the braid in place so it will not slip, even on a bare metal spool without a rubber gasket. Anthony Randazzo says it works exactly the same on every spool, so you can spool up braid with confidence and no extra materials.
The Palomar is one of the first knots I ever learned and one of the strongest you can tie, but most people only use it on a closed loop like a hook eye. My good friend Anthony Randazzo, here in Venice, Louisiana, figured out you do not actually need the eye, which opens the knot up to a whole new set of uses. I had him show me how, and it is genuinely useful. He walks through it in the episode, so watch the video above.
Anthony's key insight is simple: the Palomar needs a loop to pass through, so just make one yourself. He doubles the line, ties an overhand loop in his hand as an imaginary hook eye, and passes the doubled knot through it. Now the same strong Palomar can drop over a spinnerbait, a jig spinner, a dock line, or the spool of a reel. He demonstrates the move slowly in the video above.
The application I will use most is spooling braid. Anthony ties the Palomar right onto the bare spool, adds a couple of half hitches for insurance, trims the tag, and spools up, no mono backing, no tape, no super glue. It works on a bare metal spool whether or not it has a rubber gasket, and it is the strongest connection to the spool you can make. He shows the whole thing in the video above.
The way I had been doing it took a lot longer: a uni knot for ten yards of mono backing, then a double uni to join the braid, then spool up. Anthony's trick skips all of that. Rigging already eats up so much of the day, so tying braid straight to the spool with one strong knot is a real time saver. He explains why the strong spool connection also matters if a fish runs you down, so press play above.
Here is Anthony's eyeless Palomar, step by step, for tying braid directly to a spinning reel spool.
Watch Anthony tie it on the spool in the video above.
Anthony Randazzo's eyeless Palomar gives one of the strongest knots in fishing a whole new set of uses, from spinnerbaits to dock lines to spooling braid straight onto a bare spool.
Use a strong knot at your lure and a strong knot at your spool, and skip the mono backing and tape. It is the strongest hookup to your spinning reel you can get, and it saves time. Watch the video above and follow along.
Palomar knot · tying braid to a bare spool · spinning reel spool · spider hitch · half hitch · spinnerbait · jig spinner · braided line · Anthony Randazzo · Paradise Plus · Venice Louisiana · How 2 Tuesday
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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