Jeep® Sporting Destinations

Knots, Part One

by Pat Fowler and Keith Breuker

"Nothing is more aggravating than putting everything together for a successful hook-up, then losing a fish due to a poorly tied knot."

Nothing is more aggravating than putting everything together for a successful hook-up, then losing a fish due to a poorly tied knot. We have therefore selected the best knots to cover all the basic connections from fly to reel. While a few are multipurpose, most are best suited for specific situations.

Note: You'll save valuable time on the water by practicing and learning knots in advance. You should practice the knots in this month's section, and plan to learn and practice the second half of this section, featured in next month's Fly Fishers Workshop.

Key Terms

The section of the line from the knot to the end of the line is called the "tag end," which is usually trimmed after the knot is pulled tight. The "standing" part of the line is what remains of your line between knots.

Basic Principles

To help your line slide and seat properly, always lubricate your knots before tightening. The easiest way is to use saliva.

Knots seat best when tightened smoothly and steadily. Pulling too quickly can cause a knot to seat improperly, and can create unnecessary friction that weakens the knot.

Be careful to trim excess material as close as possible without damaging the knot or line. This not only provides a neater appearance but also allows the knot to perform better for casting, and to pass more smoothly through the rod guides.

Be sure to inspect your leaders for abrasion, wind knots, or other damage that may cause the fish of a lifetime to break free.

Be sure to remove any tippet material that may be curled or damaged from a previous fly before tying on another.

Most knots slip before they fail. Be sure the knot is fully seated and you will reduce your knot failures.

If your line breaks on a fish or snag, examine it. If there are small curls at the end of the line, the knot failed.

Aside from damaged line or weak knots at other points, the tippet is typically the weakest section of any leader. The ability to tie consistent, quality knots where the fly is attached to the tippet and the tippet is attached to the leader is crucial.

Note: Practice is the only way to tie consistent, quality knots that will continue to perform well.

Fly to Tippet

Clinch Knot

One of the most common knots, the clinch is very simple to tie but difficult to seat with heavier lines and therefore shouldn't be used with lines testing greater than 12 pounds. To maintain consistent strength, five turns are recommended for lines up to 6-pound test, four turns for 6- to 12-pound test.

Thread six to eight inches of line through the eye of the hook.

Bring the tag end back toward the standing line, creating a loop at the eye of the hook. Pinch your left thumb and forefinger around the hook eye to preserve the loop. The knot is easier to finish if you allow for a larger opening.

Make four or five turns--depending on the pound test--with the tag end around the standing part of the line. When making your turns, rotate your hands over and under the standing part of the line, passing the tag end from the thumb and forefinger of your right hand to the middle and fourth fingers of your left. This method allows you to keep tension on the standing part of the line.

Push the tag end of the line through the small loop created at the hook eye. Make sure the tag end stays in the loop by holding it with the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. Lubricate the knot and pull on the hook and standing part of the line to seat the knot. Trim the tag end.

George Harvey Knot

Developed by legendary fly fishing instructor George Harvey, this knot allows small flies and flies with turned-up or turned-down eyes to ride naturally on the water and is not recommended for hooks with ring eyes.

Insert about six inches of tippet through the front of the hook eye. Hold the tag end and standing part together in front of the fly. (It is not necessary to hold the fly until tightening the knot.)

With the tag end, make two circles about the size of a dime around the standing part of the line. While holding the circles together with the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, pass the tag end through the circles twice.

Now start to tighten the knot by holding the hook and pulling on the standing part of the tippet.

Lubricate the knot and tighten until the circles jump over the hook eye. The knot is tied wrong if the circles do not pass over the hook eye.

Seat the knot completely and trim the tag end.

Non-Slip Loop

Using a loop will allow your fly to swing freely, and is especially useful in providing a more natural drift when fishing nymphs or small dry flies. As its name suggests, the non-slip loop is very strong and won't slip toward the hook eye.

Again, it is important to use the correct number of turns for the line weight being used. Seven turns for lines to 6 pounds, five turns for 8- to 12-pound line, four turns for 15- to 40-pound line, and three turns for 50- to 60-pound line.

Begin this knot by tying an overhand knot in the line about 12 inches from the end. (You can reduce this, as you become proficient in tying the knot.) Pass the tag end through the hook eye and back through the loop created by the overhand knot. Be sure that the tag end goes through the same side of the overhand knot that it came out on.

Like the clinch knot, make the appropriate number of turns around the standing part and pass the tag end back through the overhand knot on the same side that it last exited.

Lubricate the knot and start to pull the wraps together by pulling on the tag end. Before the wraps are completely tight, pull on the hook and standing part to finish seating the knot.

Tying It Up

This overview illustration shows the location of all the knots in a fly fishing setup.

This material in Fly Fisher's Notebook originated in a book called The Complete Pocket Guide to Fly Fishing, which was published through Countrysport Press. If you are interested in having the entire book in the convenient pocket-size form that you can carry in your vest, contact Countrysport Press for a copy.

Copyright © 1996 by Pat Fowler and Keith Breuker. Illustrations Copyright © 1996 by Jenny Leggett.

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