Three Clinch Knots, Including a "Better" Clinch Knot

Fishing knots number in the dozens, but for the majority of fly fishing situations there is only one that you need to know in order to tie your fly to your line – the clinch knot. This article and accompanying videos will discuss and show you how to tie my three favorite terminal tackle knots – the clinch knot and two variations of the clinch knot -- my “better” clinch knot, and the Trilene knot.

I learned to tie a clinch knot as a boy fishing for catfish at a lake in New Hampshire. One night we were laying down on the beach at our favorite catfish hole, looking up at the stars, waiting for our rods to be dragged towards the water. An old-timer apparently knew about our not-so-secret spot and joined us. He asked me if I knew how to tie a “fisherman’s knot”. I told him I wasn’t sure (“fisherman’s knot” was kind of a generic name) and held his flashlight while he showed me the knot. “Five wraps,” he said. “Then pass it back through and pull it tight.”

Clinch Knot

The clinch knot is an all-purpose knot for tying on terminal tackle (tippet to fly). The knot is easy to tie, pretty strong, and great for the majority of situations when tying a fly onto tippet. The following video shows how to tie a clinch knot.



One tip that may save you some flies (and lost fish) is to vary the number of times you wrap the line back around itself. The standard is five, as the old-timer in New Hampshire taught me. Over time I’ve learned that five is an average; more or fewer wraps will make a better knot depending on the size of the tippet and hook eye. I will wrap six or seven times when the hook eye is outsized in relation to the tippet diameter, and only four times when the hook eye is undersized in relation to the tippet diameter. For example, with 5x tippet and a size 12 fly I may use 6 wraps; with 3x tippet and a size 8 fly I will typically use 4 wraps. Time on the water and a few broken tippets will tell you what’s ideal. This strategy applies to the following two knots as well.


A Better Clinch Knot

An “improved” clinch knot exists, and it’s a fine knot. However, I came up with my own version which, in addition to the improved security (from knot slippage) afforded by the improved clinch, is stronger than either the clinch or improved clinch. The following video shows how to tie my “better” clinch knot, including a slow motion replay of the secret sauce.



I use my “better” clinch knot for tying on almost all my flies. The exceptions are when I’m using 3x tippet, in which case I’ll usually go with a standard clinch; and when I’m using flies with really big hook eyes or stripping streamers, in which case I’ll use a Trilene knot (explained below).


Trilene Knot

I’m not sure if Trilene (Berkley) fishing company invented this knot, but apparently they get credit. The Trilene knot is tied the same way as the regular clinch knot, with one difference – you loop the line through the hook eye twice to start the process. Watch the following video to learn how to tie the Trilene knot.



I find that the Trilene knot is superior when tying on a big bead-head wooly bugger with 3x or 4x (and especially 5x if you have to go that light). Sometimes I’ll use it when I have to go with 4x or 5x to a big dry fly, which I don’t like to do unless the fish are really leader shy.

Give all three of these knots a try. I recommend practicing a few times at home using tippet and flies (not just bare hooks) because the “better” clinch and the Trilene knot can be a bit awkward to tie at first. Hopefully you’ll lose fewer flies to snags and you’ll land more fish. And be sure to share your skills with a kid!