Knot guide · Intermediate
Snell Knot: How to Tie It
The snell knot whips the line around the hook shank instead of relying on the eye, aligning the pull of the line dead straight with the shank. That makes it one of the strongest connections in fishing, the only option for spade-end hooks, and a better hooking angle on bigger baits.
Published by the GilledIt editorial team · Last reviewed 2026-07-07 · Part of the fishing knot library
Step by step
How to tie the snell knot
- 1
Lay the line along the shank
Thread the line through the hook eye from the front and lay a long tag end along the shank. With a spade-end hook, simply lay the line along the shank.
- 2
Form a loop
Form a loop hanging below the hook.
- 3
Wrap the shank
Wrap the loop around the shank and the line 5 to 8 times, working up the shank in neat turns.
- 4
Cinch down
Hold the wraps in place and pull the standing line slowly until the whole knot cinches down tight against the shank.
- 5
Trim
Trim the tag end and check the line leaves the hook in line with the shank.
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.
How strong is it?
Retains around 95% of line strength or better, because it whips around the shank rather than relying on the eye. 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 snell knot
Spade-end hooks, where it is the only option, and any time you want the pull of the line aligned straight along the hook shank, which improves the hooking angle on bigger baits. Worth knowing on eyed hooks too.
Snell Knot: common questions
Attaching a hook by whipping the line around the shank rather than knotting it at the eye. UK anglers mostly meet it through spade-end hooks to nylon, where there is no eye to tie to, but it also suits eyed hooks when you want the line pulling dead straight along the shank.
It can match or beat it. Because the snell spreads the load along whippings around the shank instead of cinching at one point, it retains around 95% of line strength or better. The palomar remains the more practical everyday knot; the snell wins where hooking angle or spade-end hooks demand it.
The knotless knot used for carp hair rigs is, in effect, a snell with a hair coming out of the back. Both whip the line down the shank, which is why both are strong and both encourage the hook to turn into the fish's mouth.
Five to eight neat turns up the shank is the standard range. Keep the wraps touching and tidy, hold them in place as you draw the standing line through, and cinch down slowly so the whipping beds evenly against the shank.
Keep learning
Related knots
Knotless Knot (Hair Rig)
Every hair rig you will ever tie, which in practice means most carp fishing and plenty of barbel and specimen work. Hair length is the adjustment that matters: shorter for small pellets, longer for big boilies.
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 guideGrinner 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 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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