PR Bobbin Knot
Braid wrapped onto a heavy leader by a weighted bobbin, then locked with half hitches. The bobbin's drag sets the wrap tension, which is what the strength rests on — hand-wrapped, it is a different and weaker knot.
Advanced · Braid / Monofilament / Fluorocarbon
Connection card
PR Bobbin Knot
For braid → leader.
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
Braid wrapped onto a heavy leader by a weighted bobbin, then locked with half hitches. The bobbin's drag sets the wrap tension, which is what the strength rests on — hand-wrapped, it is a different and weaker 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.
Before you start
- ·You need a PR bobbin tool. It holds the braid, and its drag sets the tension every wrap goes on with.
- ·Salt Water Sportsman describes it for braid of 50-pound-test and heavier joined to a long monofilament or fluorocarbon leader.
- ·Loosen the drag to load 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 or 6 ft) of braid, then tighten it so braid pays out only under a firm pull.
- ·Leave about 25 cm (10 in) of leader overlapping the braid, so there is room for 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) of tight wraps.
Step 1 of 5. Loosen the bobbin drag, load 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 or 6 ft) of braid onto the bobbin, then tighten the drag. Lay the leader alongside the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap just above the bobbin.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
swipe to step
01
Loosen the bobbin drag, load 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 or 6 ft) of braid onto the bobbin, then tighten the drag. Lay the leader alongside the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap just above the bobbin.
Braid pays out from the bobbin only when you pull firmly, and the leader lies parallel to the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap above the bobbin.
Starting with too little overlap. It shows up later, when the end of the leader arrives before the tight wraps have covered 5 cm (2 in).
Fix: Slide the leader back to give a full 25 cm (10 in) of overlap before any wraps go on.
Why: The PR bobbin tool sets the tension every wrap goes on with, through its drag. The overlap is the working length those wraps are laid along.
arrow keys work
Tying procedure — PR Bobbin Knot
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 01 / 5
Loosen the bobbin drag, load 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 or 6 ft) of braid onto the bobbin, then tighten the drag. Lay the leader alongside the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap just above the bobbin.
You should now see: Braid pays out from the bobbin only when you pull firmly, and the leader lies parallel to the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap above the bobbin.
If it goes wrong: Starting with too little overlap. It shows up later, when the end of the leader arrives before the tight wraps have covered 5 cm (2 in).
Fix: Slide the leader back to give a full 25 cm (10 in) of overlap before any wraps go on.
Why: The PR bobbin tool sets the tension every wrap goes on with, through its drag. The overlap is the working length those wraps are laid along.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 02 / 5
Pinch the overlapping lines in two places so the leader cannot turn, then spin the bobbin around the leader 10 to 12 times so the braid lays a loose, open spiral down the leader.
You should now see: An open spiral of braid running down the leader with gaps between the turns, and the leader still lying straight between your pinches.
If it goes wrong: The leader turning with the bobbin. Instead of an open spiral you see braid and leader twisting together, and few real turns are laid.
Fix: Unwind back to the start, pinch the leader more firmly at both points and spin the bobbin again while the leader stays still.
Why: This loose spiral is the base layer. The tight wraps in the next step go back over it and do the gripping.
If wrong: Leader spun with the bobbin, few real wraps laid — Looks wrapped, grips almost nothing.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 03 / 5
Keep both pinches firm, reverse direction and spin the bobbin back over the spiral, laying tight wraps snug against each other until 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) of leader is covered.
You should now see: A solid band of wraps 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) long with no leader showing between them, which does not move when you pull braid and leader apart.
If it goes wrong: Wraps going on with gaps or slack, so the stack slides along the leader when you pull the lines apart. Carrying on well past 7.5 cm (3 in) makes a section that knocks through the guides.
Fix: If the stack slides, cut it off, tighten the bobbin drag and tie it again. If it is too long, tie it again and stop at 7.5 cm (3 in).
Why: The tight wraps squeeze the spiral and the leader along their whole length. Their tension comes from the bobbin drag, so a loose drag gives a stack that slides.
If wrong: Wrap stack slides on the leader — The connection lets go progressively under a sustained run.
If wrong: Wrapped section too long for the guide train — Knocks through the guides and costs casting distance.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 04 / 5
Pull several inches of braid off the bobbin and cut it free. With that braid tag, tie two half hitches around the leader, then a half hitch with three wraps around the leader. Cinch it and trim the braid tag.
You should now see: Three hitches seated snugly against the end of the wrap stack, the last one bulkier from its three wraps, and a short braid tag.
If it goes wrong: Leaving the hitches loose or tying them a gap away from the stack. You see them slide along the leader, and the end wraps of the stack start to loosen.
Fix: Pick out the loose hitches, push the stack back together and tie the hitches again, cinching each one down before tying the next.
