8 Best Fly Fishing Knots You Should Know How to Tie

For beginners and experienced anglers alike, knots are essential to fly fishing success. From connecting your backing, line, leader, and fly to creating strong connections without breaking off, these knots ensure an efficient fishing experience and help make every cast effortless. Most lines now come equipped with loops for convenient leader tying. But if not, you can use the nail knot as a fast, strong knot that uses fewer lines than an improved clinch knot.

Perfection Loop Knot For Secure Connection

A very fast and straightforward knot designed to quickly and securely connect lures or wet flies to monofilament or fluorocarbon lines or leaders, the Loop Knot retains almost 100% of its original strength.

Start by creating an overhand knot, leaving a small tag end.
Feed it back through the first small loop over and under to tighten.
Tighten and trim the tag end.

Now it's time to fish! The perfection loop knot is one of the best fly fishing knots for joining butt section or leader and tippet knot, especially useful when switching between different line weights.

Surgeon’s Knot For Joining Two Different Lines

The surgeon's knot is an established knot used in surgical practice that effectively and securely joins two lines with significantly different diameters. It's one of many reliable knots available to fly anglers for joining two strands.

How to Perform Surgeon’s Knot

Begin by crossing the right side of the cord over and around its left end, twisting its end twice before tightening both sides to tighten the knot.
For monofilament to monofilament or fluorocarbon to mono connections, pass the long end of the leader through the loop.
Do it three to four times before trimming tag ends and applying lubricant to the knot before bedding it down fully.
This will make tightening faster when in a rush and ensure the finished knot won't slip during fishing sessions.

The finished knot should be firm without slipperiness.

Bimini Twist for Heavy Leaders

When fishing river species like trout or smallmouth bass, using a reliable knot is of the utmost importance. The Bimini Twist provides a secure connection between your heavy leader and mainline, ensuring even the largest game fish cannot break your line.

How to tie Bimini Twist?

Double the main line to form a loop.
Hold the loop and start twisting the doubled line together.
Make about 20-30 twists, keeping the twists tight.
Pass the end of the loop over a hook or sturdy object to hold it in place.
Spread the two legs of the loop apart, creating tension in the twists.
Maintain tension and let the twists begin to spiral down towards the hook.
Once the spirals reach the hook, pinch the twists at the base.
Hold the tag end and loop with one hand, and with the other, pull on the standing line to tighten the knot.
Secure the knot by making a half hitch around both legs of the loop with the tag end.
Make several more half hitches (3-5) to secure it further.

The Bimini Twist requires some practice, but with patience, it quickly becomes second nature. As one of the few knots that doesn't weaken the line when tied, this knot offers an alternative solution to other strong line-to-leader knots like Albright Knot or Surgeon's Knot. Learn about the 8 best knots here.

Double Uni Knot to Join Two Monofilament

The Double Uni Knot is a strong and simple line-to-line knot designed to join two monofilament or fluorocarbon leaders to a braided mainline. When tied correctly, it retains an impressive percentage of line strength.

Process

Start by overlapping the braid and fluorocarbon several inches.
Create a non-slip loop knot with the braid tag end.
Ensure the fluorocarbon wraps around the braid four times before tightening to secure the knot.
Lubricate and tighten your knot to create an adjustable loop, then bind its ends.
As soon as fully tightened, your Double Uni will transform into two distinct Uni knots, which you may trim or tighten further as necessary.

Butt Section Knot

There are various knots to use between your butt section and the fly line, but the nail knot provides an extremely tidy transition from butt section to line. Although more complex to tie, using a nail knot tool makes the transition smooth.

How to Tie Butt Section Knot?

Form a loop with the butt section (the thicker part of the leader).
Pass the tag end of the butt section through the loop.
Wrap the tag end around the standing line 5-6 times.
Moisten the knot and pull the tag end to start tightening the wraps.
Pull the standing line to fully tighten the knot.
Trim the tag end close to the knot.

Connect class or shock tippet material to your butt section quickly and effortlessly with a larger-diameter line. A square knot is an ideal tool to have on hand for frequent hookups or when switching fish species, as its tightening can easily be completed using pliers.

Just be sure to moisten and apply steady pressure while tightening, as this will prevent line burns and ensure smooth unfurling of your line.

Nail Knot for For Strength

The nail knot is an effective and simple method, though it can also be useful in connecting the fly line to the leader or tippet. The simple yet secure connection passes easily through rod guides for a seamless fishing experience.

Create a loop with the leader, wrap it tightly around both lines
Nail it five or six times (make sure the coils are close together to make this step easier).
Pinch the coils between your thumb and forefinger and insert the tag end into the tube by pushing through.
Wet, lubricate, and tighten securely.

Tying nail knots by hand can be challenging, so some anglers turn to nail knot-tying tools as a shortcut for this process. But with some patience and a bodkin, creating tight and secure nail knots should not be difficult.

Blood Knot for Smooth Line Joining

As a fly fisher, it is crucial that you are proficient at tying knots. No matter the situation - whether connecting backing, line, leader, or tippet and fly - having reliable knots that hold under pressure is an absolute necessity. Here’s how to tie blood knot:

Overlap the ends of the two lines you want to join.
Wrap one line around the other 5-7 times and pass the tag end through the gap between the lines.
Repeat the process with the other line, wrapping it in the opposite direction.
Pass the second tag end through the same gap but in the opposite direction of the first tag end.
Moisten the knot and pull both standing lines to tighten, then trim the tag ends.

The Blood Knot is an easy and quick knot to learn that will allow you to join lines of similar size together. This knot can be especially helpful when connecting the mono line to the fluorocarbon leader, as switching lines does not necessitate cutting into your backing material. Its tag ends can be cut close so no extra line protrudes.

Davy Knot for Fast & Easy Tying

It can save both your hands from getting tired of tying other knots! Davy Knots leave a short tag end (often less than an eighth inch), making them less likely to snag on floating debris or other lines.

To create one, thread 3-4 inches of leader or tippet through the hook eye and form a loose overhand knot in front of it. Then, pass your working line under and through it and tighten by pulling on both ends of the knot.

Conclusion

Mastering these eight essential fly fishing knots will greatly enhance your fishing experience. They will make it easier to connect your lines and tackle, switch between different setups, and secure even the biggest catches. With practice, you'll find these knots becoming second nature, allowing you to focus more on the thrill of the catch and less on worrying about your connections. Learn more abut tying knots here.

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