6 steps
Improved Blood Knot
Heads up: we checked this page against published instructions for this knot, and the steps here don't match. We're rewriting them from those sources. Until then, please don't rely on these steps.
A blood knot with the tags tucked back along the barrels. 5 and 5 turns. The tuck keeps short tags from catching guides.
Use it for
A blood knot with the tags tucked back along the barrels. 5 and 5 turns. The tuck keeps short tags from catching guides.
This line
A poor braid-to-fluoro knot. Use it for mono-to-mono or fluoro-to-fluoro leader sections.
Avoid when
Braid to fluoro. The blood knot slips on braid.
All steps visible
Improved Blood Knot
These steps are being corrected. Don't follow them yet.
These steps are being corrected. Don't follow them yet.
Step 1
Overlap the two lines.
Step 2
Wrap the first tag 5 times around the other line.
Step 3
Wrap the second tag 5 times the other way.
Step 4
Pass both tags through the opening between the wraps, in opposite directions.
Step 5
Tuck each tag back along the opposite barrel before you trim. That is the improved blood knot.
Step 6
Pull the standing lines until the barrels meet, then trim both tags.
The drawing follows this tying order. Pause, step, or scrub to stay with the words. The standing line runs to the reel. The tag is the short end you trim. Skin-hook means the point lies flat in the plastic, not out where grass can grab it.
Common mistakes
- The same few turns on a much thinner line.
- Tags that never pass through the center, so the knot is just two tangles.