knot?

[Canoetripper]

I have a lot of knot tying tools thinking that I really need to tie the trilene knot, but what about the improved clinch knot?

When I took the class on euro nymphing in State College a few weeks ago, I asked the instructor/guide what knot he was tying on with the nymphs. He said a clinch knot.

My question to the board is am I over complicating the simple, and is all I really need to do is take my time and tie a good clinch knot?

I am sure that a lot of trout have been caught on the basic clinch knot before I started fly fishing.

I landed my last trout on my euro nymph rig with clinch knots from the tippet ring to the nymph. Easy to tie and less for me to think about and ph*ck up thinking about it. Plus, I didn't use anything other than my fingers and teeth.

All comments welcomed and appreciated as always.

Edit note: Are there other knots I should learn like the Davey, Double Davey, Orvis, etc.

 

[klingy]

90% of the time, I tie two knots. Improved clinch for tippet to fly, and triple surgeons for building out the leader. Ease and speed are the two main reasons. There are other lower profile and stronger knots, but I can crank these two out without thinking about it, and I’ve never had any real issues with knots breaking. I find that different brands of tippet have had more impact on break-offs than the knots themselves.

 

[Tigereye]

Agree. Learn a few knots that you can tie quickly without thinking and you are set. The improved clinch and triple surgeon's are by far my most used. I will add the perfection loop as a distant third for attaching leader to line or adding droppers.

 

[Dave_W]

Also agree.
I use the improved clinch and blood knot for almost all my FFing.

 

[Bamboozle]

I don't even use the Improved Clinch Knot because I'm lazy and a Blood Knot is just two regular Clinch Knots back to back.

If the Clinch Knots in a Blood Knot don't need to be "improved," I figure neither does the Clinch Knot I used to tie on a fly...

No issues BTW, except when stupidity sets in.

 

[tomgamber]

I used to be really good at blood knots. Might still be, I just can't see them. I've relegated myself to surgeon's knots and clinch knots since i can pretty much tie them with my eyes closed.

 

[JerryC]

I use the improved clinch for attaching my flies to my tippet. The only time I've had them fail is when I miss putting the tag end through one of the loops. I blame that on old eyes and fat and slightly arthritic fingers.

 

[Canoetripper]

I have a magnetic rod holder that was included in my www.theknotkneedle.com kit.

I will buy better magnets at the hardware store for my third hand.

I always pre-tie different looks on all of the multiple fly rods that I own. I have all of my father's and grandfather's fly rods and have lost count. 12-15, I don't keep score.

The www.denveroutfitters.com rod vault is a big help.

They all work just fine when I need them even though Orvis discontinued a lot of them many years ago. My goal is to just be an improving fly fisherman as I continue to age(62).

Wait until all of you regular readers of my posts read about how I have conquered wading fears and dealing with falling in and getting up without getting too wet and ruing my day.

It is all about everything I learned through many years of experience on my many canoe trips.

CT

 

[RLeep2]

If I were limited to only one knot, it would be a Uni.

It's been my preferred leader to fly knot for over 40 years. A speed (or no-nail) nail not is also just a Uni that captures the fly line and is gradually scrinched down and tight. Although I use double and triple surgeons for leader sections, the Uni is also a good knot for this purpose as well. G.L. Herter, in his big gassy yellow book on tackle making and fly tying shows two Unis being used to join leader sections. He called it the Wolf Knot.

I even use two Unis to tie a piece of 17 lb. Stren to our Christmas wreath so I can hang it on the door. The Uni knot can do it all..

 

[ryansheehan]

I use the trilene knot and surgeons, OP am I misreading your post or does it say you have a tool for a trilene knot?

 

[Canoetripper]

I own several knot tying tools. All of them have instructions on how to tie the trilene knot, which I think is a very good knot.

I try to tie it most of the time from the leader to the tippet ring and from there down to the fly.

I think that magnets will be a great third hand helping me do this.

These tippet rings help me not need to tie the triple surgeons knot.

Most of my fly fishing at my R&G club is sub-surface.

I do have a rod rigged with a humpy with a nymph dropper. I am just not quite good enough yet at mending my line, but will improve.

 

[BrookieChaser]

CT, you're overcomplicating the simple. Plus those knot tools are excess baggage.

I use three knots, the clinch (for nymphs and dries), the blood (leader building), and the non-slip loop knot (streamers, shrimp, etc). Those knots have held everything from trout to tarpon.

 

[3sip]

I am surprised that no one mentions the Davy. I use the Davey on all my nymphs and dries. It's strong, quick to tie and uses less tippet. I use
Double/triple surgeons and blood knots for leaders and clinch perfection loop for streamers and salt water applications.
Learn the Davey it's a great knot.

