5 Fishing Knots Every Key West Angler Should Know

When I heard I needed to write an article on how to tie a fishing knot and catch the big ones, I knew I had to find an expert. I’m a boat captain, but my No. 1 specialty is sandbar charters. Sure, I fish occasionally, and I’ll never say no to a few hours trolling for mahi on a calm day or casting a line for snapper for dinner in the backcountry. 

But I’m not a fishing guide, so I sought out the island’s foremost expert on all things saltwater fishing. I speak of none other than the local institution that is Captain Salty Billy. I’m not sure what his real name is, but nearly everyone on the island knows Salty. So I caught him biking down Duval the other day (there’s a snafu with his license at the moment), and took him out for beers at one of our favorite waterfront, boat-up bars.

Over the course of the afternoon, and several rounds, Salty enlightened me to the ways of fishing these waters, the best fishing knots to use, and some Key West fishing tips. Here’s what I learned.

Key West Fishing and the Best Saltwater Knots: Interviewing the Island’s Fishing Legend

Like any good interviewer, I started with the easy ones. But he wouldn’t let me ask anything until after the third round, so I also had to dive in while he could still answer.

Me: So, tell me Salty. I know you’ve done it all at one point or another over the years. What’s your favorite kind of Keys fishing: offshore, reef, backcountry, or flats?

Salty: Well now, you’re asking me to pick between my children, hoss! I’ve been guiding in these waters longer than the iguanas have been falling out of the trees, and my skin’s about as weathered as an old boat cushion — but I’ll still get these city slickers hooked up to the fish of a lifetime every trip.

Me: Aww, com’on, Salty. I know you play favorites with your kids.

Salty: Ok, if you force old Salty to level with you, my absolute favorite is backcountry fishing. It’s the perfect chess match — sheltered waters, non-stop rod-bending action, and you don’t have to swallow half the Atlantic Ocean to get there. But look, every slice of these Key West waters has its own magic and its own headaches. 

Me: So break it down for me, pros and cons of each. 

Salty: Okay, let’s lay ’em out on the cleaning table and weigh ’em. In the Keys, you got your:

• Offshore fishing
• Reef fishing
• Backcountry fishing
• Flats fishing

Offshore Fishing in Key West

Offshore Fishing out in the blue water, where we go big or go home, hunting in the deep belly of the Gulf Stream.

Pros: You’re chasing the ultimate rockstars of the ocean — screaming reels, acrobatic leaps, and a cooler full of meat.

Cons: It’s a long, expensive haul into the blue. If the wind kicks up, you’ll be puking over the gunwale, and some days you burn a tank of fuel just looking for a floating weed line.

Salty’s Targets: Mahi-mahi, sailfish, and blackfin tuna.

Keys Reef Fishing 

Reef fishing, now I call that the meat market. Just a short run out to where the shallow water drops off into the deep. It’s old-school line-pulling.

Pros: Action is faster than a visual on a hot day. It’s highly reliable, great for families, and yields the absolute best-tasting fillets in the world.

Cons: The “taxman” (sharks and barracudas) will steal half your catch before it hits the boat. Plus, it can get more crowded than Duval Street on a Saturday night.

Salty’s Targets: Mutton snapper, grouper, and yellowtail.

Backcountry Fishing

Backcountry fishing, that’s Salty’s sweet spot. The mangrove islands, channels, and deep basins inside the Wildlife Refuge.

Pros: Calm, glassy water 365 days a year — no seasickness allowed! It’s a total variety pack; you never know if a 5-pound snapper or a 100-pound monster is going to eat your bait.

Cons: You’ve got to be sneaky because these fish aren’t dumb, and if the tide stops moving, the bite shuts off like a light switch.

Salty’s Targets: Tarpon, snook, and redfish.

Fishing the Flats

Flats fishing, aka The Hunting Ground. The skinniest water on earth. Pure sight-fishing where you spot the fish before you cast.

Pros: The ultimate test of angling skill. It’s like stalking a deer with a fishing rod in crystal-clear water. Total adrenaline rush.

Cons: Heartbreak city. Miss your cast by six inches, and that fish vanishes. It’s heavily dependent on perfect sunlight and low wind, meaning you might spend hours just staring at empty water.

Salty’s Targets: Permit and bonefish.

The Knots You Should Know for Saltwater Fishing in Key West

After another few rounds, I finally got Salty to tell me what knot I should use for saltwater fishing, whether fishing from shore in the backcountry or heading into the sunset on a private or shared fishing charter.

