Figure 8 Fishing Knots: In Depth Analysis for Loop, Dropper and Stopper Knots

[@kenmare16]

Very comprehensive, easy to follow and useful. Well done. Thanks.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Very glad you found it useful 👍

[@peterheath8024]

Nicely explained John. That is something I will be using in the future.

[@johnpearson138]

Thanks Peter. If you’re using it at the end of your braid for lure fishing (like we did) with a trace the double turn version is best on the braid.

[@gulamhoosendocrat7091]

Great explanation , pal !! Your a star !!!!

[@gino1031]

Excellent video Sir, thank you! My favorite knot to join two lines is a double uni knot. I've had hooks bend with a double uni knot; very, very strong. You should try it one day.

[@SensitivityIsland]

Cheers bud. Twists with your fingers was v useful!

[@andrewmorke]

Good channel. Pleasant voice. Toit tested the two-turn figure of 8 at 70% strength.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Cool, thanks!

[@leewaggers4733]

Superb video, thanks John 👍

[@donb3557]

Excellent teaching skills and very well covered. Liked and subscribed👍

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Thank you Don

[@kerryjordan7746]

You can also form a dropper by looping the tippet back on itself and tying the figure 8. You then cut the loop so that you have one short end for the dropper and a longer length for the point fly.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Great for when it's windy (so you don't lose/drop the separate, cut pieces of line when you try to join two together for droppers).

[@DBCooper2]

Very clear and in depth explanation - thanks

[@FishingDiscoveries]

You're very welcome D B and many thanks for your generous comment. Paul.

[@craigwheaton2506]

Brilliant, going to be my new go to .. old eyes

[@lathkiller]

Nice one JP thanks.

[@GaryFrench-o8c]

Well explained, great knot. My favourite knot for joining two lines is a back-to-back nail knot or back-to-back uni knot, but figure eight works well. Tight lines and fair winds.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Thanks for sharing!

[@plakatdragon]

That's a good piece of advice! I'll definitely use it... Next year, most probably...

[@johnpearson138]

Thanks Thomas 😁

[@raymondtucker312]

Very useful and clear explanation. Thank you!

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Cheers Raymond, glad you found it useful :) Paul

[@stuartmarriott8056]

Brilliant information. I just need the one one the rabbit ears for the droppers on a ladder!

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Stuart, the full demo will be in the new nymphing book (and comes with a free step by step video), but the short answer is that I treat the dropper loop like the eye of a hook and tie a Pitzen knot at the apex of that loop. If I can I use the trimmed tag of tippet material from my fig 8 knot to tie the Pitzen. Trimming it down leaves nice "v" shaped stubs. Paul.

[@bobbaker6495]

You're amazing! You got yourself a sub today! You are incredibly detailed and I love that!!! Thank you so much, hope you're doing well!

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Thank you so much Bob - we're really glad you found the level of detail valuable (it doesn't always play well on Social Media haha).

[@jorvikangler]

As I've never used the double figure 8 knot I had a go comparing the single and double figure 8 knot on various mono. I was surprised that the double is stronger in diameters below 0.28-0.32mm depending on the make. You're right about it being stronger than the water knot, which I've always used, for joining lines. Thanks for the info. I also tried in on thinner braids, but came to no conclusion as the braid snapped anywhere but the knot.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

That's what we like to see! Some proper, independent testing! :) Paul

[@jorvikangler]

@@FishingDiscoveries You see so many claims that this knot is he strongest that I like to test it myself.

[@neilmcghee1016]

This is really useful! I will definitely be using it! Tx

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Many thanks Neil 😁

[@techmick1399]

Hi, Super video, well done! I agree that the figure of eight and the double figure of eight are by far the strongest loop knots. I use them quite often. But the three turn water knot is still a good fishing knot which has around 70 to 80% of the tensile strength of the monofil it is tied in. Are you sure that it only has 50%? Then - of course - it makes sense to use the FO8 instead, because this knot is as easy to tie and has the advantage of much more strength.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

It may well vary somewhat between tippet material but even when using the correct leg of the knot for the dropper (the one pointing towards the point fly, not the leg pointing towards the rod) we saw reductions to around 50 to 60% of the un-knotted breaking strain for the three turn water knot.

