I'm not deliberately knocking the "Speed Blood Knot" but I've tied so many blood knots in my life they are one of the easiest knots for me to tie so I never bothered with alternatives.
Below are some tips and steps I have been incorporating forever that makes it simpler for me. Some of the procedures may seem a little complicated unless you have some leader material in your hands but trust me they are not hard to do if an uncoordinated lug like me with big hands and short fat fingers can pull it off:
I NEVER cut the leader/tippet material off the spool UNTIL I FINISH THE BLOOD KNOT. Trying to tie a blood knot with loose pieces of leader material is WAY more difficult than tying the knot with it still attached to a spool.
With the first tip in mind, I always tie my blood knots WITH A LITTLE BIT OF TENSION on one or both sides. For example if I'm building a leader I put the spools of material on opposite sides with one spool under each arm so it is tight.
If I am adding a new tippet or rebuilding while fishing I grab the end of my leader and let my line float downstream so it pulls that end tight. My spare spools of leader material are in a homemade tippet dispenser that puts tension on the spool as I pull material so that takes care of the other side.
If you don't have a tippet dispenser that incorporates tension, figure out another way to make that happen with a loose spool like putting it in a pocket.
I always tie my blood knots the same way, leader or fatter section on the left side, lighter or tippet section on the right. I always wrap the right or tippet side first using my right hand with the tag coming over the "X" formed by the crossing lines towards me. I follow this procedure the opposite way on the left side using my left hand.
* Besides familiarity there is another reason for this discipline that I'll explain later...
After the first set of wraps I bring the first tag (in the direction noted above) over the X that will become the opening where I will thread the 2nd tag. Instead of just leaving the 1st tag sitting there, I pull it slightly, FOLD it back and then pinch it and the 1st set of wraps between my right thumb and index finger while I do the second set of wraps with my left hand.
By pulling and folding the 1st tag over and pinching it with the 1st set of wraps, the tag is putting tension on the X where the sections cross. When I am ready to thread the 2nd tag through the opening, the opening is bigger and easier to thread because of this pulling and pinching step. In addition, I don't loose the tag or screw up the first set of wraps while I do the 2nd set.
IF for some reason the opening is small or I am not positive which direction the 2nd tags needs to go, I'll let go of JUST the first tag (not the wraps) and pull back on the 1st tag to widen the opening. Because the tag was was folded and "bent" it will be easier to re-grab with those same fingers.
* Another reason I always keep the fatter section on the left and do the 2nd set of wraps with this fatter section is the 2nd tag has to be threaded through a hole. Doing it my way I always have a stiffer 2nd tag which is easier to thread through a hole than the lighter material twisted first. Of course this is a moot point if I am tying a blood knot with two sections the same diameter or really heavy material.
Once the 2nd tag is through the hole, I move the pinching fingers of my right hand over the hole and both tags so I don't lose them and begin to SLOWLY draw the knot tight but NOT all the way. Once you are sure the tags won't flop out you can let things go and lubricate the still unfinished knot with saliva. SLOWLY draw it tight, finishing with a EVER SO SLIGHT, VERY, VERY SHORT 1/4" tug to jamb the wraps against the tags. After the knot is "set," trim the tags to your liking.
IMHO - Most of these little tricks other than lubrication don't work very well if you are trying them with loose pieces of leader material or with the material NOT under tension. This is why I find tension so beneficial to making blood knots simple.
FWIW - There is nothing wrong with alternatives to make things easier or replace tasks considered difficult if the result are the same. However I'd rather tie blood knots than some of the other knots out there that are supposed to be easier because I can more easily control the waste. When I tie blood knots I can easily keep my tags under an inch.
I can also tie them faster... I'm not bragging, I don't know the world's record and I never officially timed myself but excluding the time it takes to grab the end of my leader and get the spool of tippet material in hand, I know I can tie a blood knot in around 30 seconds...
...make that in a minute or two if I had a few beers.
Have fun!!!
www.flyfisherman.com
