How to Tie the Bobber Stop Knot
The bobber stop knot is what you tie onto your main line when fishing a slip bobber, to set how deep your bait sits. It isn't built to hold like a hitch or a bend — it's a small coil of separate line that grips your main line by friction, at whatever depth you choose, and slides when you decide to move it. Set the depth, reel the float up to the rod tip for casting, and the bait settles back once it hits the water.
Other Names
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Why Learn the Bobber Stop Knot?
Any time you're fishing deeper than a fixed bobber allows — panfish, walleye, ice fishing, or an inshore slip-float rig for redfish, trout, or snook — you need a stop that passes through your guides on the cast and holds once the float is out. A plain overhand knot works once, but it's clumsy through guides and hard to reposition. This knot slides through cleanly and walks up or down the line by hand.
How to Tie the Bobber Stop Knot
This is the version most widely taught by dedicated fishing-knot sites, using about 6 in. (15 cm) of stopper line — mono close to your main line's diameter, or Dacron fly-line backing.
Step 1
Lay about 6 in. of stopper line alongside your main line at the point you want the float to stop, then double the stopper line back on itself so it forms an open loop where it crosses the main line.
Step 2
Hold the loop steady where the stopper line crosses itself and the main line.
Step 3
Take 2–3 turns around both lines together, passing the tag end back through the open loop on every turn.
Step 4
Pull both ends of the stopper line in opposite directions to cinch the wraps down, then trim the tags — or leave 1–2 in. (2.5–5 cm) of tag for slack to re-cinch later. Slip a bead onto the main line below the knot before threading on the float, so the stopper can't pull through the float's center hole.
Turn count is genuinely disputed — some sources call for 3–4 turns, others up to 5 — because the right number depends on your line. Dacron needs more wraps to bite than thicker mono, and braid needs more again. Start at 2–3 turns and add more if it slips.
Common Uses
Fishing
- Setting the depth of a slip bobber for freshwater panfish, walleye, and ice fishing — the core, near-universal use.
- Depth control on saltwater and inshore slip-float rigs for redfish, trout, snook, and flounder.
- Pegging a drift float or bead, or spacing hooks off a lure, in place of a toothpick peg.
What it's not for: don't use it as a substitute for the classic fly-line-to-leader Nail Knot. Some anglers use "Nail Knot" loosely for any main-line stopper, but the real one wraps around a nail or hollow tube to splice leader to fly line — a different structure. Treating the names as interchangeable risks tying the wrong knot.
Notable Features
- Deliberately adjustable: grips just hard enough to survive a cast, while still walking under a firm hand-pull.
- Passes through the guides: low-profile enough to reel up to the rod tip for casting, then slide back as bait settles.
- Material-flexible: ties in mono, Dacron, or braid, though turn count changes with material.
Similar Knots
Uni Knot vs. Bobber Stop Knot
- Advantage: The Uni Knot is the same wrap-and-tuck jam-hitch family, but it's tied to secure terminal tackle permanently rather than to slide by design.
- Disadvantage: Tie a Uni-style stopper too tight out of habit and you lose the adjustability that's the whole point of a bobber stop.
Blood Dropper Loop vs. Bobber Stop Knot
- Advantage: The Blood Dropper Loop is a fixed, load-bearing loop for hanging a second hook — a different job from a sliding depth stop.
- Disadvantage: It isn't adjustable once tied, so it can't reset depth on the fly the way a bobber stop does.
Security Level
No source publishes a tested holding-force figure for this knot, and none is really needed for tackle this light-duty. Correctly wrapped on mono or Dacron, it holds through a normal session; on slick braid it's the weakest link in the rig, and anglers fishing light braid commonly tie two stoppers in a row to back each other up.
Downsides
- Slips if under-wrapped: too few turns for your line, especially on braid, and casting force can walk it out of position.
- Can chafe the main line: over-cinching, particularly on mono, can locally weaken the line at the wrap point.
- No hard strength number: turn count is judged by feel and forum consensus, not a published spec.
Structure
The stopper is a short separate length of line, wrapped and tucked onto your main line and cinched by friction — the main line runs through the coil but isn't part of the knot's own structure. Most stopper knots jam permanently; this one grips only hard enough to survive ordinary fishing forces while still moving under a deliberate hand-pull.
History
There's no dated first appearance for this knot in the classic ropework record — it's absent from Ashley's 1944 Book of Knots and from angling texts that predate nylon monofilament, a lineage covered on Wikipedia's fishing float entry. That timing tracks: a slip bobber needing a separate sliding stop only became practical once monofilament and spinning reels were widely available, placing its likely origin in the mid-20th century. It reads as a folk technique that spread through tackle shops and, later, web guides like NetKnots' and Take Me Fishing's, with no single named originator.
You want it right at the edge: tight enough to beat a cast and a drifting float, loose enough that a firm hand-pull still walks it. Braided line is where that edge is hardest to hit, since the grip is pure friction against a slick, round line with little to bite into.
Want to see the wraps from every angle first? The Knot IQ app lets you rotate and step through knots in 3D. To drill the motion off the water, the Knot Tying Kit is built for exactly that.
FAQ
Why does the bobber stop knot use so many different turn counts across sources?
No single source is the final word — turn count depends on your line. Slicker Dacron or braided line needs more wraps for the grip a thicker mono stopper gets in fewer turns.
What material should you use for a bobber stop knot?
Dacron fly-line backing is the practitioner favorite — it grips well and survives repeated trips through the guides. Monofilament close to your main line's diameter is the standard choice. Either way, tune turn count to it: slicker material needs more wraps.
Is a bobber stop knot the same as a Nail Knot?
Not structurally, though some anglers use the names loosely for the same rig role. The classic Nail Knot wraps around a nail or hollow tube to splice leader to fly line; the bobber stop knot is a self-contained wrap-and-tuck loop tied directly onto the running line.
Important Notes on Safety
This is a fishing-tackle knot, not a life-safety one. Too few wraps is the most common complaint, especially on braid. Trimming tags flush looks tidy, but leaving 1–2 in. of tag lets you re-cinch a stopper that loosens on its first cast. Don't over-cinch on mono — repeated hard cinching can abrade the line it sits on.
