knots

[Canoetripper]

Now that I am getting more and more into fly fishing as a soon to be 61 year old, I am practicing my knots. The two I need to get the best at are the improved clinch knot and the triple surgeon's knot.

I have a stereo speaker stand now with a cheap $18.00 fly vice to be my third hand, which really helps. I have always just replaced leaders when I lost flies in the trees or snagged on the bottom.

One of these days I will be a better fly fisherman than I am now. It won't be for lack of effort.

I would rather be in the Poconos spending more $ on leaders, but the water is just too high.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I would add the blood knot and non-slip loop knot to your syllabus.

 

[Canoetripper]

I will do that. I once fished with a guide in Colorado who could tie a blood know easier that I can tie my shoes

 

[MathFish]

Earlier in my fly fishing exploits I used the clinch and improved clinch knots for tying my flies onto tippet, but now I use the Davy knot pretty much exclusively.

I caught plenty of fish using the clinch knot, but I bet half of the times I hooked into a larger trout, my knot would fail. This has not been the case with the Davy knot... I have found it to be WAY more reliable. It is also an incredibly small knot and it is very easy to tie.

Consider using the Davy knot, I wish I had switched over to it way sooner...

Here is a link to a tutorial: Davy knot tutorial video

 

[poopdeck]

I just use a regular old clinch knot. Use it for fly fishing and spin fishing and it's caught many a fish much larger then pa trout can grow. Never had a problem with it. Like the davey knot, it's important that you don't tighten it by pulling on the tag end. When done the tag end should stick out 90 degrees from the knot just like the Davey. i also use the davey knot but it's really second to the clinch knot. Both are strong, simple and fast to tie.

I tie speed blood knots which are equally simple and quick. It's probably the type of blood knot most guides use. I've had not one single issue with the speed blood knot. I will never tie the traditional blood knot ever again.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KOZum2373iw

 

[dc410]

BrookieChaser wrote:
I would add the blood knot and non-slip loop knot to your syllabus.

+1 on the non-slip loop knot. This is a very strong knot and I feel it adds for some additional freedom of motion on your fly particularly when fishing streamers. I use it exclusively when carp fishing and have landed multiple carp over 20 lbs. and can never remember a loop knot failing on me. I have lost many carp over the years by having the hook bend straighten out but my confidence in the overall strength of the non-slip loop knot couldn’t be much higher.

 

[BrookieChaser]

I agree with your review, DC. I use the non-slip loop knot from here to FL. For nymphs and streamers here, for carp flies in OH, for croakers fluke flounder stripers and blues in DE, and reds in NC and FL. I've even used it for loop to loop connections of leader to fly line.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

+2 for non-slip loop knot. It's my go-to for streamers and nearly ALL warm water flies.

I also think a perfection loop is important. It can be used in many ways from the loop at the thick end of your leader to droppers for nymph and wet fly setups.

The short list I have used for the last 35 years, from bluegill to tarpon (in no order):
clinch
perfection
blood (or surgeon's)
non-slip loop
single or double uni

It would be challenging to find a normal situation not covered well by these knots (YMMV).

 

[tomgamber]

https://www.animatedknots.com/fishing-knots

 

[Canoetripper]

Thanks for the info on the animated knots.

 

[Canoetripper]

I have really been practicing my surgeon's knot, and think that I now know what to do with more confidence. Even though I have been fly fishing for most of my>60 life, my real talent is finding the trees too tall behind me and snags on the bottom in water too deep.

I would rather waste too much money on tippet that constantly tying on a new leader. I haven't tried the davey knot yet. I want to get to the point that I can tie the surgeon's knot blind-folded.

 

[Steeltrap]

Maybe it's me, but I did a practice run of tying the Davy knot. Just the single one.

It can't hold a candle to tying an improved clinch knot or a nail knot. (I tie the nail knot with a tool I keep on my fly pouch)

Again...maybe me and I didn't try the double Davy. Appears a double clinch is no more difficult than the double Davy.

