King Sling
A twisted-loop terminal: the doubled line is rotated on itself three or four turns, then the lure passes through the twisted eye. Load is carried by the twists gripping each other, not by a cinched barrel, which is why it stays open and why it stops working much above 50 lb mono.
Intermediate · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon
Connection card
King Sling
For line → loop (fixed end loop).
A loop with an overhand sling wrap that locks the loop open — a fixed terminal loop.
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 twisted-loop terminal: the doubled line is rotated on itself three or four turns, then the lure passes through the twisted eye. Load is carried by the twists gripping each other, not by a cinched barrel, which is why it stays open and why it stops working much above 50 lb mono.
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.
- Free-swing lure action (prefer non-slip lure loops)
- Braid-only terminals and heavy shock leaders
- Leaving too short a tag, so it slips out before the knot closes
- Twisting the loop without holding the lure and line, so the twists bunch or spin out
- Passing the lure through only one strand of the double loop
- Pulling on dry line, or leaving the tag out of the final pull
- Perfection LoopBeginner
A small fixed loop in the end of a leader, tippet or fly line that lies in line with the standing line
- 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
- Homer Rhode Loop KnotIntermediate
Heavy-leader free-swing loop for lures when you want action without a tiny tippet loop knot
Before you start
- ·NetKnots says it can be tied in fairly heavy test monofilament, up to about 50 pound breaking strength.
- ·NetKnots notes it has been shown to be a good knot for use in braided material.
- ·Leave a long tag. Doubling back, folding the loop, twisting and passing the lure through all use it up before the knot closes.
- ·To tie an open loop with no lure on it, pass the end of the loop through the double loop instead of the lure.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 2. Thread the tag through the lure's eye and lay it back along the standing line
Space plays or pauses. Keys 1, 2, 3 and 4 set the speed. Arrow keys change the move.
swipe to step
01.1
Thread the tag through the lure's eye and lay it back along the standing line
- Hold:
- Left hand holds the lure, eye toward you
- Move:
- Right hand draws the tag through and lays it beside the standing line
Thread the tag through the eye of the lure and lay it back alongside the standing line, then fold that doubled section back on itself to make a loop.
A doubled line running back from the eye with a loop folded into it, and enough tag beyond the fold to hold on to.
Leaving too short a tag. The twists and the pass through the loop use it up, and the tag slips out before the knot closes.
Fix: Pull more line through the eye before folding the loop, so there is tag to spare after the twists.
Why: The folded loop becomes the twisted double loop in the next step, and the lure passes through it to lock the twists.
- Wrong loop order — A slip loop, not a King Sling. Order is the lock on this doubled-line loop.
arrow keys work
Tying procedure — King Sling
Step 01 / 4
Thread the tag through the eye of the lure and lay it back alongside the standing line, then fold that doubled section back on itself to make a loop.
You should now see: A doubled line running back from the eye with a loop folded into it, and enough tag beyond the fold to hold on to.
If it goes wrong: Leaving too short a tag. The twists and the pass through the loop use it up, and the tag slips out before the knot closes.
Fix: Pull more line through the eye before folding the loop, so there is tag to spare after the twists.
Why: The folded loop becomes the twisted double loop in the next step, and the lure passes through it to lock the twists.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Thread the tag through the lure's eye and lay it back along the standing line
Hold: Left hand holds the lure, eye toward you
Move: Right hand draws the tag through and lays it beside the standing line
Step 1 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Fold the doubled line back on itself to make a loop
Hold: Left hand pinches the lure together with the standing line and tag
Move: Right hand folds the doubled line back into a loop
You should now see: A doubled line from the eye, folded back into a loop, with the tag and standing line held beside the lure and tag to spare.
Step 02 / 4
Put an index finger into the end of the loop and turn it counter-clockwise three or four times while your other hand holds the lure and the line.
You should now see: Three or four even twists in the doubled line between your finger and the lure, with a double loop around your fingertip.
If it goes wrong: Twisting without holding the lure and line, so the twists bunch unevenly or spin back out. The twisted section looks lumpy or unwinds when you pause.
