A simple loop knot can give your lures more action and make small nothing plastics seem more alive. Every angler should know how to tie a loop knot so we chose one of our simplest and easiest to tie to give you an easy knot to learn to tie. You will use a really long tag end to make this knot so it’s not something you want to tie over and over again on the same rod. But that’s the nice thing about a good loop knot. It doesn’t get messed up as easily and usually holds up well. Especially on braid.
When to use a Loop Knot
Loop knots are great ways to give a lure more action. Since the line is not cinched down to the lure or the hook. The eye has freedom to move a bit more. Where I find this most advantageous is when I use topwater baits and when I use small finesse plastics like bait finesse system for bass, micro finesse fishing for multispecies and crappie fishing with jigs. The best loop knot to me is the one you can learn to tie quickly and easily and correctly every time. This knot will take a little practice but once you understand the nuance of it, you can get the perfect size loop every time.
Variations of Loop Knots
There are more than a few ways to tie loop knots. The Rapala Knot is a very popular loop knot. There is a version of the loop knot called the Krystan Loop Knot. But this simple loop knot is the one I personally tie the most in my fishing.
Precautions with Tying the Simple Loop Knot
With this version of the loop knot, you need a really long tag end. The reason is you’re going to run the line through the eye on the lure, then you’re going to double your line and lay it over your left hand. Then you’re going to twist the double line twice creating a loop around your open hand or a few fingers depending on the size of the lure. Then you’re going to pass the whole lure through that loop and work the knot down towards the eye and tighten it. You need the excess tag to have enough doubled line to double over again, wrap and then pass a lure through. If you’re doing this with a large topwater with a lot of treble hooks, you need to make a pretty big loop to pass it all through. So give yourself a lot of room to work.
With something small like a crappie jig. I let out enough tag to double the line over two fingers and twist it around and pass the jig through. There is a video below that makes this very easy to see.
Then one trick I’ve learned when bring the loop down to the eye and keeping it small is to hook the loop that is left on the eye after you pass the lure through. And then pull the tag and main line separately until the knot cinches down where you want it close to the eye and then tighten it all the way down.
And typically I won’t use a loop knot on a split ring. I want to direct tie to the lure or jighead. Some will ask why not just use a split ring. Split rings still bind and still can interfere with movement of a lure. And for some reason I just have more confidence with a loop knot on my topwaters with braid. And I feel like I lose less fish with a loop knot. I’ve landed 30-pound stripers on 5 inch topwaters with loop knots and never think twice about losing a big fish.
How to Tie a Loop Knot Step by Step
Tying a Loop Knot Step 1
To start this simple loop knot, pass your line through the eye. And then double back the tag end a bunch so that you can double your line around both sides of your free hand or a couple fingers on that hand.
Tying a Loop Knot Step 2
With the doubled line over your hand, twist that free hand to create a loop around your hand.
Tying a Loop Knot Step 3
Then pass the lure through the hoop you created by twisting the double line into a loop. And start working the knot down towards the eye of the lure. The circle of double line can be hooked on the edge of the line tie on a lure or jig head and you can slowly cinch the tag end and the main line independently until the knot is really close to the eye of the lure and then tighten.
Tying a Loop Knot Step 4
You can pull both tag end and main line together to cinch the knot down once you have the size loop you want for your loop knot. With a few practice runs, you can tie this loop knot in a matter of seconds. I tie it all the time crappie fishing and I will retie 10 times some days and won’t lose but a couple minutes all day. It’s fast, easy and holds well while giving a jig freedom to swim and move more natural and horizontal in the water.
