Arbor Knot
The arbor knot is a basic fishing knot used to tie a fishing line to an arbor, which is an angling term that describes the spool of your fishing reel. The arbor knot is simple both to learn and to tie. The arbor knot is a pair of overhand knots--the same knot you use when tying your shoelaces--made in such a way that one jams against the other and holds the line in place around the spool.
Blood Knot
The blood knot is a frequently employed knot that joins sections of similar-sized lines together. Anglers will use this knot when tying together different sections of a leader. The blood knot will pass through rod guides on your fishing pole with no problem, allowing you to cast unhindered where larger knots might catch against the guides. The Fishing Info website states that the blood knot tends to reduce the strength of your line by as much as 40 percent.
Improved Clinch Knot
The improved clinch knot is a knot that includes an extra step that is not part of the clinch knot. The Animated Knots by Grog website says that by taking a few seconds to perform this step to make the improved clinch knot, you greatly increase the odds that your knot and line will withstand a battle with a large fish. The improved clinch knot is useful for attaching lures, hooks and swivels to a medium- to thick-diameter fishing line.
Palomar Knot
The Palomar knot is used for securing hooks or flies to your fishing line. The Palomar knot includes crucial steps in which you double the line when tying the knot and at one point loop the line over the hook or fly. This gives the Palomar knot extra strength and makes it one of the more reliable fishing knots. The Palomar knot is easy to learn and, once you have it mastered, you will probably be able to tie it in the dark.
Albright Knot
One of the most difficult of the many fishing knots to tie is the Albright knot. However, the knot, which you would use to join lines of noticeably different sizes, has advantages that can make it worth learning. The knot is smooth enough to pass through your rod guides with ease but strong enough to retain the strength of your line. Anglers use this complex knot to join leaders to their lines or to join fly line to the backing line on a fly reel.
