Tie

Rapala Knot

Loop knot for hardbaits — free swing without cinching the eye.

Intermediate · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon

Tie it · 4 steps Check the finishAll diagrams Applications

Connection card

Rapala Knot

For line → lure, line → hook.

What it joins Line → lure · Line → hook. In monofilament, fluorocarbon.

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

Shape Small non-slip loop at lure eye

Tag end Tag through overhand correctly

Seated Locked without collapsing loop

Start again if Wrong return path collapsed the loop. Hardbait sits dead against the eye

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

Loop knot for hardbaits — free swing without cinching the eye.

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 lineLoop connections

Not ideal for

Fine tippet fly work where a smaller loop knot is preferred
Braid-only terminals without a mono or fluoro working section

Common mistakes

Letting the overhand close before the tag goes back through it
Passing the tag beside the overhand instead of through it
Leaving out the last tuck through the new loop
Pulling the standing line without holding the tag

Alternatives

Non-Slip Mono LoopIntermediate
Fixed-size non-slip loop for free-swinging lures and flies
Homer Rhode Loop KnotIntermediate
Heavy-leader free-swing loop for lures when you want action without a tiny tippet loop knot
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

·Leave a long tag below the overhand. It goes through the eye, makes 3 turns, then passes through the overhand twice and the new loop once.
·Leave the loop long enough that the lure is not gripped, and set its size before any pull, while the turns are still loose.
·The trimmed tag points away from the hook, and Animated Knots notes it tends to catch grass on the retrieve.

Line + hardware: Line, Lure

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

1Loose overhand

2Tag through the eye

swipe to step

01.1

Tie a loose overhand, leaving a long tag, then pass the tag through the eye

Hold:: Left hand holds the overhand open, well up from the end of the line
Move:: Right hand feeds the tag end through the eye of the lure

You should now see: An open overhand in the line, the lure on the tag below it, and a long tag past the eye.

Written step 01

Tie a loose overhand knot in the line, leaving a long tag below it, then pass the tag end through the eye of the lure.

You should now see

An open overhand in the line with the lure hanging on the tag below it, and enough tag past the eye to wrap and tuck twice.

If it goes wrong

Letting the overhand pull snug while you handle the lure. A closed overhand will not take the tag back through at the next step.

Fix: Work the overhand open with a fingertip until the tag passes through it easily.

Why: The overhand becomes the collar of the finished knot. The tag goes through it twice, so it has to stay loose until the final pull.

arrow keys work

Tying procedure — Rapala Knot

Step 01 / 4
Tie a loose overhand knot in the line, leaving a long tag below it, then pass the tag end through the eye of the lure.
You should now see: An open overhand in the line with the lure hanging on the tag below it, and enough tag past the eye to wrap and tuck twice.
If it goes wrong: Letting the overhand pull snug while you handle the lure. A closed overhand will not take the tag back through at the next step.
Fix: Work the overhand open with a fingertip until the tag passes through it easily.
Why: The overhand becomes the collar of the finished knot. The tag goes through it twice, so it has to stay loose until the final pull.
1Loose overhand
2Tag through the eye
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Tie a loose overhand, leaving a long tag, then pass the tag through the eye
Hold: Left hand holds the overhand open, well up from the end of the line
Move: Right hand feeds the tag end through the eye of the lure
You should now see: An open overhand in the line, the lure on the tag below it, and a long tag past the eye.
Step 02 / 4
Bring the tag end back through the overhand knot, so the lure hangs in a loop of line below it.
You should now see: The lure hanging in a loop below the overhand, with the tag coming out of the overhand beside the standing line.
If it goes wrong: Passing the tag beside the overhand instead of through it. Nothing then holds the loop, and it slides shut on the eye.
Fix: Trace the tag from the eye. If it misses the overhand, pull it back and thread it through the loop of the overhand before wrapping.
Why: The loop size is not fixed yet. Animated Knots stresses leaving the loop long enough that the lure is not gripped, since free movement is the reason to tie this knot.
1Back through the overhand
2Loop to the lure
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Bring the tag back through the overhand, so the lure hangs in a loop
Hold: Left hand keeps the overhand open
Move: Right hand threads the tag back through the overhand, beside the line to the eye
You should now see: The lure hanging in a loop below the overhand, with the tag coming out of the overhand beside the standing line.
Step 03 / 4
Wrap the tag end 3 times around the standing line, working away from the overhand.
You should now see: Three even turns side by side on the standing line just above the overhand, with the tag free at the end of the last turn.
If it goes wrong: Turns crossing or bunching, seen as a lump instead of three neat turns, or extra turns added that leave the tag too short for the tucks.
Fix: Unwind back to the overhand and make the 3 turns again, laying each beside the last with light tension on the tag.
Why: Animated Knots and NetKnots both use 3 turns. The locking comes from the two tucks in the next step, not from the number of turns.
13 turns round the standing line
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Wrap the tag 3 times round the standing line, working away from the overhand
Hold: Left hand pinches the overhand and the loop together
Move: Right hand turns the tag round the standing line, one even turn at a time
You should now see: Three even turns side by side on the standing line above the overhand, the tag free at the end of the last turn.
Step 04 / 4
Pass the tag back through the overhand, then through the loop that pass just made. Wet the knot, pull the standing line while holding the tag, then pull both to tighten. Trim the tag.
You should now see: A compact knot sitting above an open loop that lets the lure swing freely, and a short tag that stays put when you tug the standing line.
If it goes wrong: Skipping the last tuck through the new loop, or pulling the standing line without holding the tag. The loop pulls down toward the eye or the knot slips.
Fix: If the loop has shrunk onto the eye or the knot slides, cut it off and tie it again. Set the loop size before any pull, while the turns are loose.
Why: Holding the tag while the standing line is pulled closes the knot without drawing the tag back through. The last tuck through the new loop is what separates the Rapala from the Non-Slip Mono Loop.
1Back through the overhand
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 3
Pass the tag back through the overhand, from the side it came out of
Hold: Left hand keeps the turns from unwinding
Move: Right hand brings the tag back and threads it through the back of the overhand
1Through the new loop
Step 4 of 4 · move 2 of 3
Then pass the tag through the loop that pass just made
Hold: Left hand holds the overhand and the turns in place
Move: Right hand brings the tag under the overhand and up through the new loop
Step 4 of 4 · move 3 of 3
Wet it, pull the standing line holding the tag, pull both tight, then trim
Hold: Left hand holds the lure and the tag, keeping the loop open
Move: Right hand pulls the standing line, then pulls line and tag together
You should now see: A compact knot above an open loop that lets the lure swing, and a short tag that stays put.