When I got down to the details with Captain Salty, these are the five knots he came up with for saltwater fishing for beginners. It took some work to get him down to his top five picks — truth be told, Salty was into his cups pretty good by that point. Some of these, I’m not even sure are real knots, but he’s the expert. 

• Uni knot
• FG knot
• Snell knot
• Loop knot
• Palomar knot

Uni Knot

The Uni Knot is best for: A do-everything knot to attach hooks, lures, or anything else to a piece of fishing line.

Salty’s explanation of the Uni Knot: The undisputed Swiss Army knife of the Florida Keys — if you can only tie one knot without your glasses on a rocking boat, make it this one. 

It’s suited for everything from wreck-hopping to backcountry sight-casting. Heck, I’ve used it to haul in angry mutton snapper, drag monster tarpon out of the bridges, and stop screaming blackfin tuna dead in their tracks. Tie it, wet it, yank it!

Step-by-Step Uni Knot Instructions

How to tie the uni knot: The Uni Knot is easier to tie than a hangover on Duval Street, but you still gotta do it right. 

1. The Pass-Through: Run the tag end of your fishing line through the eye of the hook, swivel, or lure. Pull about 6 to 8 inches of line through so you have plenty of room to work with. (Don’t be stingy here, line is cheaper than losing a fish). 
2. The Double-Back: Fold that tag end back toward your mainline, forming a nice, wide loop that sits parallel to the two strands of line.
3. The Wrap-Around: Take the very tip of that tag end and bring it inside the loop you just made. Wrap it around both the strand of the loop and your mainline. Do this 5 to 6 times for standard monofilament, or 7 to 8 times if you’re using slick braided line. (Think of it like wrapping a nice, neat bandage).
4. The Pre-Cinched Knot: Pull on the tag end to tighten those wraps down into a neat little spiral cylinder. Do not pull the mainline yet! It should look like a tiny barrel resting on the line away from the hook.
5. The Salty Spit: (Crucial Step!) Lick that knot. Wet it thoroughly with water or some good old-fashioned saliva. If you skip this, the friction heat from the next step will fry your line quicker than a conch fritter.
6. The Final Slide: Hold your hook in one hand and the mainline in the other. Pull firmly on the mainline. That little barrel knot will slide right down the line and lock tight against the eye of the hook. Cut the leftover tag end close, but leave just a hair of a tail.
7. Boom! You’re locked, loaded, and ready to pull on something heavy.

FG Knot

The FG Knot is best for: Connecting braided line to heavy, thick leaders while being strong and thin enough to pass through your rod guides.

Salty’s explanation of the FG knot: Now look, if you want to fish with the big boys in Key West, you gotta learn the FG Knot. Its for marrying skinny braided mainline to thick fluorocarbon leader so slickly it slides through your rod guides like buttered lightning. It’s skinny, but tougher than alligator boots. 

I use it to hurl jigs at spooky permit and bonefish without spooking ’em, and it’s held tight when monster amberjacks and toothy barracudas tried to yank my arms off. It’s a pain to tie, but it saves your trophy!

Step-by-Step FG Knot Instructions

How to tie the FG knot: Buckle up, son, because the FG Knot is the undisputed heavyweight champion of line-to-line connections, but it’s got more steps than a Duval Street pub crawl. Don’t get frustrated if you mess it up the first three times — even old Captain Salty has to cuss with this one. 

1. Get Taut (The Setup): You need your braided mainline to be tight to do this right. The best guide trick is to wrap the braid around your pinky finger a few times, run it up across your palm, and hold the rod tip so the line is stretched taut like a guitar string.
2. The First Cross: Take your fluorocarbon leader in your other hand. Lay the end of the leader across the tight braid at a 90-degree angle, about 6 inches down from the tip.
3. The Under-and-Over Weave: Wrap the leader under the braid from one side, then bring it back over. Now, wrap it under the braid from the other side, and bring it back over.
4. Repeat the Dance: Keep alternating sides, wrapping the leader under and over the tight braid. You want to complete 20 to 22 total wraps (10 to 11 on each side). As you do this, you’ll see the braid starting to form a beautiful, tight Chinese-finger-trap pattern over the fluorocarbon.
5. The Lock-Down (Half-Hitch): While keeping everything tight so it doesn’t unwrap, take the tag end of your braid and tie a simple half-hitch knot around both the fluorocarbon leader and the braid mainline. Pull it down tight against your weave to lock it in place. You can now let go of your pinky wrap.
6. The Salty Spit and Set: Wet the whole mess with plenty of saliva. Now, grab the braid mainline in one hand and the main fluorocarbon leader in the other (wrap them around pliers or a towel so you don’t cut your hands). Pull against each other with a ton of pressure! You will actually see the braid change color — it turns dark and translucent as it bites deep into the fluorocarbon.
7. The Security Wraps: Take that braid tag end and tie 4 more half-hitches around just the braid mainline, alternating the direction of each hitch to keep it balanced.
8. The Big Trim: Take a sharp pair of cutters and snip the fluorocarbon tag end incredibly close to the knot. Trim the braid tag end close too. Run your fingers over it. It should feel like one solid, skinny cylinder that will fly through your rod guides without a whisper. 
9. Congrats, boy. You just tied the prettiest knot in Key West!

