Dropper Loop
A loop formed mid-line without cutting it, so both standing parts continue through the knot. Load on either standing part passes through the wrap column rather than around the loop, which is why the loop can hang a dropper at right angles without the main line losing its line of pull.
Intermediate · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon
Connection card
Dropper Loop
For line → loop (fixed end loop).
Twists either side of a mid-line opening; the loop stands perpendicular to the main line.
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
A loop formed mid-line without cutting it, so both standing parts continue through the knot. Load on either standing part passes through the wrap column rather than around the loop, which is why the loop can hang a dropper at right angles without the main line losing its line of pull.
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.
- Terminal strength jobs
- Braid, which will not hold the twist column
- More turns on one side of the centre opening than the other
- Pushing the loop through a gap that is off the centre of the turns
- Letting go of the loop before the ends are pulled tight
- Snatching the ends, or pulling one end harder than the other
- Surgeon’s LoopBeginner
A fixed loop tied quickly in the end of a line, for a loop-to-loop connection or to let a lure or fly move freely on the loop
- Perfection LoopBeginner
A small fixed loop in the end of a leader, tippet or fly line that lies in line with the standing line
Before you start
- ·Pick the spot for the dropper before you start. Once the turns are in, the knot cannot slide along the line.
- ·Keep the loop fairly short. Animated Knots advises against a long dropper, which is more likely to foul and twist around the line.
- ·Have your teeth or a spare finger ready to hold the loop in the centre of the turns until the ends are pulled tight.
- ·Wet the turns before the final pull. In nylon the turns rearrange as the knot tightens, and a slow pull lets them roll into place.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1. Form a large loop at the point where you want the dropper
Space plays or pauses. Keys 1, 2, 3 and 4 set the speed. Arrow keys change the move.
swipe to step
01.1
Form a large loop at the point where you want the dropper
- Hold:
- Left hand pinches the crossover in the main line
- Move:
- Right hand draws a generous loop away from the main run
You should now see: One large mid-line loop stands away from two straight sections of the same uncut line.
Make a large loop in the line at the point where you want the dropper, and pinch the crossing point where the two sides of the loop meet.
A loop hanging from the line at the chosen spot, both ends of the line free, held at the crossing between finger and thumb.
Making the loop much longer than needed. A long dropper tangles around the main line when it is fished.
Fix: Let some of the loop back into the line before you start the turns. The turns use up line, so the finished loop comes out shorter than this one.
Why: The knot forms around the crossing point, so this is where the dropper will stand out from the line. Choose the spot now, because the knot cannot slide along the line once the turns are in.
arrow keys work
Tying procedure — Dropper Loop
Step 01 / 4
Make a large loop in the line at the point where you want the dropper, and pinch the crossing point where the two sides of the loop meet.
You should now see: A loop hanging from the line at the chosen spot, both ends of the line free, held at the crossing between finger and thumb.
If it goes wrong: Making the loop much longer than needed. A long dropper tangles around the main line when it is fished.
Fix: Let some of the loop back into the line before you start the turns. The turns use up line, so the finished loop comes out shorter than this one.
Why: The knot forms around the crossing point, so this is where the dropper will stand out from the line. Choose the spot now, because the knot cannot slide along the line once the turns are in.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Form a large loop at the point where you want the dropper
Hold: Left hand pinches the crossover in the main line
Move: Right hand draws a generous loop away from the main run
You should now see: One large mid-line loop stands away from two straight sections of the same uncut line.
Step 02 / 4
Holding the crossing point, wrap one side of the loop around the line about six times, keeping a fingertip in the centre so the turns build up evenly on both sides of it.
You should now see: A twisted section with matching turns on either side of a small opening in the middle, and the rest of the loop hanging below.
If it goes wrong: Uneven turns, or turns that cross over each other. You see more twists on one side of the centre opening than the other.
Fix: Unwind the turns and wrap again, counting each side and holding the centre open with a fingertip.
Why: Animated Knots notes the finished knot should look almost symmetrical either side of the loop. Turns bunched on one side pull the loop crooked, so it lies along the line instead of standing out.
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Wrap the loop around the crossover six times, keeping the turns even
Hold: Left hand keeps the crossover centered
Move: Right hand rotates the whole loop to build an even six-turn collar
You should now see: Six orderly turns surround the crossover, with an opening still visible through the middle.
Step 03 / 4
Open the gap at the centre of the turns and push the bottom of the loop up through it. Hold the loop there with your teeth or a finger.
