What knot do you use to attach a fly to a tippet?

[COMike 0]

Hi Everyone,

 

Well it is finally time for me to start practicing FLY to TIPPET knots!

 

I practice tying the blood knot every day (yes I needed to learn it) and have scraps of mono laying all over the house!

 

I went fishing last week and saw TONS of knots tied to attach a fly to tippet and was overwhelmed with all of the different techniques and knots folks tied. Many didn't know the names of them but just "I tie them because they work"......

 

When I was fishing over the years I got really good at tying the Palomar knot. Works very well and I have never had a fish "leave me" because of this knot.

 

What I am confused about is NO ONE tied it at all when I was fishing last week.

 

Granted the Loop has to be passed through the eye and on tiny hooks it might be next to impossible but I will try unless there is another solution.

 

 

So......can you tell me for trout fishing, just what knot do you like and why? I need to practice to make it second nature on the river/stream.....

 

Thanks!

 

Mike

[Fisherboy0301 0]

Just an improved clinch knot, or a rapala knot on streamers for extra motion.

[Piker20 0]

I use a uni knot but through hook eye twice with Fluro. ALWAYS wet the knot before sliding it tight.

The rapala knot is good for a fly to move a bit more.

[Fish For Life 0]

The improved clinch knot like said above. There is not a better knot in my opinion for attaching a fly/lure to line. just search it up on the internet and you can see how it is done, very simple and very strong.

[heavynets 0]

I use an improved Davey knot because it's so dang fast to tie.

[Crackaig 0]

It would depend on the fly. Standard for most things is a clinch knot. For the last few years I've not tucked it to make the improved clinch knot. If anything it has been better.

For spinner patterns a Rapala knot

For large flies and some dry flies a turle knot. (Also for salmon flies).

 

In tests the Polomar knot has shown to be stronger than any other, but it's a pain to tie, and stiff. Will use it sometimes in the sea when after sea trout.

 

Cheers,

C.

[Sundance 0]

On hooks size 12 and smaller I have used a plain clinch knot since I was a kid (50+ years) and never had one untie. On larger hooks an improved clinch is better, but on small hooks it is an unneeded extra step. But as said above, wet the knot before pulling it tight. Burning a knot when tightening it is VERY easy to do.

[Chase Creek 0]

For the past 40+ years, I've used a simple clinch knot. Works fine, and by now, I can tie it in the dark with my toes.

[switch10 0]

I stopped using the improved clinch knot a few years ago. These days I prefer the plain old clinch knot for 90% of my fishing. Super fast and easy to tie, it's also really easy to regulate how much tippet you're wasting.

 

I do the non-slip loop knot for streamers and anything else that needs more movement.

[McGnat 0]

Improved clinch or trilene knot down to 16. Improved Davy for smaller flies.

[Stevester 0]

Funny how some knots work for some and not others. I could never get the clinch to work consistently, I lost dozens of fish and flies over the years when in came apart. A number of years ago I started using the Uni-knot and my fish and fly losses plummeted. I am trying the Davy but so far I can't get it to hold as well as the Uni so much more practice is needed on my part.

 

Steve

[Bryon Anderson 0]

For years I used the improved clinch, then I learned that the regular clinch knot was just as strong, so I switched back to it.

 

For streamers I use the Duncan Loop. It lets them swing free at the tend of the tippet, pulls tight on the hook set, then you can just pull it back open and you're ready to fish again.

[JSzymczyk 0]

most of the time, a Trilene knot. On small diameter hooks, I use a regular clinch knot quite often. When properly seated and tied with enough turns, it is as strong as anything within reason. Sometimes a nonslip loop. With heavy flouro bite tippets, a 3-turn clinch knot holds as well as anything else.

 

The key to any knot is to form it, lubricate it, and draw it up COMPLETELY so there is nothing to slip.

[Fish For Life 0]

Question??? For those doing the clinch knot, not the improved clinch knot, why would you not just go the one extra move and make it the improved?? It is not rally any harder or time consuming. The clinch knot can come undone, not all of the time but it can. On the other hand it is very hard for the improved clinch knot to come undone. Why risk having a fish come off, just do the extra step and know you have a rather invincible knot??? I may be wrong, this is just my opinion.

[SilverCreek 0]

I use the orvis knot. Easy to tie and uses very little tippet material to tie it.

 

Interestingly, the regular clinch knot is stronger than the improved clinch in the chart below from a knot test in Fy Fisherman Magazine with some of the tippet materials.