What this is based onReference review, not yet tied

Record: Reviewed 2026-08-09. 2 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 Rapala Fishing KnotTake Me 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: Small non-slip loop at lure eye
Standing line: Standing feeds loop
Tag end: Tag through overhand correctly
Wraps: Wraps on standing above loop
Seating: Locked without collapsing loop

Verify before you load it

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

01Small non-slip loop at lure eye
02Locked without collapsing loop
03Tag through overhand correctly
04Wraps on standing above loop
05None
06Rapala loop

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.

Rapala 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.

Rapala Knot — what fails and what to do — Hook the Horizon reference plate

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

!Last tuck through the new loop left out
!Standing line pulled without holding the tag, drawing the loop down onto the eye
!Tag passed beside the overhand, so the loop slides shut on the eye

Geometry

Wrong return path collapsed the loop
Hardbait sits dead against the eye
The return must leave an open non-slip collar · step 04
Under-wrapped light line on the standing part
The lure loop walks and the action dies
Rapala holds loop size with wraps on the standing, not the hardware · step 03
Tag never went back through the overhand
A slip loop, not a Rapala
Missing the overhand is a different knot · step 02

If you saw this

Loop walks or collapses
Check
- ?Inspect overhand closure
Then
- →Retie; consider non-slip mono loop as alternate
Loop size shrinks under the first real load.
Check
- ?Look for: Loop size shrinks under the first real load.
Then
- →Hold loop size while seating; verify return path.
Wraps bunch instead of lying ordered.
Check
- ?Look for: Wraps bunch instead of lying ordered.
Then
- →Retie keeping wraps side-by-side.
Loop fails or creeps on fluoro/slick mono.
Check
- ?Look for: Loop fails or creeps on fluoro/slick mono.
Then
- →Use a verified loop for that material.
Tag works free after repeated casts.
Check
- ?Look for: Tag works free after repeated casts.
Then
- →Leave a safer tag and recheck mid-session.
Finished check failed — loop closes under load
Check
- ?fixed loop size is preserved after seating
- ?wraps around the standing line stay ordered
- ?final tuck locks without collapsing the loop
Then
- →Retie. lost lure action or knot collapse.
Wrong return path collapsed the loop
Check
- ?Hardbait sits dead against the eye
- ?Inspect step 04
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Under-wrapped light line on the standing part
Check
- ?The lure loop walks and the action dies
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Tag never went back through the overhand
Check
- ?A slip loop, not a Rapala
- ?Inspect step 02
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

Nothing citable publishes a figure for this knot; the band it used to carry was inherited from the non-slip loop family rather than measured for it.

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

Animated Knots — Rapala
FishingKnots.com Knot Strength Database
Recovered from this record’s historical modelSourceId registry.

Record reviewed 2026-08-09

Vetted references

Rapala Knot
Animated Knots by Grog
How to tie a Rapala Fishing Knot
Take Me Fishing

Related knots

Already tied it?

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