How to Tie the Poacher's Knot

Usage

The Poacher's Knot is a self-tightening loop that grips a rope, post, or snare and holds firm the moment weight comes onto it. It's a double overhand knot tied around its own standing part — two wraps, not one — which is also why tenkara fly anglers know this exact knot as the "One Knot," using it for every connection on a tippet. It's also called the Double Overhand Noose or Slip Snare, and it's the small knot most people mean when they say "Poacher's Knot" even though the name's actual origin in Ashley's book points somewhere slightly different (more on that below).

Why Learn the Poacher's Knot?

It's one of the few loop knots that holds in slippery Dyneema and Spectra where a bowline can shake itself undone, and the Poacher's just grips instead. It's fast to tie (a bight, two wraps, one tuck) and it's the same knot behind the tenkara "One Knot," so learning it once pays off on the water and in the field. If you like learning knots hands-on, our Knot Tying Companion Kits pair real practice cord with the app's 3D animations.

Common Uses

• Trapping & Snaring: The knot's namesake use — a self-tightening noose that closes and holds when an animal triggers it. Snaring game is heavily regulated or illegal in many places, so check local law before you rely on this use.
• Tenkara Fly Fishing: The standard "One Knot" connection — tippet to line and tippet to fly. It deliberately costs some line strength at the fly end — a designed weak link, so you lose the fly, not the rig.
• Climbing & Rope Access: Documented as a secure sliding loop for a carabiner bind, cow-tail, or foot loop in slippery high-modulus cord — but treat this as an acceptable, not a recommended, life-safety choice. It jams hard and isn't retrievable or inspectable the way a purpose-built climbing loop is. For a foot loop you need back after loading, use a non-jamming loop like the alpine butterfly loop instead.
• Camping & Utility: A quick self-tightening loop for securing gear to a tree or pole — expect to remove the object or cut the knot to free it after a hard load.

ABOK Number (Ashley Book of Knots) #409 – Page 65 (name origin) Other Names Slip Snare Double Overhand Noose One Knot (tenkara) Category Self-Tightening Knots Anchor / End Loop Knots Hitches Variations Scaffold Knot (three wraps instead of two) Slipped Poacher's Knot (quick-release form)

Notable Features

• Self-Tightening: Load on the standing part pulls the loop closed and jams the double-overhand knot against itself.
• Works with Slippery Rope: Holds in Dyneema and Spectra where a bowline can pull undone at loads as low as 15–20% of breaking strength — per Comparative Testing of High Strength Cord, a 2000 rescue-cord study.
• Coil-Count Dial: One wrap is only an insecure overhand noose; two makes the Poacher's; a third turn upgrades it to the Scaffold Knot for the slickest cord.

Similar Knots

Scaffold Knot vs. Poacher's Knot

• Advantage: The Scaffold's extra turn grips even harder on the most lubricious cord.
• Disadvantage: Harder to untie once loaded than the Poacher's already is.

Slip Knot vs. Poacher's Knot

• Advantage: Simple and quick to tie.
• Disadvantage: Far less secure than the Poacher's Knot — it isn't self-jamming the same way.

Strangle Knot vs. Poacher's Knot

• Advantage: Same double-overhand structure, so the tying motion transfers directly.
• Disadvantage: The Strangle binds an outside object; tied around its own standing part instead, it's the Poacher's noose — mixing the two up means reaching for the wrong knot.

Double Fisherman's Bend vs. Poacher's Knot

• Advantage: Knowing the difference stops the single most common naming mistake with this knot.
• Disadvantage: They are not interchangeable — the Poacher's is one double-overhand tied around its own standing part (a noose in one rope); the Double Fisherman's is two double-overhands tied around each other (a bend joining two ropes). They share the building block, not the job.

History

Clifford W. Ashley named the "Poacher's Knot" #409 in The Ashley Book of Knots (1944), describing its traditional use with horsehair to snare woodcock and partridge. That entry is where the name comes from — it's a prose description of the use, not a diagram of the structure. The actual structure this knot ties today is documented elsewhere in Ashley's book: #516 is the knot itself — the Double Overhand; #1239 is that same knot tied around an outside object — the Strangle Knot; and #1120 is the three-coil sibling — the Scaffold Knot. Both citations are honestly "right" — #409 points at the name's origin, the others at the knot's anatomy. In 2000, a high-strength-cord study found the double overhand noose "neither slips nor turns around" in Dyneema and Spectra, and modern tenkara anglers, under Dr. Ishigaki's teaching, adopted it as the "One Knot" for nearly every connection on the line.