Snell Knot

The Snell Knot is best for: Useful for live bait casting with circle hooks.

Salty’s explanation of the Snell Knot: This whips your line directly down the hook shank, creating a lever action that forces a circle hook to pivot perfectly into the corner of a fish’s mouth every single time. 

It’s absolutely tailor-made for heavy-duty reef and wreck bottom-fishing. When you’re dropping live bait down to greedy bottom-dwellers, this knot ensures you don’t miss the bite. I’ve used it to yank fat mangrove snapper, stubborn grouper, and hard-fighting yellowtail right out of their coral holes before they even knew they were hooked!

Step-by-Step Snell Knot Instructions

How to tie the Snell Knot: Alright, shake out those fingers and grab yourself a circle hook. The Snell Knot is pure physics. By wrapping the line right around the hook shank, we create a sneaky little lever. When a snapper grabs your bait and swims off, the line pulls against the eye, flips the hook right into the corner of his jaw, and locks him down. No hooksets required — just reel and smile. Let’s tie it.

1. The Eye-Drop: Take the tag end of your leader and push it through the eye of the hook, going from the front of the hook (the hook point side) toward the back. Pull about 6 to 8 inches of line through. (If you go through backward, you’ll flip the hook out of the fish’s mouth, and I’ll have to make fun of you).
2. The Loop Back: Take that same tag end, bring it down along the straight shank of the hook, and loop it back up toward the eye. Hold that loop and the hook shank tightly together between your thumb and forefinger.
3. The Wrap-Around: Take the top of that loop you just made and start wrapping it around both the hook shank and the line laying against it. Wrap it downwards, moving away from the hook eye. Do this 5 to 7 times. Keep each wrap nice, neat, and tucked tightly right next to the previous one, like a row of little tin soldiers.
4. The Pin-Down: Once you finish your wraps, use your thumb to pinch those coils tightly against the hook shank so they don’t unroll on you. (If you let go here, the whole thing will spring open like a Jack-in-the-box).
5. The Pull-Through: Take the main part of your leader (the long end coming out of the back of the hook eye) and slowly, firmly pull it. As you pull, it will draw the loop down and tighten the coils around the shank.
6. The Salty Spit and Seat: Wet the knot with a little spit. Pull the mainline tight, then give the tag end a firm tug with a pair of pliers to ensure everything is seated rock-solid against the shank.
7. The Clean Trim: Snip that tag end down close.
8. Hold the hook up and pull the line — you’ll see that hook point tilt forward instantly. That right there is a death sentence for a mutton snapper!

Loop Knot

The Loop Knot is best for: The flats fishing go-to knot. It creates a loop for the lure instead of cinching down tight, so jigs and flies can move freely for maximum buggy motion. Sometimes called the No-Slip Loop Knot.

Salty’s explanation of the Loop Knot: Well, bless your heart, son, if you ain’t using a Loop Knot down here, you’re just feeding the crabs. It creates a loose, open loop right at the hook eye so your artificial presentation can shimmy, shake, and dance with maximum action. It’s for light-tackle backcountry and flats fishing. If your jig looks stiff, these smart Keys fish will just laugh at you. Tied right, it’s irresistible. I’ve used this beautiful little loop to trick stubborn bonefish, fool cagey tarpon, and pull trophy snook right out of the mangrove roots. It’s pure magic on the water!

Step-by-Step Loop Knot Instructions

How to tie the Loop Knot: This knot is what separates the guides who catch fish from the tourists who just wash their lures. It leaves a beautiful, open loop at the eye of the hook so your jig or fly can swim, dart, and dive like a panicked minnow. 

