The clinch, the improved clinch, and the Trilene knot are three closely related line-to-hook knots, and in this How 2 Tuesday I test all three to answer a question I keep getting: does improving a knot actually make it stronger? I tie each one with the same five turns on 12-pound Daiwa fluorocarbon, connect to a 3/0 Gamakatsu circle hook, and break each on my NexTech force tester. The results genuinely surprised me, and they may change which knot you reach for.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The Trilene knot won by a wide margin. On 12-pound test the Trilene broke at 10.89 pounds, the standard clinch at 7.76 pounds, and the improved clinch came in last at 6.18 pounds. The Trilene was almost at the full line strength, while the improved clinch was actually the weakest of the three the way I tied them that day. If you want to improve the basic clinch, the data says reach for the Trilene.
No, and that is the whole lesson of this test. I assumed the improved clinch would beat the standard clinch, and it did not. Sometimes an improvement helps and sometimes it does not. The Trilene, with its one extra pass through the eye of the hook, was clearly stronger, but the improved clinch tweak did nothing for me on this line. My honest answer to whether improving a knot helps is: sometimes.
The Trilene knot goes through the eye of the hook, makes a loop, then goes back through the eye a second time before you make your five turns around the standing line and come back through both loops. That second pass through the eye is the only real difference from a clinch, and in my test that one extra wrap around the eye is what made it significantly stronger.
The clinch goes through the eye, wraps five times around the standing line, then back through the first loop near the eye, and you pull it tight. The improved clinch does all of that and then tucks the tag back through the big loop one more time. People assume that extra tuck adds strength, but on 12-pound fluorocarbon the way I tied it, the improved clinch was actually the weakest of the three.
It depends on the hook. The clinch and improved clinch get tied a lot for trout, but on a tiny dry fly it can be very hard to pass the line back through the eye a second time, so the Trilene may not be practical. On something like a size three circle hook, where you have room to work, the Trilene becomes a strong and easy upgrade. Match the knot to the fly and the eye you are actually fishing.
Everything was kept identical. I used Daiwa fluorocarbon in 12-pound test, a 3/0 Gamakatsu Nautilus light circle hook, and the same five turns on every knot, all broken on the same NexTech force tester. Twelve-pound is a standard leader for bonefish or anything that does not need a shock tippet, so it is a realistic line to test these everyday knots on.
When knots are nearly identical, small differences in how you tie and test them matter. Here is how I keep the test honest.
Listeners kept asking whether the little tweaks we make to known knots, the improved versions, the extra wraps, actually do anything. I always sort of assumed they did, but assuming is not testing. So I lined up three knots that look almost the same and let the force tester settle it. I explain what prompted this experiment in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I fully expected the improved clinch to beat the plain clinch. Instead it was the weakest of the three, while the Trilene with its single extra pass through the eye nearly maxed out the line. That is a reminder that an improvement on paper is not always an improvement on the scale. I break down what I think was happening in the episode, so press play in the player above.
A knot that wins on a size three circle hook might be impossible to tie on a tiny dry fly. That is why I always say test it with the exact gear you fish. The strongest knot you cannot tie in the field is useless. I talk through where each of these three knots fits in the episode, so press play in the player above.
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.
clinch knot · improved clinch knot · Trilene knot · fisherman's knot · Daiwa fluorocarbon · Gamakatsu circle hook · NexTech force tester · bonefish · trout fishing · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I am 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 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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