You should now see: The loop sticking out through the middle of the twisted section, with the same number of turns on each side of it.
If it goes wrong: Pushing the loop through a gap off the centre, or letting go so it springs back out. The loop pulls out, or the knot closes lopsided.
Fix: Pull the loop back out, find the centre again with a fingertip, and push it through there. Keep hold of it until the knot is tight.
Why: Only the pull in the next step holds the loop in the knot. Released now, it slides straight back out through the opening.
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Push the original loop through the opening in the middle of the turns
Hold: Left hand keeps the turn stack from spilling
Move: Right hand feeds the full loop through the central opening
You should now see: The same original loop emerges through the center; none of the six turns has crossed over another.
Step 04 / 4
Wet the turns and, still holding the loop, pull both ends of the line apart slowly and evenly until the turns close up and the loop stands out from the line.
You should now see: Tight turns on both sides of a loop that stands out at an angle from the line rather than lying flat along it.
If it goes wrong: Snatching the ends, or pulling one harder than the other. The turns close unevenly and the loop leans to one side.
Fix: A dropper that has closed crooked cannot be reset by pulling harder. Tie it again on a fresh section of line.
Why: Animated Knots notes that tightening this knot in nylon changes its structure: the turns redistribute so the inner strand becomes an outer wrap. A slow pull gives the turns room to roll into place.
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Wet the knot and pull both standing parts evenly to dress the loop
Hold: Left hand pulls one standing side
Move: Right hand pulls the other side while keeping the dropper centered
You should now see: The collar is compact and even, both standing parts leave opposite sides, and the loop stands off the main line.
What this is based onChanged, not yet re-reviewed
- Record
- Reviewed 2026-08-10. 2 sources are cited for this record.
- Drawing
- Changed to fix faults found in its pictures or its film, and checked by the drawing checks. No person has looked at the change. Not yet re-reviewed, and not yet tied from the drawing. Recorded 2026-09-26.
- Known limits
- No audit has looked at this drawing since it was changed, so it may have faults that are not listed here.
- Strength
- Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.
Watch the tie
How to tie the Dropper LoopDieter Melhorn Fishing · Opens on YouTubeExternal 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
- Standing mid-line loop perpendicular to main
- Standing line
- Main line continuous
- Tag end
- Does not apply to this form — mid-line
- Wraps
- Twists locked
- Seating
- Loop locked open
Verify before you load it
Every line is pass or fail. One fail means retie — do not load a knot you argued with.
- 01Standing mid-line loop perpendicular to main
- 02Loop locked open
- 03Does not apply to this form — mid-line
- 04Twists locked
- 05Per dropper pattern
- 06Dropper loop
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.
Dropper Loop — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
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
- !Loop released before tightening, so it slides back out through the opening
- !Loop pushed through off centre, so it pulls out or the knot closes lopsided
- !Ends snatched or pulled unevenly, so the loop leans along the line instead of standing out
- !Loop tied too long, so it fouls and twists around the main line
Dropper lock incomplete — loop collapses
Dropper fails and the fly is gone
The pass-through lock is the dropper; a collapse is unfinished · step 03
Twists not even — weakens the main
The mainline is the failure, not the dropper
Neat twists preserve mainline strength around the loop · step 02
Pass-through never completed
Not a dropper — a malformed overhand on the main
The pass-through must complete before any load · step 03
Loop lies along the main line instead of standing out
Check
- ?Count twists either side of the loop base
Then
- →Retie with symmetrical twists and a centred pass-through
Finished check failed — Loop lies flat and collapses
Check
- ?Loop stands perpendicular after seating
- ?Wraps ordered around the standing line
- ?Loop size matches intended dropper length
Then
- →Retie. A collapsed dropper loop fouls flies and weakens the leader.
Dropper lock incomplete — loop collapses
Check
- ?Dropper fails and the fly is gone
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Twists not even — weakens the main
Check
- ?The mainline is the failure, not the dropper
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Pass-through never completed
Check
- ?Not a dropper — a malformed overhand on the main
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.
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.
Nothing marked. Log it clean, or mark what happened first.
Strength, and where the number comes from
Not established
The '70–85% of the main at the drop' band it used to carry has no source we could locate.
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.
- Animated Knots — Dropper Loop
- Dieter Melhorn Fishing — How to tie the Dropper Loop
Cited tying video already attached to this record.
Record reviewed 2026-08-10
Vetted references
- Dropper Loop
Animated Knots by Grog
- How to tie the Dropper Loop
Dieter Melhorn Fishing
Related knots
Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.