1. The Overhand Base: About 4 to 5 inches from the end of your leader, tie a simple, loose overhand knot in the line. Don’t tighten it! Leave it looking like a little open loop about the size of a dime.
2. The Eye Pass: Take the tag end of your line and push it right through the eye of your jig head or hook.
3. The Return Trip: Now, take that same tag end and pass it back through the center of your loose overhand knot. 
4. The Wrap Around: Take that tag end and wrap it around your mainline 4 to 5 times above the overhand knot. Wrapping it 4 times is plenty for heavy fluorocarbon; go 5 if you’re using lighter line on the flats.
5. Back Through the Hole: Bring that tag end back down and push it through the center of the overhand knot one last time. Crucial detail here: Push it through in the same direction it went in during Step 3.
6. The Salty Spit and Adjust: Lick the whole knot to keep it cool. Now, hold the tag end and the jig in one hand, and the mainline in the other. Pull them away from each other. You’ll see the overhand knot slide down and slide closed against the wraps.
7. The Final Cinching: Give a hard, firm pull on just the mainline and the jig. The knot will lock down tight, leaving a beautiful, perfect little loop right above the jig eye. Trim the tag end close, but angle your cut so the tag points backward toward the lure—that way, it won’t catch on floating turtle grass.
8. Drop that jig in the water next to the boat and watch it shake. That’s pure dinner-bell action right there!

Palomar Knot

The Palomar Knot is best for: Simple, reliable knot that works well with all types of fishing line, including slippery braided lines, to attach things to the end of the line. The disadvantage is that you must pass your entire leader through when you tie it, so it won’t work if you’ve got a huge offshore rig. Best for light tackle jobs.

Salty’s explanation of the Palomar Knot: If you’re looking for a knot that’s tougher than a two-dollar steak, you need the Palomar Knot. It locks your line down to a terminal hook or swivel with a bulletproof grip that absolutely refuses to slip under pressure. Use it when heavy-duty vertical jigging and deep reef fishing where the taxman — the sharks — are waiting. It’s so simple a sunburned tourist can tie it in high seas. I’ve relied on that double-loop to haul up freight-train amberjacks, break the spirit of angry blackfin tuna, and drag stubborn goliath grouper right out of their rocky caves!

Step-by-Step Palomar Knot Instructions

How to tie the Palomar Knot: This thing is tougher than a Category 5 hurricane and simpler than frying a fish. It’s got a near-100% knot strength, meaning your line will break before this knot ever gives up. 

1. The Double-Back: Take the end of your line and fold it back on itself to create a nice, flat loop about 5 to 6 inches long. (You’re basically making a double-stranded section of line).
2. The Eye Push: Squeeze the tip of that loop flat between your fingers and push it right through the eye of your hook or swivel. Pull it through so you’ve got the loop on one side of the eye and your two lines (mainline and tag end) on the other.
3. The Granny Knot: Take that loop you just pushed through and tie a loose overhand knot (just a standard “granny knot”) around the double lines. Let the hook dangle loosely in the middle of it. Do not tighten it yet! Keep it loose.
4. The Big Leap (The Loop Pass): Here is the magic trick. Take the open end of that loop and pull it completely over and around the entire hook, jig, or swivel. Bring it all the way past the metal so it rests up on the line above the hook eye.
5. The Salty Spit and Draw: Moisten the whole business with plenty of saliva. Now, grab the hook in one hand, and grab both the mainline and the tag end in your other hand. Slowly and smoothly pull them apart.
6. The Final Cinch: As you pull, that loop will wrap itself neatly around the eye of the hook. Give a final, hard yank on just the mainline to lock it in place. Make sure the loop didn’t get caught wrapped around the hook shank or the hook point.
7. The Clean Cut: Snip that tag end down to a neat little stub.And there you have it, son! You are officially rigged, dangerous, and fully qualified to handle any monster the Key West waters throw at you.

Ready Tie One On and Maybe Catch a Few?

By the end of our chat at the bar, ol’ Salty wasn’t too coherent, but damn, he was excited about knots. But it was an enjoyable afternoon regardless, and thankfully we didn’t get escorted out at the end of the night. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I feel a little bit more prepared for the next time I cast a line for my dinner. And while I’m probably not going to remember how to tie these fishing knots when I need them, at least I got a couple of beers out of it. 

Want to put these fishing knots to use? Book a light-tackle Key West fishing charter with Casual Monday today.