Why: The wraps end at the braid tag. Without hitches locking that end, the stack can unwind from there under repeated loading, however tight the wraps are.
If wrong: No half hitches over the wrap stack — The stack unwinds from the end once load cycles.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 05 / 5
Trim the leader stub short at the end of the wraps. If you want a stop, melt the stub carefully with a flame, keeping the flame off the braid, until it forms a small bump.
You should now see: A short leader stub or a small rounded bump, and a connection that slides smoothly when you draw it through the rod tip guide by hand.
If it goes wrong: Holding the flame too close or too long, so the braid wraps scorch or the leader next to the bump turns glossy and hard.
Fix: If the braid or the leader beside the bump looks scorched, cut the connection off and tie it again.
Why: The melted bump sits at the end of the wraps and stops them slipping off the leader end under very heavy pressure.
Watch the tie
PR Bobbin Knot: the unbreakable fishing knotSalt Strong · 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
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
- ·Two to three inches of tight braid wraps on the leader, locked with hitches
- ·Stack immovable under an opposing pull
- ·Leader stub trimmed short, optionally melted to a bump
- ·Even along the whole wrapped length
Verify before you load it
Every line is pass or fail. One fail means retie — do not load a knot you argued with.
- 01Two to three inches of tight braid wraps on the leader, locked with hitches
- 02Stack immovable under an opposing pull
- 03Leader stub trimmed short, optionally melted to a bump
- 04Even along the whole wrapped length
- 05No crossed or bunched wraps
- 06Two half hitches plus a three-wrap hitch over the stack
Field notes — dark, cold, gloves
- ·This is a dock knot. Building it on a moving boat with cold hands is how people lose confidence in it.
- ·Tie two before you leave. A spare rigged leader beats rebuilding a PR in a fish window.
- ·If the stack slides at all in the hand test, it will slide under a fish. There is no partial credit.
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
Braid wrapped onto a heavier leader, then locked so the join cannot hinge.
- !Hinge at the material transition — the join clicks, then parts
- !Wraps not packed on the heavier line before the lock
- !Lock or tag on the wrong side of the braid, so the column unzips
- !The tight wraps have gaps or slack, so the stack slides along the leader when braid and leader are pulled apart
- !The leader turned with the bobbin while wrapping, so few real turns were laid to grip it
- !The half hitches are loose, missing or tied away from the stack, so the wraps unwind from the braid tag end
- !The flame scorched the braid wraps or the leader beside the melted bump
Wrap stack slides on the leader
The connection lets go progressively under a sustained run
Grip is the product of wrap tension and wrapped length. Slack bobbin drag gives neither. · step 03
No half hitches over the wrap stack
The stack unwinds from the end once load cycles
The hitches are what stop the last wrap from backing off. · step 04
Leader spun with the bobbin, few real wraps laid
Looks wrapped, grips almost nothing
If the leader turns with the bobbin, no relative wrap is accumulating. · step 02
Wrapped section too long for the guide train
Knocks through the guides and costs casting distance
Guide passage is set by the length and taper of the wrapped section. · step 03
The wrap stack slides along the leader when you pull it
Check
- ?Pull the braid and leader apart and watch whether the stack moves at all
Then
- →Retie with more bobbin drag
- →Extend the tight return wraps to a full two to three inches
The wraps end without half hitches over them
Check
- ?Look for the locking hitches sitting on top of the wrap stack
Then
- →Add the half hitches and the three-wrap finish; the stack unwinds without them
The connection knocks or catches going through the guides
Check
- ?Draw it through the tip guide by hand before fishing
Then
- →Shorten the wrapped section
- →Trim and melt the leader stub flush
Wrap stack slides on the leader
Check
- ?The connection lets go progressively under a sustained run
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
No half hitches over the wrap stack
Check
- ?The stack unwinds from the end once load cycles
- ?Inspect step 04
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Leader spun with the bobbin, few real wraps laid
Check
- ?Looks wrapped, grips almost nothing
- ?Inspect step 02
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
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.
Not ideal for
- ×Anywhere the bobbin tool is not to hand — this knot is defined by the tool
- ×Quick leader changes on a drifting boat
- ×Light lines where the wrap length is out of proportion to the job
Strength, and where the number comes from
84.3–99.5% of the weaker line
Measuredpercent of the braid main line's measured unknotted break, three samples per entry — 84.3% on 15 lb braid to 30 lb fluorocarbon and 99.5% on 50 lb braid to 80 lb fluorocarbon, so the light-braid end of the range is the one to rig around
Strongest Fishing Knots Connecting Braid to Leader — 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.
Record reviewed 2026-09-01
Vetted references
- How to tie the PR Bobbin and Cat's Paw knots
Salt Water Sportsman
- PR Bobbin Knot: the unbreakable fishing knot
Salt Strong
Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.