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The Blood Knot, quite possibly the best for attaching tippet?

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The blood knot is one of the most commonly used and effective knots to tie two pieces of line together. Mostly used by fly fishermen when they are attaching tippet to their tapered leader. The blood knot is a very strong knot, getting very close to 100%, and its also very small, thin and smooth. Just make sure the two lines are close in diameter as two lines that are far different could cause the knot to fail.
Difficulty: medium
Time: medium
Strength: high
Usefulness: This is a great knot for adding tippet to leader

Music: happiness - Bensound.com

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Nice!I appreciate that.I was using a Bimini twist but like the blood better!

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Nice!I appreciate that.I was using a Bimini twist but like the blood better!

Bimini twist for attaching tippit?

 

Glad you liked the video. :)

 

I'm testing out this new series of vids on knots.

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I would agree blood knots are ideal for making leaders. It has all the good points cited.

 

But I have been using loop to loops tippet connections for many decades -- six? ohmigod! -- w/o any problem. I can easily replace a leader tippet in the dark and cold using that approach. It also saves me from replacing a main leader because cutting back the point where the tippet goes eventually has shortened it so the transition is thick to very thin and thus gives a 'hinge' in delivery. I can't remember losing a fish due to failure of a loop but then I'm not really sure what I had for dinner last night either.....

 

Rocco

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I use a triple surgeon's knot. Works for me- for about 25 years to be exact. Blood knot is too complicated and I need four hands for it. Don't have the tool to tie it, either.

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Double Surgeon for me, two decades, no problems and way, way easier to do stream side than a bloody, blood knot ( I used to use blood knots, then I met this barber one day who turned to fish most of all the spots I fished here and up in Maine and he was using surgeon knots and showed me my first). I do some loop to loop connections as well now and then. Surgeon knots aren't as pretty as blood knots though.

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Double surgeon knot for me. Far easier than the blood knot in any situation. Nice video though.

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Like Rocco, I use a loop to loop connection for the tippet so I can change them easily and quickly without shortening the main leader and have never had one fail. I also use on on the but end to attach the leaser so I can change leaders without having to retie a nail knot every time. I just attach a foot long piece of 40lb to the fly line with a nail knot and put a loop in it to act as a connector. Makes changing leaders on the water a whole lot easier. For knots joining segments of the leader I use double uni-knots.

 

Great video by the way, very clear and easy to follow

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double surgeons knot for adding tippet. blood knot for tying leader to fly line butt section

 

any knot will attract the attention of stream vegetation. fish the bighorn yet?

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Speaking of the nail knot, I have been using the nailess nail knot now for a good 15-18 years. That's for tying a tag loop to my fly line if the fly line doesn't have a loop built in. I attach my leaders to the line via loop to loop conn.

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Perfection loop on the tippet to the shorb loop on my fly leader, fly leader shorb on the other end to the fly line. Everyone is shaking hands. I make pre-completed tippet ends out of regular fly line and keep those in stock and ready to replace the short or damaged tippets.

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For the few cases where I use a tied leader, I'll use blood knots to build it. The knot tends to both keep the leader straight (the next piece is in line with the heavier piece in front of it), and the bulk of the knot is centered about that line (this is the one main way the blood knot bests the surgeon varieties, as the bulk of those knots are off to the side).

 

Fly line to leader? Loop to loop.

 

Leader to tippet? Loop to loop.

 

Very occasionally, I'll need a slightly longer leader, or want to drop to an especially light tippet. In those cases, I'll tie a piece of tippet to the lower loop of my leader, then either blood or surgeon knot (depending on my mood and how hurried I am) a finer length of tippet below that.

 

As far as strength, I've found a non-slip mono loop to hold very slightly better than a perfection loop, so often when I'm fishing streamers, a lost fly also means a lost piece of tippet, as the perfection loop often fails before the non-slop mono loop at the fly.

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double surgeons knot for adding tippet. blood knot for tying leader to fly line butt section

 

any knot will attract the attention of stream vegetation. fish the bighorn yet?

Blood knot for leader to fly line? We are talking about the same type of fly line right?

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I have found the blood knot to be quite possibly the hardest knot to tie, especially

with cold fingers, 5, 6 or 7X, and fading light. Surgeon's knot or loop-to-loop for me.

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