Monday, August 20, 2012

The Knotty And Nice Of It All...

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...













18 comments:

  1. 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.

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    1. Matt ~ I'm glad that this helps out a little. The knot can make you or break you!! Good luck.

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  2. RD
    First 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

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    1. 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. = )

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  3. I 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.

    Such an important subject, and great info. Thanks.

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    1. 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...

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  4. I'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,

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    1. Cofisher ~ 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!

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  5. Ok, 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!

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  6. I'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.

    I 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.

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    1. 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!

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  7. AnimatedKnots.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.

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    1. Kev ~ 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.

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  8. I 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.

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    1. Sanders ~ Don't take this wrong, but I'm glad that I'm in good company!! Cheers to tight knots and more fish!!

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  9. I 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.

    Other knots I use regularly are the uni to uni, perfection loop, and nail.

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    1. 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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