Tie Fishing Knots - How To Tie On A Fly

How to tie on a fly is probably the most important aspect of fly fishing. We are only as strong as our weakest link and if the knot that holds on the fly is incorrect then we are going to lose not only the fly but the fish that took it. This is not what we want to happen so I will discuss some of the simpler knots used when tying flies onto the leader. The process is not difficult but being able to tie fishing knots correctly is a must for every angler.

Fishing Blood Knot – or Clinch Knot

The fishing blood knot is probably the best known and widely used of all fishing knots. It is very easy to tie and with practice you will be able to even tie it in the dark. You may wonder why tying in the dark is necessary but if you decide to target Sea Trout also known as White trout or Sewin (Welsh) then these are best fished for at night and being able to tie on a fly is so important, especially when they are biting.

To tie the blood knot first push the leader material through the eye of the fly and pass it six times around itself. Easiest way to do this is catch the two ends in one hand and twist the fly six times. When completed take the loose end and pass it through the gap closest to the fly eye. Before pulling tight make sure and moisten the knot with saliva. Don’t be afraid to get it good and wet as the leader material will heat up and burn if not moistened and weaken your knot which is not what we want to happen. I would usually use the ring end of my scissors to hook the fly and pull gently until the knot has tightened. This way you will not get embedded with a hook which is painful believe you me.

Double Turle Knot Tying

The double turle knot tying is a bit more complicated but not so much that it can’t be mastered with some practice. The first thing to do is push the leader material through the eye of the fly and push through a few inches to play with. Grab the leader you have pushed through and make two loops one on top of the other as if you were gathering up a coil of electric cable etc. Now take the loose end and feed it through the loops and around until you have made a third loop. This third loop is now around the other two. Place the loose end through this loop and pull the fly back through the original first two loops. Now you want to pull the loops tight again making sure to wet the leader material with saliva. This knot correctly tied will pull down on the eye of the hook with the leader running through the eye leaving a very strong knot.

Of the two knots here the blood knot is by far the easiest and one I use for trout. If I am targeting larger species like salmon then I would opt for the double turle knot as it has greater strength and allows the fly to swim nicely in running water.

So there you have a starting point for tying on flies, hooks and other terminal tackle so all you have to do now is practice these and other aspects of fly fishing. All comments are welcome.