[@tkhong1940]

A time well spent. now i stick to f8

[@betachannelfishing]

Very good.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Thank you! Paul

[@app48]

I must give those knots a try! What loop knots would you recommend on very strong salmon leaders, say up to 40lb bs?

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Hi there, I think it really depends on what function you want the loop to have and also whether you have 40lb leaders for abrasion resistance or “pulling power” (and the forces the rest of your gear is capable of creating).

[@geoffoconnell5423]

Can I use this knot for joining lengths of leader rather than a blood knot

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Yes, I would recommend the version shown for creating droppers and trimming the ends short. As long as there isn’t a huge difference in diameter between the pieces you are joining it should be stronger than a blood knot.

[@47flyfisher]

I've always used a perfection loop on pre-tied droppers, but don't know how that compares to a figure 8 loop. What's your opinion on the perfection loop?

[@johnpearson138]

It really depends on the thickness and material. For example, on a factory tapered leader I don’t mind a perfection loop at the thick end (which could be something like 20lb to 25lb). In that scenario (with very thick line) the perfection loop is a little “neater” than a fig.8 and strength isn’t really an issue as the taper will be way weaker at the thinner end so whatever knot you use on the thick end is fine. For a loop to loop join at the thinner end of a tapered leader or any other loop in thinner (let’s say, sub 12lb) lines, I’d always go for a fig.8 knot. The only way to be sure though is to do the test I mention in the video... tie a perfection loop in one end of a length of line then tie the fig.8 at the other end and pull for a break to see which wins. Don’t forget to try both versions of the fig.8 and definitely don’t forget to moisten those knots before pulling tight!

[@47flyfisher]

@@johnpearson138 Thank you.

[@obliqueangler]

Thank You for the video article! I could do some testing myself but perhaps you already have. How does the double figure 8 compare to a Perfection Loop with 3X or smaller tippet? How does the single or double figure 8 compare to Blood Knots for building tapered leaders and long fluorocarbon Tenkara lines?

[@johnpearson138]

For building tapered lines the blood knot is best I find - so much smaller and neater when tied right - plus you don’t need to worry about compromised breaking strain until you get right to the join with the tippet. I’ve often used a perfection loop at the end of a tapered leader of around 6lb and used a fig.8 loop on the tippet when joining them loop to loop. It’s the tippet where you’re usually looking to preserve the most breaking strain as that’s usually the thinnest/weakest part of the whole setup.

[@pakde8002]

Thanks for the best explanation of the figure of eight loop knot. I've always used the double or triple surgeon's knot when making dropper rigs for surf fishing and while my knot didn't look quite the same as the knots used with ready made rigs, it worked well enough so I didn't look any further. I will definitely try this knot and test it against my other loop knots. One question, I see a lot of people online, especially from Australia and South Africa, tying hooks with what they call a figure of eight but they are able to cinch their knots up tight to the hook or swivel. Surely it's a different knot? Your figure of eight is clearly a loop knot, not a cinching knot so you are correct, there are many ways to form a figure of eight type knot online aside from the climbing knots so no wonder a lot of anglers are confused.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Thanks for the cool feedback, I'll have to look into the Australian and South African examples... Paul

[@mikemurphy9879]

That’s a Seaguar knot… 😊

[@FishingDiscoveries]

@@mikemurphy9879 Which one of the three? 🙃

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

I tied the single and double turn knot in 4lb line and it broke VERY EASILY.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

Interesting - how does that compare to your regular knots in that line?

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

You haven't done a very good search.

[@EugenPries]

Thank you for thorough and very informative video.

[@FishingDiscoveries]

@@EugenPries I’m really glad it was useful for you and thank you for telling me; that means a lot to any video creator.