Tie

Centauri Knot

Three-loop sliding collar on nylon. Mono terminal or simple spool attachment — not a braid knot.

Beginner · Monofilament

Tie it · 4 steps Check the finishAll diagrams Applications

Connection card

Centauri Knot

For line → hook, line → lure, line → spool.

What it joins Line → hook · Line → lure · Line → spool. In monofilament.

Turns 3. Count them before you seat it; afterwards you are guessing.

Shape Terminal wrap or lock at the eye or along the shank

Tag end Tag exits clean and short

Seated Fully seated to eye or shank

Start again if Loops closed out of order. No collar — the usual Centauri failure

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

Three-loop sliding collar on nylon. Mono terminal or simple spool attachment — not a braid knot.

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

Hook to lineQuick to tie

Not ideal for

Braid-first terminals
Fluoro-first use that has not been verified for this collar

Common mistakes

Pulling a loop snug as it is formed, so it grips the standing line before the other two are made
Forming the second or third loop the opposite way round, or letting the middle loop collapse
Missing one of the loops with the tag, or yanking the tag hard to close the collar
Trimming the tag while the collar still sits up the line above the eye

Alternatives

Uni KnotBeginner
Tying a hook, lure or other terminal tackle to braided or monofilament line
Arbor KnotBeginner
Tying line to the bare arbor of a reel spool before winding it on
Pitzen KnotIntermediate
Tying a hook, lure or fly to line or tippet

Before you start

·NetKnots gives it for any size of monofilament and does not cover braid. Cast and Spear says braid can slip through the wraps.
·Form all three loops the same way round and hold them open. A loop that closes early leaves no room for the tag.
·Close the collar with a gentle pull on the tag. A hard yank kinks the mono.
·NetKnots also uses the same sliding collar to attach line to a reel, closing it onto the arbor instead of a hook eye.

Line + hardware: Monofilament, Hook, lure, or reel arbor

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

1First loop, held open

2Standing line, to the rod

swipe to step

01.1

Pass the line through the hook eye and form one loop of tag round the standing line

Hold:: Left hand holds the hook, with the standing line running away from you
Move:: Right hand takes the tag down in front of the standing line, under it and back up behind

You should now see: One open loop of tag round the standing line a short way above the eye, and the tag end free.

Written step 01

Pass the line through the eye of the hook and, with the tag end, form a loop around the standing line.

You should now see

One open loop of tag around the standing line a short way above the eye, with the tag end free to form the next loop.

If it goes wrong

Pulling the first loop snug as you form it, so it grips the standing line before the other two are made. The loop shrinks into a tight turn.

Fix: Open the loop back up with a fingertip and hold it open while you make the next two.

Why: All three loops close together at the end. A loop that closes early leaves no room for the tag to pass through it in step 3.

What fails if this is wrong

Loops closed out of order — No collar — the usual Centauri failure. Three loops in order make the sliding collar; a flipped first loop will not form it.

arrow keys work

Tying procedure — Centauri Knot

Step 01 / 4
Pass the line through the eye of the hook and, with the tag end, form a loop around the standing line.
You should now see: One open loop of tag around the standing line a short way above the eye, with the tag end free to form the next loop.
If it goes wrong: Pulling the first loop snug as you form it, so it grips the standing line before the other two are made. The loop shrinks into a tight turn.
Fix: Open the loop back up with a fingertip and hold it open while you make the next two.
Why: All three loops close together at the end. A loop that closes early leaves no room for the tag to pass through it in step 3.
1First loop, held open
2Standing line, to the rod
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Pass the line through the hook eye and form one loop of tag round the standing line
Hold: Left hand holds the hook, with the standing line running away from you
Move: Right hand takes the tag down in front of the standing line, under it and back up behind
You should now see: One open loop of tag round the standing line a short way above the eye, and the tag end free.
Step 02 / 4
Make a second loop around the standing line the same way as the first, then a third, and hold all three open together.
You should now see: Three open loops of tag lying side by side around the standing line, about the same size and all turning the same way.
If it goes wrong: Forming the second or third loop the opposite way round, or letting the middle loop collapse. The loops cross each other instead of lying side by side.
Fix: Let go of the loops that are wrong and form them again the same way as the first, holding each one open as you add the next.
Why: Loops formed the same way close into an even collar. A reversed or collapsed loop leaves a crossing that stops the collar closing and sliding cleanly.
1Three loops, all the same way
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Make a second loop and a third the same way, and hold all three open
Hold: Left thumb and forefinger hold the loops open and flat against the standing line
Move: Right hand takes the tag round the standing line twice more, the same way each time
You should now see: Three open loops side by side round the standing line, about the same size and all turning the same way.
Step 03 / 4
Run the tag end through all three loops, then pull gently on the tag so the loops close onto the standing line.
You should now see: A neat collar gripping the standing line, with the hook hanging from a loop of line below it.
If it goes wrong: Missing one of the loops with the tag, or yanking the tag hard. A missed loop hangs open beside the collar, and a hard yank kinks the mono.
Fix: Loosen the collar, pass the tag through the loop it missed, and close it again with a gentle pull.
Why: NetKnots notes this knot puts little friction on the line, so it does not distort the mono the way some more complex knots do. A gentle pull lets the three loops close evenly.
1Tag through all three loops
2Tag leaves away from the hook
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Bring the tag back over the loops to the eye end and run it through all three
Hold: Left thumb and forefinger keep the three loops open and lined up along the standing line
Move: Right hand runs the tag end in at the eye end, through all three loops beside the standing line
1Collar
2Loop the hook hangs from
Step 3 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Pull gently on the tag so the loops close onto the standing line
Hold: Left hand holds the standing line with the hook hanging below
Move: Right hand draws the tag end gently away from the hook until the loops close together
You should now see: A neat collar gripping the standing line, with the hook hanging from a loop of line below it.
Step 04 / 4
Slide the collar down the standing line until it sits on the eye of the hook, pull it firm, then trim the tag.
You should now see: The collar resting on the eye with no loop of line left between them, holding its place under a firm pull, and a short tag.
If it goes wrong: Trimming while the collar still sits up the line, leaving a small loop between the knot and the eye. The collar can creep under load.
Fix: If the tag is still long, slide the collar down and pull again. If it was already trimmed, cut the knot off and tie it again.
Why: The same collar can be slid down onto a reel arbor instead of a hook eye, which NetKnots gives as an alternative to the arbor knot.
1Collar on the eye
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Slide the collar down the standing line until it sits on the eye
Hold: Left hand holds the hook
Move: Right hand pushes the collar down the standing line onto the eye
1Trimmed tag
Step 4 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Pull the standing line firm against the hook, then trim the tag
Hold: Left hand holds the hook
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line firm, then trims the tag short
You should now see: The collar resting on the eye with no loop between them, holding its place under a firm pull, and a short tag.

