How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

by Neil Mackellow

Knot-tying buff Neil Mackellow insists that every angler should have at least one tidy ‘power’ knot up their sleeve, and cites the tough spider hitch as a winner. Anyone can tie this handy knot in just a few seconds and Big Mac shows you how in simple easy-to-follow-steps.

If there is one ‘power’ knot that anglers should get familiar with then the spider hitch is a great shout. Simple and quick to tie and impressively strong, the spider has numerous front line applications. Originally rooted in light line sport fishing, the spider has spilled over into our everyday sea angling and is a reliable way of creating a robust length of double line, particularly in thin braids.

How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

In several ways the spider hitch is similar to the massively strong Bimini twist / Bimini hitch but it is much simpler and faster to tie. A correctly formed spider can still boast around 95% of the knotted line’s true breaking strain at the knot. It produces as long or short a length of double line as desired and is securely tied off with the hitch. It is more of a weave than an actual knot in truth, with the line wrapping together to form the finished bight rather than bunching into the classic knot form.

Loopy Leaders

Among the many applications are forming a suitable loop to join a mono leader to braid, or a loop for joining a shockleader / rubbing leader to a mono mainline for shore fishing over rough ground. If opting to fish leader-less, the spider provides a means to tie the doubled length of mainline straight to the connecting swivel or link. Where the spider scores over the Bimini is that it can be formed very quickly even in bitterly cold wind and rain-lashed conditions. With a little practice a neat spider hitch can easily be tied in under 10 seconds.

I have used a fetching red line to make the knotting sequence easier to follow. See exactly how to tie the spider hitch by scrolling through the step-by-step pictures below.

Step 1 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Double at least the last 300mm of the main line. The length of this double line will determine the final length of the loop.

Step 2 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Make a loop in the doubled line at the tag end and hold between the thumb and forefinger.

Step 3 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Wrap the doubled line at least four times around the end of your thumb and the loop. The thinner the main line the more turns will be required, up to ten turns for braid.

Step 4 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Pull the end of the double line through the initial loop while trapping the line wraps on the thumb.

Step 5 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Pulling on the main loop gently start to pull the loops off your thumb one at a time.

Step 6 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Continue to pull the loops off into what what should look something like a noose.

Step 7 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Once all of the loops are off the thumb keep pressure on both ends of the double line.

Step 8 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Moisten the unformed knot and gently pull the knot tight by pulling equally at both ends of the double line to form a neat knot.

Step 9 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

Trim the tag end but be careful not to trim it too close. Leave a safe tage of around 4mm.

Step 10 - How To Tie The Spider Hitch Knot

The final double-line loop should look something like this. Job done!

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