Diagram

Cat's Paw

Cats paw · Wind-on connection

Joins the loop of a wind-on leader to a Bimini twist double line, loop to loop, for a join small enough to pass through the rod guides and onto the reel.

Line-to-line · Intermediate · Braid / Monofilament / Fluorocarbon · 4 steps

Applications How to tie it

finished · schematic

Finished structure

Two finished loops interlocked as a handshake — neither loop cinched around the other.

step 01 · schematic
Two finished loops, each already locked.
Step 01
Tie a short Bimini twist in the main line to make a doubled loop, and have the wind-on leader ready with its own loop at the end.
Two finished loops, each already locked.
You should now see
Two strands of main line running from the Bimini wraps to a closed loop, and a leader loop, with neither loop twisted.
If it goes wrong
Starting from a single strand, or from a Bimini whose wraps have slipped. Count the strands running into the loop: one strand means there is no double to connect to.
Fix: Tie a Bimini twist, or retie one that has slipped, before you join the leader.
Why: The cat's paw only joins two loops. How much load the join can take is set by the double line and the leader loop behind it.
step 02 · schematic
Pass one loop through the other — a handshake.
Step 02
Push the Bimini loop through the leader loop, then pass the free end of the wind-on leader through the Bimini loop and draw it all the way through. Repeat until you have made five passes.
Pass one loop through the other — a handshake.
You should now see
Five turns lying side by side where the two loops meet, with the whole leader drawn clear through after the last pass.
If it goes wrong
Losing count, or stopping after one pass, which leaves a plain girth hitch with a single turn where the loops meet. Count the turns before you cinch.
Fix: Back the leader out through the Bimini loop until the turns lie flat, then make the passes again, counting each one out loud.
Why: Each pass adds a turn where the loops bear on each other, spreading the load over more line. Published counts run from three passes to five; a single pass is a plain girth hitch.
step 03 · schematic
Do not girth-hitch. Neither loop cinches the other.
Step 03
Pull the double line and the leader apart slowly and steadily, easing the turns down until they close into a short, even collar.
Do not girth-hitch. Neither loop cinches the other.
You should now see
A compact, small-diameter joint where the turns lie tight and parallel, with no turn crossing another.
If it goes wrong
Snatching the lines apart. The turns jump over each other and the joint closes lumpy, with one turn sitting on top of the rest.
Fix: Slack off, open the loops until the turns can move, lay them side by side and cinch again slowly. If they still will not lie tight together, whip the two lines together.
Why: Slow, steady tension lets each turn slide into place beside the last one, so all the turns share the load instead of one carrying most of it.
step 04 · schematic
Pull both standing parts. The join should look like two links.
Step 04
Turn the joint over and look at both sides, checking that the turns match on each side and neither loop has slipped over the other before you draw it through the rod guides.
Pull both standing parts. The join should look like two links.
You should now see
A symmetrical collar with the same turns showing on both sides, which slides through the tip guide without catching when you draw it through by hand.
If it goes wrong
One loop riding over the other, so the collar sits lopsided with one side fatter than the other and catches on the tip guide.
Fix: Loosen the joint, work the loops square so the turns match on both sides, then cinch it again slowly. Nothing needs cutting.

Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Loop-to-loop family

A loop that either stands as a dropper or handshake onto another loop.

!Dropper loop collapsed into an overhand
!Handshake twisted so one loop saws the other
!Loop sized after it was already loaded

Fails when

!The turns cross or stack on each other, so one turn carries most of the load instead of all of them sharing it
!There is no double line behind the join, or the Bimini twist wraps have slipped
!Too few passes were made, so the load sits on fewer turns where the loops bear on each other
!One loop rides over the other, leaving a lopsided collar that catches on the rod tip guide

Geometry

Fewer than five passes — a girth hitch
Load lands on one crossing and saws the loop apart
The paw spreads load across five nested turns. Two or three is a girth hitch, which loads a single bearing point. · step 02
Turns riding over each other instead of nesting
The advantage of spreading the load is lost
Nested turns share the load; stacked ones do not. · step 03
Built on a single strand rather than a double
The connection is limited by one strand of main line
The paw transfers load between loops; it does not create strength. · step 01
Collar lopsided, one loop riding over the other
Uneven bearing and a connection that snags at the tip guide
A symmetrical collar is what lets it pass a guide and load evenly. · step 04

If you saw this

The connection looks like a simple loop-through-loop with one crossing
Check
- ?Count the turns in the collar — you should see five
Then
- →Rebuild with five passes; a girth hitch concentrates load on one crossing
The turns sit on top of each other rather than side by side
Check
- ?Look along the collar for a turn riding over its neighbour
Then
- →Slack it off and re-cinch slowly
- →Retie if the turns will not nest
The main line enters the connection as a single strand
Check
- ?Trace the main line back — two strands should run into the collar
Then
- →Build a Bimini first; the paw is only as good as the double under it
Fewer than five passes — a girth hitch
Check
- ?Load lands on one crossing and saws the loop apart
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Turns riding over each other instead of nesting
Check
- ?The advantage of spreading the load is lost
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Built on a single strand rather than a double
Check
- ?The connection is limited by one strand of main line
- ?Inspect step 01
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

Same family

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

This failed — start Diagnose

Not ideal for

×Single-strand main line with no double built first
×Light tackle where the doubled loop is bulkier than the job needs
×Anywhere a loop-to-loop's bulk cannot pass the guides

Cat's Paw

Not ideal for

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