Tie

Homer Rhode Loop Knot

Heavy-leader free-swing loop for lure action.

Intermediate · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon

Tie it · 4 steps Check the finishAll diagrams Applications

Connection card

Homer Rhode Loop Knot

For line → loop (fixed end loop), line → lure.

What it joins Line → loop (fixed end loop) · Line → lure. In monofilament, fluorocarbon.

Turns 3 to 6. 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 Too few wraps on heavy leader. Loop walks and cinches

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

Heavy-leader free-swing loop for lure action.

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 connectionsHook to line

Not ideal for

Fine tippet dry-fly work
Maximum slim fixed eye

Common mistakes

Taking the tag back through the overhand from the wrong side
Crossing the two turns of the second knot, or wrapping the tag around itself
Letting the first knot drift away from the eye while setting the gap
Stopping the final pull before the two knots meet

Alternatives

Non-Slip Mono LoopIntermediate
Fixed-size non-slip loop for free-swinging lures and flies
Rapala KnotIntermediate
Loop knot popular for hardbaits so the lure can swing freely
King SlingIntermediate
Tying a lure, hook or fly to braid or mono with an open loop, so the bait can move more naturally

Before you start

·NetKnots notes it can be tied in very heavy leader or line and leaves a loop of any size at a hook, fly or lure.
·The Fisherman describes it for monofilament and fluorocarbon leaders from 20- to 80-pound test.
·Start the first overhand about 10 cm (4 in) from the end. The gap between the two knots sets the finished loop size.
·In heavy leader, grip the lure with pliers and wear gloves; NetKnots says they are needed to set the knot firmly.

Line + hardware: Heavy mono or fluoro, Lure or terminal with eye

How to tie it — Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 3

1Loose overhand

2Tag through the eye

swipe to step

01.1

Tie a loose overhand about 10 cm (4 in) from the end, then pass the tag through the eye

Hold:: Left hand holds the loose overhand open in the line
Move:: Right hand feeds the tag end through the eye of the lure

Written step 01

Tie a loose overhand knot about 10 cm (4 in) from the end. Pass the tag through the eye and back through the overhand, entering on the side the tag leaves it, then snug the overhand close to the eye.

You should now see

A snug overhand in the standing line sitting at or just above the eye, with the tag running through the eye and back through that overhand beside the line.

If it goes wrong

Taking the tag back through the overhand from the wrong side. The tag crosses over itself inside the knot and the overhand will not slide close to the eye.

Fix: Pull the tag back out of the overhand and pass it through again from the side where the tag leaves the knot.

Why: The tag has to run through the first knot so the knot can slide along it later. Starting that knot close to the eye keeps the loop size under your control.

What fails if this is wrong

Loop size set after the wraps — You cannot fix the swing after the barrel is on. Size the loop first.

