Tie

Australian Plait

A woven double built by plaiting three strands rather than twisting two. The plait distributes load across a long section instead of a short compressed one, so it survives repeated shock loading better than a twisted double — at the cost of being slow to build and impossible to inspect once it is bedded.

Advanced · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon / Braid

Tie it · 4 steps Check the finishAll diagrams Applications

Connection card

Australian Plait

For line → loop (fixed end loop), double line → leader.

What it joins Line → loop (fixed end loop) · Double line → leader. In monofilament, fluorocarbon, braid.

Turns 8 to 20. Count them before you seat it; afterwards you are guessing.

Shape Completed join or loop structure

Tag end Tags short and correct path

Seated Fully seated

Start again if Loose plait that is not a double. Unravels in the guides

This card does not say how strong the knot is. A retention figure comes from a bench, in one material, at one diameter, tied by somebody who ties it all day — and the line in your hand is none of those. What it does tell you is whether the thing you have just tied is the thing the record describes.

What this plate is telling you

Save this as a picture and it works with a dead signal and a nearly dead battery, which is when a joint is most often tied badly. The rest of this page — the steps, the seating sequence, the failure modes and the bench — is for the evening before.

Why this knot

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

Best for

Loop connectionsHigh strength

Not ideal for

Quick bankside reties
Beginners without practice

Common mistakes

Leaving the tag too short for the plait length the line class needs
Missing an over-and-under alternation, or letting the main line go slack while plaiting
Closing the tag loop before the big loop has passed all the way through it
Tightening the finish fast or dry

Alternatives

Bimini TwistAdvanced
Making a double line with a loop at the end, for loop-to-loop leader connections or as the doubled line in knots such as the Yucatan
Spider HitchIntermediate
Forming a double line quickly
Yucatan KnotIntermediate
Joining a heavier mono leader to a lighter braid or mono main line that has first been doubled with a Bimini twist or spider hitch

Before you start

·Animated Knots describes it as an alternative to the Bimini twist for a double-line leader used in a loop-to-loop connection.
·Plait length depends on line class: NetKnots gives 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) for 6 lb and under, rising to 20 cm (8 in) for 50 lb and above.
·Leave a tag long enough for the whole plait plus about three more plaits for the finish. A plait cannot be lengthened once made.
·NetKnots notes the finished knot has a low profile and passes easily through the guides or rollers of the rod.

Line + hardware: Long enough line section for the plait

How to tie it — Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1

1Tag end, long enough to plait with

2Long loop: the double line

3Main line, to the rod

swipe to step

01.1

Double the line into a long loop, leaving a long tag end beside the main line

Hold:: Left hand pinches the base of the loop where the tag lies beside the main line
Move:: Right hand draws out a loop longer than the double you need

You should now see: A long doubled loop with the tag hanging free beside the main line, the tag clearly longer than the plait you plan.

Written step 01

Double the line into a loop as long as the double you need, leaving a long tag end to plait with.

You should now see

A long doubled loop with the tag end hanging free beside the standing line, clearly longer than the plait you plan to make.

If it goes wrong

Leaving the tag too short for the plait your line class needs. The tag runs out before the plait reaches its length, with nothing left for the finish.

Fix: Unpick the plait and start again with a longer tag. A plait that is too short cannot be lengthened once it is made.

Why: NetKnots sizes the plait by line class, from 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) in the lightest line to 20 cm (8 in) in the heaviest. The tag has to cover that length plus a few more plaits for the finish.

What fails if this is wrong

Too short a double to plait tightly — Cannot be locked; walks on the first load. The double has to be long enough to plait and lock.