 

[jeffroey]

I keep it really simple.

I fly fish with four knots:

The arbor knot - only when I'm adding backing to a new spool.

The blood knot - only at the work bench when I'm building leaders.
I never tie this on the water.

On the stream everything is done with either a simple clinch knot or a triple surgeons knot. Period.

For my clinch, I follow the X+1 turns rule. That simply means if I'm fishing 5X, I'm taking 5+1 = 6 turns before running my line back through. I never perceived any added benefit to improving my clinches but I acknowledge there's a lot of literature out there leaning both ways on that point. BTW I even omit the perfection loop from the end of my leaders and clinch it to my fly line loop.

I used to be a huge fan of the Trilene knot - Looking back I think it was the first and only knot I tied when spin fishing. Over the years I've pretty much phased it out for two reasons: (1) I've gained high confidence in my simple cinches and (2) I hate to admit it but lately it's been hard enough threading the eye with fine tippet once, let alone doing it twice for the Trilene.

 

[Canoetripper]

I spent most of the day watching football and practicing basic knot tying with the knot kneedle tool. Improved clinch knot and trilene knot.

If, or more accurately when, I back cast into the trees, and snag the bottom, I am going to put a tippet ring in my leader with a trilene knot.

I will use the improved clinch knot from there to the fly.

I have several of these knot kneedle tools and a magnetic rod holder. This all helps me keep the leader, tag end, and tippet/fly tight and easier to tie knots.

Since I have a rod vault from Denver Outfitters, and four pre-rigged fly rods, it is a lot easier for me to just fish with another fly rod than constantly re-tie flies.

I am an improving fly fisherman, but right now my method to the madness is working.

Winter is approaching so that will change everything.

Tight lines to all.

 

[GeneBeam]

I got myself the “Cinch Tie Knot Tyer” tool and I liked it so much that I got my brother-in-law one. As we are both in our early 70s, I thought we would need something to help our old fingers to tie knots.

The “Cinch Tie Knot Tyer” tool has instructions for clinch knot, improved clinch knot, new improved clinch knot, double clinch knot, rapala knot, trilene knot, spider hitch and the improved surgeons knot. There are other knots you can tie with his tool.

For me I been using it to tie clinch knots, which everyone I think I would need, the rapala knot when I want my fly to have movement and the improved surgeons knot and not so often I use the trilene knot, just because I can do it with the tool.

I have checked out the videos for the blood knot but since I got this tool, I can’t come up with a good reason to use blood knot over the improved surgeons knot.

I need to bring the tool in the house and keep practicing so I can do them without look at the instructions. The two I need to keep practicing are the trilene knot and the improved surgeons knot.

 

[Canoetripper]

If nothing else, these tools are just very good at keeping the three lines involved(leader, tag end, and tippet to fly tight and straight and tight so making the loops much easier.

At 62, I am not getting any younger. I really want to get better as a fly fisherman. The two basics are fly casting and knot tying. I want to get better.

I will get better.

 

[Canoetripper]

I have been practicing the non slip knot which is more difficult than the improved clinch knot or trilene knot to tie.

I am almost there. I can tie it but need to get it closer to the fly than I have done so far. I will continue to practice. I think that this knot will be more important since most of my fly fishing is sub-surface.

Next up is the triple surgeon's knot which I need the least, but is important and good to know.

I rely on tippet rings a lot.

Trilene knot from leader to tippet ring, improved clinch knot from tippet ring to non slip knot to fly should work just fine when I get hung up on the bottom or in the trees.

The dry fly fishing is not that good where I fish, but a dry fly, nymph dropper is always in my fly rod vault. Humpy/prince or pheasant tail, or something similar.

 

[laszlo]

It's the Davey for me , tippet to fly, I also use it for tippet to ring.

 

[Canoetripper]

Practice, practice, practice. I have really struggled with this Lefty Kreh non slip knot.

I can tie it just fine with a 2"-3" loop, which I don't want. I want that loop knot much closer between the tippet and fly. I am improving at this while watching football. This is a very difficult knot for me to tie.

I know that I can tie the trilene knot to my tippet ring and than a trilene knot from there to my flies that I am going to fish depending on conditions: improved clinch and more importantly, the non slip knot.

When I want to do something bad enough I will figure it out. I want to be able to tie the trilene, improved clinch, and non slip knots in the dark when I can't see what I am doing. I will get there with enough practice.

Improving my casting is up next. I am not bad but want to get better. I am going to take fly casting lessons from TCO and Orvis. I want to be better than good.


If I can just knock out the tying what I want to do and make all of the casts that I want to make, I will soon be where I want to be.

I want to be a good fly fisherman and think that I am close to being there.