Maybe I am alone here... Most fly fishermen don't have a problem with tying knots. Just us River Damsels that have long fingernails! But, for those who have been there and can relate... Here is the short story. You have a fish on...he jumps, he wiggles, he breaks loose...he swims away. You bring in the line and no fly. Just a curled up piece of fluorocarbon from a
weak ass poorly tied knot. Yes, I have tried and tried to get better at my knots, but it wasn't until recently that I "knotted" one to my fly that would never come off unless you cut it off! VICTORY!!! It is the perfect streamer knot, I believe. But, also a great knot for caddis on top with a jumping Rainbow! And for the Brown that goes after your nymph...
I will share my new discovery with you and thank
Jim Browning (
Two Guys ~ Wet Waders & Flies)! He uses this knot almost every time... Maybe you are a knot expert and happy with what you are tying on... That's great! But, for those that might need something new to try and want a easy, non-slip knot...this is for you. The
DAVY KNOT!!!
The knots that I have tried and that I still use from time to time depending on the situation at hand...
This is a great post and something I can really use. My knots are strong but downright ugly. You know its bad when the fish start giving me pointers out of sheer pity.
ReplyDeleteMatt ~ I'm glad that this helps out a little. The knot can make you or break you!! Good luck.
DeleteRD
ReplyDeleteFirst off, what a great post, very informative--as for knots, I learned long time ago that for me the Improved Clinch Knot is my main go to knot. I can tie the knot in a few seconds. I use to tie the blood knot to connect my tippet to my leader, but I have ditched that knot for something easier. Check out this link on the tippet ring, you might want to try this set-up. It saves on leaders. http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/LL-295020-0000 I use the 2mm super tiny and super strong------Thanks for sharing
Bill ~ Thanks... The clinch knot is what I have been using primarily since I started fly fishing. And it just hasn't worked for me... But, I know that most people swear by it. I just can't get it to squeeze close enough to the eye of the hook with my nail or my thumb. Ugh, it's a long story. = )
DeleteI never considered the difficulties of knotting with fancy nails and I have a new respect for your knotting abilities. I'm knot an expert at knots. So many curled flyless tippet woes as you describe. I've tried the davy knot a while back but the improved clinch is my go to. Also tried the double surgeons a while, and have reverted to the good old blood knot.
ReplyDeleteSuch an important subject, and great info. Thanks.
Marc ~ I think that curled tippet is the ugliest thing that I can think of... it's a bad omen. So, I am looking forward to better days without my knots coming loose! Hope you try this one...
DeleteI'm not surprised that you have difficulty tying knots, but I do as well periodically. The Davy knot is great and one I'll try. I also carry super glue,
ReplyDeleteCofisher ~ Now, now. It's not all the fingernails fault. I am not very dexterous either! Lol. But, this knot has been easy for me! And I will pass on the glue... it could cause more serious problems than I already have!
DeleteOk, the nail, surgeon's and blood knot all do the same thing. I think you can just stick with whichever one you like best between the three of those. Nice writing and good videos!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Doc! I appreciate you stopping by... = )
DeleteI've also had problems with the Clinch and Improved Clinch knots. I don't use them for any of my saltwater fishing, but when I started fly fishing it was the most popular recommendation. I figured I'd give it a try. It cost me a couple of flies and the attached fish.
ReplyDeleteI started using a Uni knot to my flies and it works great for me. I use a double surgeon's knot for leader to tippet. If I'm trying to join a tippet and a leader that should have been replaced already, I'll use a double Uni to join these two lines of differing sizes.
Jeff ~ The improved clinch is what I have used most of the time. But, I am tired of losing fish that should have been in the net...So, I'm trying the Davy's for awhile to see if there is improvement!
DeleteAnimatedKnots.com love that site. nice post! 'Davy knot' is one I keep say'in I need to use but I always fall back to my standard the 'improved cinch'. Davy knot is faster though, all I need to do is remember to use it when I'm on the water.
ReplyDeleteKev ~ Yeah, that AnimatedKnots is a nice find. Watching the steps is much easier than looking at an illustration. = ) Good luck with the Davy knot...hope it works well for you.
DeleteI lose fish to poorly tied knots more often than I like to admit to myself. I've been working on adding a few different knots to the bag of tricks...thanks for the post. Timely indeed.
ReplyDeleteSanders ~ Don't take this wrong, but I'm glad that I'm in good company!! Cheers to tight knots and more fish!!
DeleteI stick to the clinch knot most of the time for tying the line to the fly. I find it to be more reliable than the so called improved clinch knot.
ReplyDeleteOther knots I use regularly are the uni to uni, perfection loop, and nail.
Nick ~ There are way more knots out there than what we really need, huh? That reminds me...I need a nail knot on my new line that I am putting on. = ) Have a fishy wkd!
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