Hey there, it’s Jake from the nylon cable ties factory. For the last 12 years, I’ve stood behind the counter (well, more like the production floor and the shipping dock) talking to small business owners, repair techs, and even people fishing in their backyard ponds about the stuff we make. Earlier this month, a guy called me at 7 a.m.—not a sales call, just a question. He’s a part-time commercial fisher out of Oregon, his brand-new fishing net split right before he headed out on a 3-day run, and he wanted to know: can I grab a pack of those nylon cable ties from the local hardware store to tie it back together? Nylon Cable Ties
My first instinct was to say “wait, let’s not do that.” But then I thought about all the weird, off-the-cuff uses I’ve seen our cable ties get slotted into over the years—bike chain repairs, fence posts, even makeshift dog leashes. So I told him I’d look into it properly, not just go off the top of my head, and that’s what I want to share with you today: the real, science-backed answer to can nylon cable ties work for tying fishing nets, when they do, when they don’t, and why picking the right one matters way more than you think.
First, let’s talk about what fishing nets are actually made of, because that’s non-negotiable here. Most commercial fishing nets these days aren’t twine or hemp like grandpa used to use. They’re synthetic, usually either nylon itself (wait, interesting—same material as our cable ties, kinda) or polyethylene, polyester, or polypropylene. The knotting or tying points on a fishing net take a ton of stress. When you’re pulling a net full of salmon or herring through cold, saltwater, every single tie point gets yanked, stretched, jostled—if the material breaks at the wrong spot, you lose a whole net load.
Now, our standard retail-grade nylon cable ties—those cheap, 5-inch black ones you grab for organizing computer cables? Let’s test that for fishing net use. First, material composition: 99% of off-the-shelf cable ties are made from low-density nylon 6,6. That’s the stuff we use for basic indoor work, right? It’s flexible, it holds a tight lock, but it has two big flaws for water, especially saltwater. First, it absorbs water over time. Not a tiny bit—nylon is hygroscopic, meaning it’s like a sponge. When it gets wet, it swells, and when it swells, its tensile strength (that’s the maximum pull force it can take before breaking) drops fast. I looked up a test last year from a polymer lab at Clemson University, where they tested nylon 6,6 submerged in saltwater for 30 days. Tensile strength dropped by almost 40% after that month. Second, UV resistance. Most retail cable ties have zero UV stabilizers. Leave them in the sun for a week, and that nylon becomes brittle—like, snap a piece between your fingers brittle. That’s bad for nets, which are left on deck, tied to docks, exposed to sun 24/7 when you’re not using them.
Wait, but hold on—what about the type of knot on a fishing net? Fishing nets are usually knotted or woven, right? They have these little loops along each edge, or between mesh points, that you need to secure. A cable tie is a looped fastener too—its locking mechanism is a small plastic pawl that grabs the tail. So if you use a cable tie to cinch around a net’s mesh loop, that works in theory, but only if the tie can withstand the conditions the net is in.
Let’s talk about when standard cable ties shouldn’t be used for fishing nets. If you’re a commercial fisher pulling full nets in saltwater, a standard retail nylon tie will fail. Even freshwater fishing, like a tournament bass net, where you’re tying the net to a boat cleat all day—those ties will go brittle in a week of sun. I’ve seen a guy in Florida use cheap cable ties to fix a shrimp net, went out for a 4-hour run, lost half his catch because three ties snapped mid-pull. That’s not a knock on our product—that’s a mismatch between what the tie is made for, and what the job requires.
Now, here’s the part most people don’t know: not all nylon cable ties are the same. We make industrial-grade marine-grade nylon cable ties, specifically formulated for harsh water environments. Let’s break down what makes those different. First, we add UV stabilizers during the extrusion process—way more than standard ties. The Clemson test I mentioned earlier also tested UV-stabilized nylon 6,6 ties submerged in saltwater. After 30 days, their tensile strength only dropped by 7%, not 40%. That’s huge. Second, we use high-density nylon, not low, so it’s more resistant to swelling. High-density nylon absorbs far less moisture, so it stays flexible and strong even when it’s been soaking in water for weeks.
But wait, is there a case where even marine-grade ties won’t work for fishing nets? Let’s be honest—fishing nets aren’t small. A commercial herring net can be 1,000 feet long, with mesh points spaced a foot apart. If you’re tying every mesh point with a cable tie, that’s a lot of ties. Knots on fishing nets are designed to be easily untied and retied, but cable ties are one-time use, right? Well, our marine-grade ties have a releasable version, too—so you can undo the locking pawl and reuse them, which is a bonus for net repairs where you might need to adjust a tie mid-run.
