Knot guide · Beginner
Arbor Knot: How to Tie It
The arbor knot attaches line to your reel spool, and you tie it every time you spool up. No fish should ever test it, but tie it badly and the whole spool of line can rotate uselessly when you wind, or depart entirely on the one day something big takes you down to the last turn.
Published by the GilledIt editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-08-19 · Part of the fishing knot library
Step by step
How to tie the arbor knot
- 1
Pass the line around the arbor
Pass the line around the spool arbor so the tag end comes back towards you.
- 2
Tie the first overhand
Tie an overhand knot with the tag end around the standing line.
- 3
Tie the stopper
Tie a second overhand knot in the tag end itself, a couple of centimetres from the first. This acts as a stopper.
- 4
Slide and jam
Wet the knots, then pull the standing line so the first knot slides down and jams against the spool, with the stopper knot snugging in behind it.
- 5
Trim close
Trim the tag close so nothing catches as line is laid over it.
Two rules apply to every knot: wet it with saliva before pulling it tight, because dry friction weakens mono and fluorocarbon at the exact point you need strength, and tighten slowly, then test with a firm pull before you cast.
Get it right
Common mistakes to avoid
Forgetting the stopper knot in the tag. Without the second overhand, the first knot slides open around the arbor under tension and the line works loose exactly when a fish empties the spool.
Leaving a long tag. Every layer of line gets laid over the tag stub, and a long one prints a ridge through the first layers that spoils line lay. Trim it to a few millimetres once the knot is jammed home.
Tying braid straight onto a bare metal spool. The knot can be perfect and the whole load of line will still rotate. Backing or tape first, always.
Winding before the knot is jammed tight against the arbor. Seat the knot hard against the spool with a firm pull on the standing line, then start winding under light tension so the first wraps bed down snugly.
How strong is it?
Strength retention is almost irrelevant here; the knot just needs to grip the arbor. Exact figures vary with line type, diameter and how well the knot is tied, so treat any percentage as a guide, not a guarantee.
When to use the arbor knot
Every time you attach line to a reel spool. One extra tip for braid: put a few wraps of mono backing or a strip of tape on the spool first, otherwise the whole lot can slip on the smooth metal no matter how good your knot is.
Which lines does the arbor knot suit?
Mono and fluorocarbon grip a spool arbor well enough that the arbor knot alone does the job at any diameter you will realistically spool. Braid is the exception, and it is the line, not the knot, that fails: slick braid rotates around a smooth metal arbor as a whole mass, so the handle turns and nothing winds. A few wraps of mono backing tied to the braid, or a strip of electrical tape over the arbor, cures it completely. Some modern spools ship with a rubber braid band for the same reason; if yours has one, the knot can go straight over it.
The bigger picture
How does it compare?
Where the arbor knot sits among the ten knots in the library, by the line types it suits, how much strength it keeps, how bulky the finished knot is, and how hard it is to tie.
| Knot | Best for | Strength retention | Bulk | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palomar Knot | Mono, fluorocarbon and braid | ~95% | Compact | Beginner |
| Grinner Knot (Uni Knot) | All line types | 90–95% | Moderate | Beginner |
| Improved Clinch Knot | Mono and fluorocarbon (not braid) | 90–95% | Slim | Beginner |
| Knotless Knot (Hair Rig) | Braided and coated hooklinks | ~90% | Slim (spread along the shank) | Beginner |
| FG Knot | Braid to fluorocarbon or mono leader | 90–95% (of the braid) | Very slim | Advanced |
| Figure-of-Eight Loop | Mono and fluorocarbon hooklengths | 80–85% | Moderate | Beginner |
| Snell Knot | Mono and fluorocarbon (braid also snells well) | ~95% or better | Slim (spread along the shank) | Intermediate |
| Albright Knot | Two lines of clearly different diameters | 80–90% | Moderate | Intermediate |
| Surgeon's Knot | Two lines of similar diameter | ~90% (more in triple form) | Bulky | Beginner |
| Arbor Knot(this guide) | All line types (braid needs backing or tape) | n/a — grip matters, not strength | n/a (buried on the spool) | Beginner |
Arbor Knot: common questions
The knot that attaches your line to the central arbor of the reel spool: an overhand around the standing line, backed by a stopper overhand in the tag, drawn down so both jam against the spool. It takes seconds and is the correct start to every spooling job.
Braid is thin and slick, and on a smooth metal spool the entire load of line can rotate around the arbor no matter how good the knot is. Put a few wraps of mono backing or a strip of tape on the spool first, then tie the braid to that, and the slipping stops.
Not especially: strength retention is almost irrelevant because no fish should ever reach the last wrap of line. What matters is grip. The knot needs to hold the spool firmly so the line does not rotate when you wind, and hold on the very rare day a fish takes you deep into the spool.
Yes, the knot itself works on all three. The caveat is braid on a bare metal spool, where the line rather than the knot slips; add mono backing or tape first. With mono and fluorocarbon, the knot alone grips fine.
Keep learning
Related knots
Grinner Knot (Uni Knot)
Hooks, swivels and leads on any line type, especially when you need a dependable knot tied by feel in the dark or in heavy mono. Tie two grinners facing each other on overlapping lines and you have the double grinner, a sensible alternative to the FG knot for joining braid to a leader.
Read the guideImproved Clinch Knot
Everyday hook and swivel connections on mono and fluorocarbon, especially lighter lines. Use 7 wraps on light line under 6lb and 5 wraps on heavier mono. Skip it on braid, where it has a reputation for slipping; that is palomar or grinner territory.
Read the guidePalomar Knot
Any time you tie a hook, swivel or snap link to mono, fluorocarbon or braid. Its only real weakness is practical rather than structural: the whole hook or lure has to pass through the loop, which gets awkward with big lures and treble hooks.
Read the guideFor all ten knots in one long read, see the fishing knots guide, or browse the full knot library. Ready to put it to work? The carp rig library shows what to tie next.
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