Fix: Let the twists out, hold the lure and line firmly, and turn the loop again, counting each turn.
Why: Holding the lure stops the doubled line from spinning, so each turn of the finger puts one even twist into the line.
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Put a finger in the end of the loop and turn it counter-clockwise three times
Hold: Left hand holds the lure and the line so the doubled line cannot spin
Move: Right index finger in the loop turns it round, one even twist per turn
You should now see: Three (or four) even twists in the doubled line between the finger and the lure, and a double loop round the fingertip.
Step 03 / 4
Pass the hook or lure through the twisted double loop on your finger. If you are tying an open loop with no lure on it, pass the end of the loop through instead.
You should now see: The lure all the way through the double loop, with the twisted section held between the double loop and the loop the lure hangs from.
If it goes wrong: Passing the lure through only one strand of the double loop, or letting the twists unwind as the lure goes through. The knot pulls out into plain line.
Fix: Back the lure out, twist the loop again and pass the lure through both strands of the double loop together.
Why: This pass traps the twists. Without it, pulling on the line only straightens them out.
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Pass the lure through the twisted double loop on your finger
Hold: Right finger keeps the double loop open and the twists in
Move: Left hand brings the lure back past the twists and through both strands of the loop
You should now see: The lure all the way through the double loop, the twisted section between that loop and the line the lure hangs from.
Step 04 / 4
Wet the knot. Pull the standing line and the tag together in one direction and the lure in the other until the knot closes, then trim the tag.
You should now see: A compact knot at the top of an open loop, the lure swinging freely in the loop, and a short tag.
If it goes wrong: Pulling on dry line, or leaving the tag out of the pull. The knot closes lopsided and the tag creeps back into it.
Fix: If the knot is lopsided or the tag has shortened, cut it off and tie it again, holding the tag with the standing line during the pull.
Why: NetKnots gives it as suitable for fairly heavy monofilament, up to about 50 pound breaking strength. Pulling the tag with the standing line closes both sides of the knot together.
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Wet it, pull standing line and tag against the lure until it closes, then trim
Hold: Left hand holds the lure and pulls it one way
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line and tag together the other way
You should now see: A compact knot at the top of an open loop, the lure swinging free in the loop, 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.
- Strength
- Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.
Watch the tie
How to Tie a King Sling Loop KnotTacticalBassin · 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
- 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
- 06king-sling
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.
King Sling — 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 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
- !Lure passed through one strand of the double loop, so the knot pulls out into plain line
- !Twists unwound before the lure goes through, so the pass has nothing to trap
- !Closed dry or without the tag in the pull, so it sits lopsided and the tag creeps back in
Wrong loop order
A slip loop, not a King Sling
Order is the lock on this doubled-line loop · step 01
Loop left larger than the system needs
Bulk in the guides and a walk-prone eye
This is a system loop, not a free-swing lure loop · step 02
Used as a free-swing lure loop
Wrong job — pick a non-slip terminal
King Sling is a doubled-line eye, not a Rapala · step 04
Loop slips or collapses
Check
- ?Loop stability under pull
Then
- →Retie
- →Use Perfection Loop as alternate
Finished check failed — Loop closes to the eye
Check
- ?Fixed loop geometry preserved
- ?Wraps ordered
- ?Loop action free at the lure
Then
- →Retie. Closed loop removes the free-swing action the knot is for.
Wrong loop order
Check
- ?A slip loop, not a King Sling
- ?Inspect step 01
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Loop left larger than the system needs
Check
- ?Bulk in the guides and a walk-prone eye
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Used as a free-swing lure loop
Check
- ?Wrong job — pick a non-slip terminal
- ?Inspect step 04
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
NetKnots reports that North American Fisherman tested it against the NanoFil knot and that the NanoFil won, but publishes neither knot's figure.
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.
- NetKnots — King Sling
- Hook the Horizon — King Sling
Recovered from the same record’s historical Hook the Horizon resource URL.
Field practice (fixed end loops)no link on file
Record reviewed 2026-08-14
Vetted references
- King Sling
Hook the Horizon
- How to Tie a King Sling Loop Knot
TacticalBassin
Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.