arrow keys work

Tying procedure — Homer Rhode Loop Knot

Step 01 / 4
Tie a loose overhand knot about 10 cm (4 in) from the end. Pass the tag through the eye and back through the overhand, entering on the side the tag leaves it, then snug the overhand close to the eye.
You should now see: A snug overhand in the standing line sitting at or just above the eye, with the tag running through the eye and back through that overhand beside the line.
If it goes wrong: Taking the tag back through the overhand from the wrong side. The tag crosses over itself inside the knot and the overhand will not slide close to the eye.
Fix: Pull the tag back out of the overhand and pass it through again from the side where the tag leaves the knot.
Why: The tag has to run through the first knot so the knot can slide along it later. Starting that knot close to the eye keeps the loop size under your control.
1Loose overhand
2Tag through the eye
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 3
Tie a loose overhand about 10 cm (4 in) from the end, then pass the tag through the eye
Hold: Left hand holds the loose overhand open in the line
Move: Right hand feeds the tag end through the eye of the lure
1Back through the overhand
Step 1 of 4 · move 2 of 3
Bring the tag back through the overhand, entering on the side the tag leaves it
Hold: Left hand keeps the overhand open
Move: Right hand threads the tag back through the overhand beside the line to the eye
1First knot near the eye
Step 1 of 4 · move 3 of 3
Snug the overhand down close to the eye, with the tag still running through it
Hold: Left hand holds the lure
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line and the tag to close the overhand near the eye
You should now see: A snug overhand just above the eye, with the tag running through the eye and back through it beside the line.
Step 02 / 4
Take the tag around the standing line twice, making two side-by-side turns, and pass it through them to tie a second knot above the first. Snug it so it can still slide on the standing line.
You should now see: A second knot with two neat parallel turns around the standing line, a short way above the first knot, that moves along the line when pushed.
If it goes wrong: The two turns crossing each other, or the tag wrapped around itself as well as the standing line. The second knot looks lumpy and binds instead of sliding.
Fix: Loosen the second knot, lay the two turns side by side around the standing line only, and snug it again.
Why: The second knot is the stopper. When the standing line is pulled, the first knot slides up the tag until it jams against this knot, and the loop grows by the gap between them.
1Two turns round the standing line
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Take the tag round the standing line twice, two side-by-side turns above the first knot
Hold: Left hand pinches the first knot and the standing line
Move: Right hand turns the tag twice round the standing line, working away from the knot
1Back through both turns
Step 2 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Pass the tag back through both turns and snug the second knot so it still slides
Hold: Left hand keeps the two turns side by side on the standing line
Move: Right hand runs the tag back through the turns, then pulls it gently snug
You should now see: A second knot of two neat parallel turns on the standing line, a short way above the first knot, that slides when pushed.
Step 03 / 4
Slide the second knot along the standing line until the gap between the two knots matches the loop size you want.
You should now see: The first knot still at or near the eye, and a gap to the second knot about as long as the finished loop you want.
If it goes wrong: Letting the first knot drift away from the eye while you size the gap, so the loop ends up bigger than planned. The first knot sits visibly clear of the eye.
Fix: Push the first knot back down to the eye, then set the gap again before pulling anything tight.
Why: Once the knots are pulled together the loop cannot be resized. Keeping the first knot at the eye makes the gap the one thing that sets the loop size.
1Gap sets the loop size
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Slide the second knot along the standing line until the gap matches the loop you want
Hold: Left hand keeps the first knot at the eye
Move: Right hand pushes the second knot along the standing line to open the gap
You should now see: The first knot still at the eye, and a gap to the second knot about as long as the loop you want.
Step 04 / 4
Hold the lure and pull the standing line so the two knots slide together and jam. In heavy leader, grip the lure with pliers and wear gloves for the pull. Trim the tag close.
You should now see: The two knots butted hard against each other with no gap, an open loop at the eye, and a short trimmed tag.
If it goes wrong: Stopping before the knots meet, leaving a gap between them. The knot is not set, and the loop can creep larger under load.
Fix: Grip the lure with pliers and pull the standing line again until the knots touch. If they will not meet, cut the knot off and tie it again.
Why: Stiff heavy leader resists closing. NetKnots advises pliers and gloves in heavy line to get enough pressure to set both knots against each other.
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Hold the lure, pull the standing line so the knots slide together and jam; trim
Hold: Left hand grips the lure, with pliers and a glove in heavy leader
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line hard until the two knots meet, then trims the tag
You should now see: The two knots butted hard together with no gap, an open loop at the eye, and a short trimmed 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.
Strength: Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.

Watch the tie

Homer Rhode Loop Knot- Heavy Leader- Saltwater ExperienceSaltwater Experience - Tom Rowland Podcast · 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
06homer-rhode

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.

Homer Rhode Loop 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.

Fixed-loop family

A loop that stays the size you made, with a return that cannot cinch.

!Loop cinched around the hardware — action is dead
!Return path reversed, so it becomes a slip loop
!Fluoro in a lock that only behaves on mono

Fails when

!A gap left between the two knots, so the loop can creep larger under load
!Heavy leader set by hand without pliers, so the knots are not pulled firmly together
!Second knot tied with crossed turns, so it binds before the knots meet

Geometry

Too few wraps on heavy leader
Loop walks and cinches
Homer Rhode holds loop size with wraps, not hope · step 02
Loop collapsed while seating
A failed Homer Rhode — not a tight loop
Seat without shrinking the loop; a cinch is a noose · step 03
Loop size set after the wraps
You cannot fix the swing after the barrel is on
Size the loop first · step 01

If you saw this

Loop cinches closed
Check
- ?Loop holds under pull
Then
- →Retie
- →Compare to Non-Slip Mono Loop
Finished check failed — Loop closes to the eye
Check
- ?Fixed loop preserved for lure action
- ?Wraps ordered on the standing line
- ?Loop does not close under load
Then
- →Retie. A closed Homer Rhode removes free lure swing.
Too few wraps on heavy leader
Check
- ?Loop walks and cinches
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Loop collapsed while seating
Check
- ?A failed Homer Rhode — not a tight loop
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Loop size set after the wraps
Check
- ?You cannot fix the swing after the barrel is on
- ?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

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

Not established

Its only circulating numbers are Knot Wars figures against rated strength (70.4–88.3%), which cannot be read as retention because the same dataset puts other knots above 130%.

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 — Homer Rhode Loop Knot
Hook the Horizon — Homer Rhode
Recovered from the same record’s historical Hook the Horizon resource URL.
Field practice (heavy leader loops)no link on file

Record reviewed 2026-08-14

Vetted references

Homer Rhode Loop
Hook the Horizon
Homer Rhode Loop Knot- Heavy Leader- Saltwater Experience
Saltwater Experience - Tom Rowland Podcast

Related knots

Already tied it?

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