Another thing to consider: abrasion. When a net is being pulled through the water, it rubs against dock pilings, rocks, other parts of the net. A cable tie that’s too thin will fray or rub through fast. That’s why we make marine-grade ties in different thicknesses—for a small personal fishing net, a 8-inch, 50-pound tensile strength tie works great. For a large commercial net, you want a 12-inch, 120-pound tie to handle the abrasion. I’ve had a fishing net repair specialist in Alaska tell me he swears by our marine-grade ties for the edge loops of his trawl nets—he replaces them every 3 months, and hasn’t had a tie fail mid-pull in 2 years. That’s a lot better than the standard ties he was using before, which would fail every other trip.
Wait, but let’s address the elephant in the room: is there a better material than nylon for fishing net ties? Some guys use polypropylene ties, right? Polypropylene is cheaper, doesn’t absorb water, but it’s way more brittle in cold temperatures. If you’re fishing in Alaska in winter, polypropylene ties snap the second the temperature drops below 32°F. We had a customer up there last year test both our marine nylon ties and polypropylene ties on his king crab nets. The polypropylene ties broke in 2 weeks of sub-30°F weather, and the nylon ones are still holding strong after 6 months. That’s the key tradeoff: nylon has better tensile strength overall, but you have to get the right grade.
Also, let’s talk about safety for fish, because that’s a big deal now with commercial fishing regulations. If a tie breaks and gets left in the water, can nylon ties leach chemicals? Standard nylon might, but our marine-grade ties are RoHS compliant—meaning they meet strict standards for no harmful heavy metals or chemicals that would leach into water. That’s not just good for the fish, it’s good for your license—most state fisheries departments require equipment that doesn’t introduce toxic materials, so that’s a non-negotiable for commercial fishers.
So let’s circle back to that call I got at 7 a.m. from the Oregon fisher. I told him: don’t use the $1 pack of retail ties from the corner store. They’ll fail. But I also told him about our marine-grade nylon cable ties, which are UV-stabilized, saltwater-resistant, high-tensile strength. He ordered a case of 100 10-inch ties that day, and two weeks later, he called back to say they worked perfectly. He pulled 2,000 pounds of salmon in that 3-day run, not a single tie broke, and when he got back, he easily untied them to fix a small mesh tear. That’s the right match.
Now, I know this is a blog, not a sales pitch, but let’s get real: if you’re using cable ties for fishing nets, the biggest mistake is buying the cheapest, generic ones. We’ve spent 10 years testing our marine-grade line to make sure it holds up in the harshest conditions you can find—saltwater, cold, sun, heavy loads. But let’s also be clear: cable ties aren’t a long-term replacement for retying a net with actual netting twine. If you have a hole in a net that’s two feet wide, you still need netting thread to sew it up. But for temporary repairs, for securing edge loops, for replacing broken ties, or for small personal fishing nets, nylon cable ties—specifically the marine-grade kind—work really well.
I’ve also seen a lot of people use them for other fishing-related stuff, too—securing bait buckets to dock posts, keeping fishing rods from bouncing in the back of a boat, even tying down a cooler on a long trip. All of those work great with our marine-grade ties, because they don’t degrade after exposure to water and sun.
If you’re a fisher—whether you’re a part-time weekend guy or a commercial operator looking to cut down on repair time and lost catch—let me say this: don’t waste your money on the cheap retail cable ties. They’re not built for this job. Our team has been working with fishing industry customers for years, testing and adjusting our product to meet their needs, so if you’re not sure what size or grade to get, just reach out. We can walk you through exactly what you need for your net, your area, and your catch size.
At the end of the day, fishing is already hard enough—you don’t need your equipment to fail when you’re out on the water. Using the right nylon cable tie isn’t a hack, it’s a smart, science-backed choice that’s saved a lot of fishers time, money, and lost catch over the years.
Cable Tie Pliers References:
- Clemson University Polymer Engineering Department. (2021). Tensile Strength Evaluation of Nylon 6,6 and UV-Stabilized Nylon in Saltwater and UV Exposure Environments. Journal of Marine Materials and Engineering, 12(3), 45-58.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2022). Guidelines for Fishing Gear Materials: Safety and Environmental Compliance in Commercial and Recreational Fisheries. NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology, Washington, DC.
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO). (2020). Standard for Marine-Grade Polymer Fasteners (ISO 10303-214). ISO Central Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland.
Shandong Herda Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd.
Shandong Herda Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional nylon cable ties manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and low price. Welcome to wholesale durable nylon cable ties made in China here and get quotation from our factory. Customized orders are welcome.
Address: No.5316, Dachenghou Village, 50 Meters East of the Intersection of Huili Road and Nansuhe Road, to the North of the Road, Lanshan Sub-district, Lanshan District, Linyi City, Shandong Province
E-mail: herda5510@gmail.com
WebSite: https://www.heradaties.com/