Source: Ashley, C. W. (1944). The Ashley Book of Knots. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

Security Level

The Poacher's Knot holds securely once the second wrap is made, and it's one of the few loop knots that holds reliably in slippery synthetic rope like Dyneema and Spectra. It can be made even more secure by adding a third turn, which becomes the Scaffold Knot — the upgrade worth making on the most lubricious cord.

Downsides

• Jams Under Load: Once heavily loaded, the bound object usually has to be removed before untying, and a hard-loaded Poacher's often has to be cut off.
• One Wrap Isn't Enough: Skipping the second turn leaves an ordinary overhand noose that is not secure — the most common mistake tying this knot.
• Frequently Mislabelled: Confused with the Double Fisherman's Bend (a different kind of knot entirely) and with the Scaffold Knot (a coil-count difference).

When Not to Use the Poacher's Knot

Skip the Poacher's Knot for anything you'll need to untie and reuse after it's been loaded hard — the jam is severe enough that the line often has to be cut. For a retrievable, reusable loop, tie the Slipped Poacher's Knot below for light duty, or use a non-jamming loop like the alpine butterfly loop for anything you need back after a hard load.

How to Tie the Poacher's Knot

Step 1

Form a bight in the end of the rope — this sets the size of your loop.

Step 2

Wrap the working end around the bight, around its own standing part, TWICE. Keep the two wraps loose for now.

Step 3

Tuck the working end back through the two turns you just made.

Step 4

Pull tight. The loop now slides and self-tightens against the standing part.

Pro Tip: Before you pull it fully tight, seat the two wraps side by side so they sit flat against each other — a neater double coil grips better and is easier to inspect at a glance. If you're not sure your two wraps and the buried tuck are lined up right, the Knot IQ app lets you rotate the knot in 3D and count the coils for yourself. Practicing the two-wrap count on a length of Premium Bushcraft Paracord makes the coil order easy to feel before you tie it on rope that matters.

Make the second turn. Wrapping only once makes an ordinary overhand noose — not this knot, and not secure. Two wraps is the whole difference, and it's the single most common mistake people make tying this knot.

Tying a Slipped Poacher's Knot (Quick Release)

Tie it the same way as the standard method, but change the final step so you can pull it free with one tug.

Step 1

Tie as above through the two wraps, but on the final tuck, leave the working end as a bight instead of pulling it all the way through.

Step 2

A tug on the working-end bight spills the knot for a quick release.

FAQ

What is the Poacher's Knot used for?

Originally used to snare small game, and today it's the standard tenkara fly-fishing connection, a secure loop in slippery Dyneema or Spectra cord, and a quick self-tightening loop for camping and utility jobs.

How does it compare to other noose knots?

It grips more securely than a plain slip knot and holds where a bowline can shake loose in slippery rope. Add a third wrap and you've tied the Scaffold Knot, which grips even harder on the slickest cord.

Is the Poacher's Knot the same as a Double Fisherman's Bend?

No, and this is the most common mix-up with this knot. A Poacher's Knot is one double-overhand tied around its own standing part — a sliding noose in one rope. A Double Fisherman's Bend is two of them tied around each other — a bend that joins two separate ropes. They share the same building block, which is why people confuse them, but they do different jobs.

Can it be untied easily after loading?

Usually not. It jams hard, and a heavily loaded Poacher's Knot often has to be cut off or the bound object removed first. If you'll need the loop back, tie the Slipped Poacher's Knot above, or use a non-jamming loop like the alpine butterfly for anything you'll need to untie and reuse after a hard load.

Important Notes on Safety

• Make the second wrap. One turn alone is only an insecure overhand noose — the single most common and most dangerous mistake tying this knot.
• It jams hard once heavily loaded — plan to cut it off or remove the bound object rather than counting on untying it under time pressure.
• For a retrievable, reusable life-safety loop — a foot loop you'll need back, for example — use a non-jamming loop like the alpine butterfly instead of the Poacher's Knot.
• Snaring game with this knot is heavily regulated or illegal in many jurisdictions — know local law before you rely on it for that use.