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Diagram

Pitzen Knot

16-20 knot · Pitzen

Tying a hook, lure or fly to line or tippet. NetKnots notes it is easier to tie in lighter line or tippet than in heavier line.

Terminal · Intermediate · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Pitzen Knot, finishedPitzen Knot, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

  1. Push the tippet through the eye and bring the tag back under the standing lineThe tag passes through the hook eye and comes back under the standing line, the two strands running side by side away from the eye.
    1Tag, back alongside
    2Standing line, to the rod
    Move 1 of 1Push the tippet through the eye and bring the tag back under the standing lineYou should now see: Two strands run side by side up from the eye, the tag underneath the standing line, with a long tag to wrap with.

    Step 01

    Push the tippet through the hook eye and bring the tag back under the standing line, so the tag and standing line run side by side.

    You should now see

    Two parallel strands leaving the eye with the tag lying underneath the standing line and a long tag free to wrap with.

    If it goes wrong

    Starting with a short tag. Four wraps plus the tuck through the finger loop use more tippet than they look, and the tag runs out before the tuck.

    Fix: Pull more tippet through the eye before you start wrapping. It is easier than finishing the knot with a stub.

    Why: NetKnots brings the tag back under the standing line. Following that layout keeps your knot matching the wrap and tuck in the next two steps.

  2. Hook the line over your fingertip to hold a small loop openBeyond the end of the two strands the tag turns round a fingertip into a small loop and crosses back under both strands.
    1Small loop on your finger
    Move 1 of 2Hook the line over your fingertip to hold a small loop open
    Wind the tag four times round both strands, working back toward the eyeFour wraps of tag wind round the standing line and the tag beside it, working from the finger loop back toward the hook eye.
    1Four wraps, toward the eye
    2Small loop
    Move 2 of 2Wind the tag four times round both strands, working back toward the eyeYou should now see: Four neat wraps round both strands, running from the fingertip toward the eye, with the small loop still open.

    Step 02

    Hook the line over your index fingertip to hold a small loop open, then wind the tag four times around both parallel strands, working back down toward the eye.

    You should now see

    Four neat wraps around both strands, running from your fingertip toward the eye, with the small loop still held open on your finger.

    If it goes wrong

    Wraps crossing over each other, or winding away from the eye instead of toward it. The tag then finishes out of reach of the finger loop.

    Fix: Unwind to the fingertip and wind again toward the eye, laying each wrap next to the last.

    Why: The four wraps close around the standing line to form the grip. Crossed wraps do not bed evenly, and the knot seats lumpy.

  3. Pass the tag back through the small loop, then slip your finger outFrom the last wrap by the eye the tag runs back beside the wraps, over the near side of the small loop and out under its far side.
    1Through the small loop
    Move 1 of 1Pass the tag back through the small loop, then slip your finger outYou should now see: The tag comes out through the small loop, and the wraps and loop hold their shape loosely with the finger out.

    Step 03

    Pass the tag end back through the small loop held on your finger, then slip your finger out.

    You should now see

    The tag comes out through the small loop, and the wraps and loop hold their shape loosely without your finger in them.

    If it goes wrong

    Letting the finger loop collapse before the tag goes through, or passing the tag beside the loop instead of through it. The knot falls apart when pulled.

    Fix: Keep the fingertip in the loop until the tag is through. If the tag missed, back it out and pass it through the loop again.

    Why: This tuck locks the tag inside the wraps. The pull in step 4 closes the loop around it.

  4. Pull the tag to close the knot on the standing lineThe small loop and the four wraps close into a compact knot on the standing line, still a short way up from the eye.
    1Knot closed on the line
    Move 1 of 3Pull the tag to close the knot on the standing line
    Wet the knot and slide it down to the eye with your fingertipsPushed by hand, the closed knot slides down the standing line and sits against the hook eye, the tag still long.
    1Knot against the eye
    Move 2 of 3Wet the knot and slide it down to the eye with your fingertips
    Pull tight and trim the tagThe finished Pitzen: four closed wraps and the small loop sit tight against the hook eye, with a short trimmed tag.
    Move 3 of 3Pull tight and trim the tagYou should now see: A small, compact knot sitting against the hook eye, the wraps closed neatly and the tag trimmed short.

    Step 04

    Pull the tag to close the knot on the standing line. Wet the knot, slide it down to the eye with your fingertips, then pull tight and trim the tag.

    You should now see

    A small, compact knot sitting against the hook eye, the wraps closed neatly and the tag trimmed short.

    If it goes wrong

    Dragging the knot down to the eye by pulling the standing line. The line rubs through the knot and heats, and the knot can stop short of the eye.

    Fix: Stop pulling the standing line. Wet the knot again and push it down with your fingertips. If the line looks scuffed or kinked, cut it off and retie.

    Why: NetKnots closes the knot on the standing line first, slides it to the eye by hand, and only then pulls tight. Moving it by pulling the standing line makes the line saw through the closed wraps.

HTH · Reference layout

Pitzen Knot — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout

Pitzen Knot — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout
Hook the Horizon reference plate
Failure modes

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

Jam-hitch terminal family

A compact hitch or jam at the eye — fewer wraps, a different lock than a clinch barrel.

  • !Lock never jammed to the eye — it is a loose hitch in disguise
  • !Used on a small eye that cannot take the bulk of the jam
  • !Confused with a clinch: the tag path is not a barrel tuck
Fails when
  • !Tag passed beside the finger loop instead of through it, so the knot falls apart
  • !Crossed wraps that do not bed evenly, so the knot seats lumpy
  • !Pulled to the eye by the standing line, which heats the line and can leave the knot short of the eye
Geometry

  • Guessed wrap count, uneven stack

    The usual unexplained Pitzen break

    Pitzen retention is wrap count and even coil, not folklore · step 01

  • Seated early on a wrong path

    Locks a defective structure you cannot inspect

    Do not seat until the tag path is the Pitzen path · step 02

  • Tag buried in the stack

    Unverifiable — treat as failed

    A buried Pitzen tag is not a finish · step 03

If you saw this

  • Fails under load

    Check

    • ?Compact even stack at eye

    Then

    • →Retie slowly
    • →Practice offline

  • Finished check failed — Lost wrap order during the draw

    Check

    • ?Ordered wraps with the distinctive Pitzen draw path
    • ?Coil seats tightly to the eye
    • ?Tag exits controlled

    Then

    • →Retie. A misdrawn Pitzen loses the strength that justifies the knot.

  • Guessed wrap count, uneven stack

    Check

    • ?The usual unexplained Pitzen break
    • ?Inspect step 01

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Seated early on a wrong path

    Check

    • ?Locks a defective structure you cannot inspect
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Tag buried in the stack

    Check

    • ?Unverifiable — treat as failed
    • ?Inspect step 03

    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

Why this knot

What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.

Best for
Fly hooksHigh strength
Not ideal for
  • Cold hands in high wind without practice
  • Braid
Common mistakes
  • Starting with a tag too short to finish the tuck
  • Wraps crossing, or wound away from the eye instead of toward it
  • Letting the finger loop close before the tag passes through it
  • Dragging the knot down to the eye by pulling the standing line
Alternatives
  • Orvis KnotBeginner

    Ties tippet to a hook or fly with a small knot built on a figure eight

  • Davy KnotBeginner

    Tying a small fly to tippet with a quick, compact knot

  • Double Davy KnotBeginner

    Davy with an extra security pass for larger flies or slightly heavier tippet

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