FWIW

 

[dc410]

Steeltrap wrote:
Maybe it's me, but I did a practice run of tying the Davy knot. Just the single one.

It can't hold a candle to tying an improved clinch knot or a nail knot. (I tie the nail knot with a tool I keep on my fly pouch)

FWIW

The application of the Davy knot and the nail knot are totally different and there is really no way to compare them to each other.

 

[Canoetripper]

After doing yet another inventory of my fly fishing everything, I discovered that I have an Orvis clinch tie tool and instruction booklet.

I have all of my grandfather's and father's fly fishing rods and gear.

I have been playing around with this tool and instruction booklet. It is a very useful tool for tying those two very basic knots: the clinch/improved clinch and surgeon's knots. It doesn't have the instructions for helping me with the other knots that other board members have recommended, but I now feel confident with the leader/tippet and tippet/fly connections, and think that I can retire the speaker stand with $18.00 fly vise as a third hand and just use this tool and instruction booklet for the two knots that I need to tie the most.

Again, I would like to thank everyone else who contributed to this thread. I am giving myself an "E" for effort at becoming a better fly fisherman.

 

[3sip]

Get a piece of nylon rope, the stiff plasticky stuff and practice tying knots, after awhile you can tie them watching tv. Untie and tie again. I was a salt water fisherman for many years and had to learn new knots overnight. Heavy rope is what I practiced on and then transferred to fishing line. It was easier for me to figure out the path of the knot with rope and then transfer to much smaller line. Give it a try. I'm sure you will pick it up easy.

 

[pcray1231]

I don't use surgeon's knots, actually! I do blood knots in my leaders.

For that third hand, on the improved clinch. Twist the fly, not hthe line! With your left, grasp the line and tag end, with enough hanging out. With your right, grab the fly and twist it! Then just bring your hands together to open up that gap at the hook eye, stick the tag end through, then back through the big gap you just made for the "improved" part. Grab tag end in teeth. Pull your hands apart.

I do that one in seconds. And it's important to be able to do that quickly.

 

[poopdeck]

Thankfully two hands are more than enough to tie a clinch knot.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=opkhRtWe3h4

Not sure what can be easier. I just do a regular clinch since I've never had reason to change.

 

[franklin]

I find that I tend to use three knots for 99% of my needs. Improved clinch, triple surgeons, Trilene. Yes I know more knots but rarely use the rest.

 

[jifigz]

pcray1231 wrote:
I don't use surgeon's knots, actually! I do blood knots in my leaders.

For that third hand, on the improved clinch. Twist the fly, not hthe line! With your left, grasp the line and tag end, with enough hanging out. With your right, grab the fly and twist it! Then just bring your hands together to open up that gap at the hook eye, stick the tag end through, then back through the big gap you just made for the "improved" part. Grab tag end in teeth. Pull your hands apart.

I do that one in seconds. And it's important to be able to do that quickly.

Very interesting Pcray. We tie the knots differently but achieve the same end result. But, I do tend to favor a trilene over the improved clinch for sure.

 

[Canoetripper]

Practice, practice, practice.

The water temperatures are just too warm right now right now in the Poconos. They have been rising above the 70 degree mark where I don't think it is fair for the trout since I plan to release them any way to live and fight another day.

Several years ago I caught a stocked rainbow in the very upper Greenbrier River in West Virginia and it just died while I was trying to release it. I felt terrible about this since I had no intention of killing and keeping this trout.

I could see it belly-up on the surface floating down stream until a Bald Eagle swooped down and made it lunch. I felt a little bit better since the trout didn't go to waste and sustained another of God's creatures to survive another day in the wild.

Anyway, while I was grocery shopping this morning, I stopped by the local Target and bought a spool of Berkley Solutions 6 lb. mono and am practicing only two basic knots; the improved clinch and the triple surgeon's knots.

I am definitely improving and getting more confident. I know that I am using more tippet than most, but I would rather use too much tippet to make just one leader last me all weekend long.