arrow keys work

Tying procedure — Australian Plait

Step 01 / 4
Double the line into a loop as long as the double you need, leaving a long tag end to plait with.
You should now see: A long doubled loop with the tag end hanging free beside the standing line, clearly longer than the plait you plan to make.
If it goes wrong: Leaving the tag too short for the plait your line class needs. The tag runs out before the plait reaches its length, with nothing left for the finish.
Fix: Unpick the plait and start again with a longer tag. A plait that is too short cannot be lengthened once it is made.
Why: NetKnots sizes the plait by line class, from 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) in the lightest line to 20 cm (8 in) in the heaviest. The tag has to cover that length plus a few more plaits for the finish.
1Tag end, long enough to plait with
2Long loop: the double line
3Main line, to the rod
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Double the line into a long loop, leaving a long tag end beside the main line
Hold: Left hand pinches the base of the loop where the tag lies beside the main line
Move: Right hand draws out a loop longer than the double you need
You should now see: A long doubled loop with the tag hanging free beside the main line, the tag clearly longer than the plait you plan.
Step 02 / 4
Wrap the tag back around the main line and between the two strands of the loop, then keep plaiting with alternating over and under wraps, pinching the plait and keeping tension on the main line.
You should now see: A tight, even plait growing along the base of the loop, each crossing the same size and no loose strand bulging out.
If it goes wrong: Missing an alternation or letting the main line go slack. The plait shows a loose or doubled crossing and spreads open when you stop pinching it.
Fix: Unpick back to the last tight, even crossing and plait on from there, keeping tension on the main line and the plait pinched.
Why: The plait holds because each wrap of the tag squeezes the two loop strands together. A loose crossing lets the strands slide, and the double can pull out under load.
1Tag, once round the main line
2Tag between the loop strands
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 3
Wrap the tag back round the main line, then up between the two strands of the loop
Hold: Left hand pinches the base of the loop and keeps the main line tight
Move: Right hand takes the tag once round the main line and brings it between the loop strands
1Plait: tag over, then under
Step 2 of 4 · move 2 of 3
Plait the tag over and under the two loop strands in turn
Hold: Left finger and thumb pinch the plait so each crossing stays tight
Move: Right hand crosses the outside strand over the middle one, first one side, then the other
Step 2 of 4 · move 3 of 3
Keep plaiting with tension on the main line until the plait is long enough
Hold: Left hand keeps the main line tight and pinches the finished plait
Move: Right hand keeps alternating over and under, the same size each crossing
You should now see: A tight, even plait along the base of the loop, every crossing the same size and no strand bulging out.
Step 03 / 4
Fold the tag into a small loop, plait about three more times with the doubled tag, then pull the big line loop through the small tag loop.
You should now see: The big loop passed all the way through the small tag loop at the end of the plait, with the tag loop still open.
If it goes wrong: Pulling the tag loop shut before the big loop has gone all the way through it. The finish closes on nothing and the end of the plait starts to open.
Fix: Open the tag loop again and pull the rest of the big loop through before tightening anything.
Why: Closing the tag loop around the doubled line stops the plait unravelling from its end.
1Small loop in the tag
2Doubled tag, plaited
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Fold the tag into a small loop and plait about three more times with it doubled
Hold: Left hand pinches the end of the plait
Move: Right hand plaits the doubled tag, small loop leading, over and under three times
1Small tag loop, still open
2Big loop, through it
Step 3 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Pull the big line loop all the way through the small tag loop
Hold: Left hand holds the small tag loop open at the end of the plait
Move: Right hand feeds the big loop through the small loop and draws it clear
You should now see: The big loop has gone all the way through the small tag loop at the end of the plait, and the tag loop is still open.
Step 04 / 4
Wet the knot and tighten it by pulling the tag steadily. Give the double a hard pull, then trim the tag.
You should now see: The tag loop closed tight around the base of the double at the end of the plait, the plait still firm under a hard pull on the double, and a short tag.
If it goes wrong: Tightening fast and dry. The finish sits loose and the end of the plait opens under the test pull.
Fix: If the tag loop closed on nothing or the plait loosened, cut the plait off and tie it again. Pull hard on the double before trimming the tag.
Why: Pulling the tag smoothly draws the last plaits tight behind it.
1Tag loop closed round the double
2Trimmed tag
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Wet the knot, pull the tag steadily to close its loop, test the double, then trim
Hold: Left hand holds the main line and the double apart and gives the double a hard pull
Move: Right hand pulls the tag end smoothly until its loop closes, then trims it
You should now see: The tag loop closed tight round the double at the end of the plait, the plait firm under a hard pull, and a short tag.

What this is based onReference review, not yet tied · 1 known limit

Record: Reviewed 2026-08-14. 3 sources are cited for this record.
Drawing: Checked against published references and found to be this knot. Not yet tied from the drawing. Recorded 2026-09-21.
Strength: 91.9% of the weaker line, a single entrant's plait, three samples, in 30 lb PowerPro braid, as a percent of the single strand's measured unknotted break — NetKnots' claim of '100% line strength' for this knot is a bare assertion and this is the measurement that exists instead. Measured — Sport Fishing (Doug Olander). From a published break test, on that tester's line, tying and pull rate.

What the drawing does not show

Step 2, move 1 of 3: Framed so close that you cannot tell which piece of line continues into which, or what the tag is wrapping.

