Knot's

[Scratch]

Having problems with nice size fish breakin off at the knot. Lost two great fish this week. What knot do you use attaching the dry fly and adding the Tippett ?

 

[dsmith1427]

Do you lube (spit on) your line before you tighten the knot? If not, the heat generated by the friction can weaken the line. For tippet to leader I use the double surgeons knot. For tippet to fly I use to use the improved cinch knot. lately I've been using the. Davey knot.

 

[pabrookie94]

X2 on th davey knot

 

[afishinado]

These knots are easy and work well:

 

[MKern]

Triple surgeons for leader/tippet material.

Clinch knot for tippet to fly.

It might be your leader/tippet material is old, or it could be dumb luck.

 

[ryansheehan]

Double or triple surgeons for tippet to tippet and trilene knot to the fly, which for me holds alot better than the improved clinch. Like dsmith said you can easily weaken the line with friction and imho the trilene knot creates less friction than the improved clinch. I have a electric stringing machine for tennis rackets so I have been able to test my knots strength but I'm sure everyone is different. I have recently tried the Davies knot when someone on another thread suggested it. I like how easy it is to tie but the breaking strength was much lower for me, probably just need to practice it some more.

 

[franklin]

MKern wrote:
Triple surgeons for leader/tippet material.

Clinch knot for tippet to fly.

It might be your leader/tippet material is old, or it could be dumb luck.

I use the same. Heat can also damage leader/tippet material. If it stays in the car all summer it may have deteriorated.

 

[mcwillja]

couple things here. First were you nymph fishing or dry fly fishing? If you are nymph fishing and not using flurocarbon and the stream is rocky your tippet will weaken when it brushes up against rocks. This has happened to me before when nymph fishing without fluro depending on the stream.

 

[JeffK]

One more help to good knots - tighten both the tag end and the main line. Often people hold the main line and the hook and pull tight but forget to tighten the tag end as well.

I change tippet material every year. It can age and it doesn't cost much, so why not do it? Change tippets frequently they do get nicked up. Even with dries, fish teeth can abrade tippets. If you feel any roughness at all on your tippet change it.

Never ever buy tippet from the bargain bin. It is false economy.

If you see a curly cue at the break it is a poor knot problem. If it is a straight cut it is a worn or weak tippet problem. Adjust to the problem at hand.

Finally, many of the people I fish with use too small tippets IMHO. A buddy of mine lost a monster brown last year fishing a grasshopper with 6X. I only use 6x on rare occasions for tricos and don't carry anything below 6X. 4x or 5x are my tippets 95% of the time, and I like to fish the flats on the upper East Branch where subtlety matters, but you also tangle with large wild fish on a regular basis.

 

[duckfoot]

There is a lot of science in knots. If you're breaking at the knot, it's because the fish pulling one way and you pulling the other stresses a portion of the knot to the point that it fails.

This is almost always due to one loop in the knot bearing all the load stress.

I was taught to use what my grandfather used to call a "chesapeake knot", which I learned many years later to be a bowline.

I am also proud to say I've never broken a knot. I've broken line from the aforementioned knicks and cuts from rocks and things, but the chesapeake knot has never once failed me.

Thanks, Peepops!

 

[RLeep2]

I use a double surgeons for joining tippet sections that are 3X (.008) or larger and a triple surgeons for all that are smaller. I use a Uni-Knot for the leader to fly connection. Some folks say the Uni is an inferior knot compared to a number of others. I can't say one way or the other. If so, it is an insignificant difference, especially compared to the value of proper knot tying, lubrication and tightening down. I use it for virtually everything from tying a fly to the leader to serving as a nail-free nail knot for joining a leader butt to the fly line to hanging our annual Christmas wreath on the front door. The only thing I don't use it for is to join two leader sections, as it is a bit bulky. All the same, a pair of Unis tightened against each other is a very good knot for joining two leader sections and is one of the 4 or so knots recommended for this purpose in Ken Schultz's Fishing Encyclopedia, probably the most comprehensive single source of fishing information available in print today.

So, if for the time being, you wanted to reduce how much you had to think about all the various fishing knots to a manageable minimum, the Uni might be a good knot for you.

Here it is: (disregard the stuff about the loop, the Uni-Knot is at its best when tightened down) http://www.animatedknots.com/duncan/index.php?Categ=fishing&LogoImage=LogoGrog.png&Website=www.animatedknots.com#ScrollPoint

 

[evw659]

I also use the Davey knot for fly connections. Like others said it's probably not the strongest, but when a hatch (or multiple hatches)is underway, I really like being able to make fly changes very quickly. I have broken fish off at the knot, but it's pretty rare for me.
For line to line connections, I use a blood knot or a double or triple surgeons knot. I have found that a double surgeons knot on 4x and smaller tippet will break fairly easily sometimes. I use a triple for 4x and smaller now.

 

[NewSal]

evw659 wrote:
For line to line connections, I use a blood knot or a double or triple surgeons knot. I have found that a double surgeons knot on 4x and smaller tippet will break fairly easily sometimes. I use a triple for 4x and smaller now.

I remembering hearing on a podcast, I think it was Tom Rosenbaurs that the triple surgeon is almost twice as strong as a double surgeon. Not sure exactly how much stronger but I remember him saying it was quite a bit, and he's usually a honest guy that goes from actual data.

With that being said I've only ever used double surgeons, its quicker, and I've never had a problem with it breaking.

I believe I may start using a triple for 4x and smaller though, that's a pretty good idea. Thanks

 

[moon1284]

I use clinch and blood knots because I can tie them the neatest and fastest. They probably are not the strongest knots.

Some knots may be stronger than others but really any of the above suggestions tied correctly are strong enough to land fish. If you are breaking off fish, the problem is not the knot you are tying, its that you are tying that knot poorly.

My best suggestion is to test your knots by pulling on them pretty hard. You are better off breaking off a poorly tied knot in your hands than on a fish.

 

[geebee]

Scratch, what X tippet were you using ?

if it was 4x 5x etc it's likely user error, if it was 6x, 7x, 8x it may of just been a hard grab or run by a nice fish.

 

[Scratch]

Dry fly fishing both fish, 4x Tippett , both very large fish. surgeons knot for Tippett to leader and clinch knot for fly to Tippett. I have been using this combination for many many years without problems just getting careless I guess in my old age.

 

[Bhupkovich]

Figure 8 knot using hemostat to attach tippet.
Better and easier than surgeon knot.
Cinch knot to fly.
Wet knot before tighten.

 

[CRB]

dsmith1427 wrote:
Do you lube (spit on) your line before you tighten the knot? If not, the heat generated by the friction can weaken the line. .

The most important info on knots.