What this is based onReference review, not yet tied

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.
Known limits: None that stop a reader following it were confirmed in the plate audit of 2026-09-24; smaller findings were not all re-checked.
Older drawing: An older drawing of this knot is withdrawn and shown nowhere. The audit's reason: Draws a loop laid back with four coils inside it. The Centauri is three loops of the tag round the standing line, then the tag through all three.
Strength: Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.

Watch the tie

The BEST knot for heavy line! (tie the Centauri Knot)Just The Lip Fishing · 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: Terminal wrap or lock at the eye or along the shank
Standing line: Standing line on-axis with load
Tag end: Tag exits clean and short
Wraps: Even structure, no crossings
Seating: Fully seated to eye or shank

Verify before you load it

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

01Terminal wrap or lock at the eye or along the shank
02Fully seated to eye or shank
03Tag exits clean and short
04Even structure, no crossings
05None
06centauri

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.

Centauri 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

!The tag was trimmed with the collar still up the line, leaving a small loop above the eye, and the collar creeps under load
!A loop was reversed or collapsed, and the crossing stops the collar closing and sliding cleanly
!The tag missed a loop, which hangs open beside the collar instead of closing into it
!The tag was yanked hard to close the collar, kinking the mono

Geometry

Loops closed out of order
No collar — the usual Centauri failure
Three loops in order make the sliding collar; a flipped first loop will not form it · step 01
Hard pull before the collar formed
Kinks nylon and the collar never seats
Form the collar, then seat; a yank is not a Centauri · step 03
Used on braid
A nylon collar on braid will not hold
Centauri is a mono knot — braid needs a different terminal · step 04

If you saw this

Collar walks or opens under load
Check
- ?Collar butted to the eye
- ?Three-loop stack visible
Then
- →Retie on nylon
- →Do not transfer this collar to braid
Finished check failed — Misdrawn final geometry
Check
- ?Distinctive Centauri geometry seated
- ?Clean tag exit
- ?No open loops
Then
- →Retie. A misdrawn Centauri loses the geometry that gives it strength.
Loops closed out of order
Check
- ?No collar — the usual Centauri failure
- ?Inspect step 01
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Hard pull before the collar formed
Check
- ?Kinks nylon and the collar never seats
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Used on braid
Check
- ?A nylon collar on braid will not hold
- ?Inspect step 04
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.

Name and construction

'Fig 8 knot' is this record's alias for a sliding-collar terminal knot. NetKnots, the record's source, gives it no other name, and no page read for this record uses 'figure 8' for it. In rope work 'figure 8' names the figure-8 stopper, a different knot, so a search for 'figure 8' lists both.

Wraps: Three loops of tag made round the standing line and held open together.
Lock: The tag runs through all three, making a sliding collar that is run down onto the eye.

Figure-8 Stopper — Animated Knots titles its page for this rope stopper Figure 8 Knot.

Strength, and where the number comes from

Not established

No published break test; NetKnots documents it without a strength claim.

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 — Centauri Knot
Hook the Horizon — Centauri Knot
Recovered from the same record’s historical Hook the Horizon resource URL.
NetKnots fishing knot references
Recovered from this record’s historical modelSourceId registry.

Record reviewed 2026-08-14

Vetted references

Centauri Knot
Hook the Horizon
The BEST knot for heavy line! (tie the Centauri Knot)
Just The Lip Fishing

Related knots

Already tied it?

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