Watch the tie

How to tie a plaited double knot with Paul WorstelingClub Marine TV · Opens on YouTube

External video from a creator we follow — not produced by us. Nothing on this page loads from YouTube until you follow the link.

Seating sequence — where failures are born

The step list compresses the finish. Run these phases in order, one at a time.

01 Moisten
Wet the structure before any load reaches it.
Zero. Nothing tightens yet.
02 Load
Take up slack slowly until the wraps begin to gather.
Light and even — both ends moving together.
03 Dress
Watch the wraps stack in order; stop and back off if any cross.
Hold, do not pull. Correction happens here or not at all.
04 Set
One continuous pull to full seat — no sawing, no jerks.
Firm, single direction, standing line against the terminal end.
05 Trim
Cut the tag square, leaving a short stub proud of the knot.
None. Never trim under load.

Finished structure — what correct looks like

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

Structure: Completed join or loop structure
Standing line: On-axis load path
Tag end: Tags short and correct path
Wraps: Even, no crossings
Seating: Fully seated

Verify before you load it

Every line is pass or fail. One fail means retie — do not load a knot you argued with.

01Completed join or loop structure
02Fully seated
03Tags short and correct path
04Even, no crossings
05None
06australian-plait

Something failed → open Diagnose

Field notes — dark, cold, gloves

·Retie by feel first, light second — the seat is a tactile event, not a visual one.
·Gloves off for the dress phase. Fabric hides a crossing wrap.
·Wrong twice in a row means the material or the hardware is fighting you. Change one, not your technique.

Australian Plait — 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.

Double-line family

A load-bearing loop of doubled line, locked so it cannot crawl back.

!Twists or wraps not packed before the lock
!Lock that crawls back into the double
!Uneven legs — one side takes the shock

Fails when

!Plait left loose, so the loop strands slide and the double pulls out under load
!Tag loop closed on nothing, so the plait unravels from its end
!Finish tightened fast and dry, so it sits loose and the end of the plait opens

Geometry

Loose plait that is not a double
Unravels in the guides
A plaited double is density plus a lock, not three loose strands · step 02
Too short a double to plait tightly
Cannot be locked; walks on the first load
The double has to be long enough to plait and lock · step 01
Incomplete lock at the plait end
Unlocks on the first load
An unlocked plait end is unfinished · step 03

If you saw this

Plait loosens under load
Check
- ?Plait density
- ?End lock
Then
- →Rebuild tighter
- →Use Bimini when conditions allow
Finished check failed — Loose plait with gaps
Check
- ?Plaited double-line section uniform
- ?Locking finish secure
- ?Legs share load
Then
- →Retie. A gappy plait concentrates load on one leg and fails early.
Loose plait that is not a double
Check
- ?Unravels in the guides
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Too short a double to plait tightly
Check
- ?Cannot be locked; walks on the first load
- ?Inspect step 01
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Incomplete lock at the plait end
Check
- ?Unlocks on the first load
- ?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

The bench · rep 1

Get it right with everything in your favour0/5 clean

Nothing logged on this knot yet, so it starts on the bottom rung.

Good light, dry hands, a table. Until the sequence is automatic here there is nothing for the harder rungs to test — you would only be learning that difficult conditions are difficult, which you already knew.

How · Tie it, check it against the list, log it. Five clean and the ladder opens.

Conditions for this rep

Main lineJoined to

What went wrong, if anything

Nothing marked. Log it clean, or mark what happened first.

Strength, and where the number comes from

91.9% of the weaker line

Measured

a single entrant's plait, three samples, in 30 lb PowerPro braid, as a percent of the single strand's measured unknotted break — NetKnots' claim of '100% line strength' for this knot is a bare assertion and this is the measurement that exists instead

The Strongest Double Line Fishing Knot — Sport Fishing (Doug Olander)

Percentages come from published tests on their own line, their own knot-tyer and their own pull rate. Yours is a different system. Treat a figure as a reason to test, not as a result you already have.

Sources for this record

NetKnots — Australian Plait
Field practice (double-line family)no link on file
Hook the Horizon — Australian Plait
Recovered from the same record’s historical Hook the Horizon resource URL.

Record reviewed 2026-08-14

Vetted references

Australian Plait
Hook the Horizon
How to tie a plaited double knot with Paul Worsteling
Club Marine TV

Test yourself

Take the Specialist quiz — can you recognise this knot's finished state and failure modes?

Related knots

Already tied it?

Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.