Proficient fly fishermen know that strong knot tying skills can mean the difference between landing a trophy and telling a fish story about the one that got away. Taking the time to learn a few basic knots will make your time on the water much more enjoyable. Practice tying knots at home using shoe laces or an old fly line. Using two different colored lines to practice with can also be beneficial when learning new knots.
Tippet to Fly
The task of tying a fly to a thin piece of tippet is an essential skill in fly fishing. The improved clinch knot is one of the most reliable terminal knot choices. It works well with monofilament and fluorocarbon tippets. This knot is easy to tie and has an improved breaking strength over the standard clinch knot. Always remember to wet the line before drawing it tight to reduce friction.
Tippet to Leader
Learning a good line-to-line connection will save you time and money. Instead of buying a new leader, simply tie on a length of tippet if your leader becomes too short. Leaders can also be built by tying tippets of different diameters together. Start with the thickest and work your way down to the smallest diameter you will need. A surgeons knot is the fastest and easiest way to make a line-to-line connection. The blood knot is more complex, but has a higher breaking strength than the surgeons knot. Take the time to learn the blood knot especially for building your own leaders. The surgeons knot is a good fall back when time is of the essence.
Leader to Fly Line
Many leaders come with a pretied loop at the butt end. Additionally, braided loop connections are cheap and easy to attach to the end of a fly line. With a loop at both ends, a hand-shake knot or loop-to-loop connection is an excellent choice for connecting the leader to a fly line. The connection is simple, strong and makes changing leaders painless. Another traditional knot used in leader to line connections is a nail knot. This can be difficult to tie especially for beginners. Several tools designed to help the angler tie a nail knot are available on today's market.
Fly Line to Backing
The fly line to backing knot is an important connection especially for big game fishermen. When a powerful fish put you into your backing, the last thing you want to worry about is your knot. A poor connection here can end your day with a lost fly line. The albright knot is a reliable way to connect a fly line to your backing. When purchasing a new line, many shops will offer to make this connection for you. Always ask the attendant what knot they are using and insist upon the albright knot instead of an alternative. A small dab of superglue will add security to the knot and eliminate any worry of slippage.
Additional Knots
The arbor knot is aptly named for its usefulness in connecting the backing to the arbor of a fly reel. Two knots used for making a loop in the end of a leader or fly line are the surgeons loop and the perfection loop. The surgeons loop is a quick knot, but tends to be rather bulky. The preferred knot is the perfection loop which is easy to learn and will move through the guides of a fly rod with less resistance. For anglers seeking an alternative to the improved clinch knot, the palomar knot is a reliable substitute for tippet to fly connections.
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