The Palomar knot is a pretty simple and effective knot to tie if done correctly. People normally mess up the knot at the very final step of “cinching” the knot down make sure the knot cinches down on the line and not the eye of the hook/lure.

When to use the Palomar knot? I only use the Palomar knot when I am fishing soft plastics, and top water frogs around very heavy cover. Hydrilla and Lily pads would be a great reason to tie a Palomar knot. If you are flipping Heavy grass mats ideally you should use a heavier setup such as 7′-8′ Heavy action rod in the event of a fish strike and a high gear ratio baitcaster to pick up a lot of line quickly. Also the most important thing is to beef up the braid Ibs. Bass anglers flip with 40-80lb braid because if you catch a bass you potentially end up pulling it through a couple pounds worth of grass.

Use a topwater frog on braided line when throwing around lily pads. If your frog gets stuck all you have to do is pull hard enough and the braid will usually cut the Lily pad stock in half untangling your mess. 8 Strand heavy cover braid can be found at Amazon.com.