Fly Fishing Knots                                Return to Fly Fishing Knots

FLY FISHING KNOTS come in all shapes and sizes. There are knots for tying flies to leaders and for assembling leaders themselves. Then there are knots for tying leaders to fly lines, fly lines to backing, and backing to reels. There are even special knots that fly tiers use to finish flies.

But you need to learn only a few good knots to get started fly fishing.

The first knot you should learn — assuming someone has already set up your rod, reel and fly line — is the knot to tie your fly to your leader. You may change flies often while fishing, and the knot that attaches your fly to your leader may be the weakest knot in your whole system.

Before tying a fly to your tippet, decide whether you want to tie straight to the fly or use a loop. Loops are usually more difficult to tie, but they have the advantage of sometimes allowing a fly to move more naturally. The strongest loop knot that we know of is the Non-Slip Mono Loop (or Kreh Loop). If you want to tie your fly on without a loop, we suggest the Orvis Knot, which is a slightly fancier and stronger version of the Davey Knot. (Read more about fly to tippet knots in Art Scheck's "The Last Link.")

To tie your leader to your fly line — assuming you are starting with a pre-made or knotless tapered leader — the best simple knots to use are a standard Nail Knot or a smaller-profile variation called the Needle Nail Knot. The only difference between these two knots is that one requires threading the leader through the fly line core before tying the nail knot, but this usually requires some practice. A Nail Knot can be tied rather quickly by using the Speedy Nail Knot technique. (Read more about fly line to leader connections in "Making the Connection" by Chico Fernandez.)

For tying a fly line to backing, the simplest and easiest knot for freshwater anglers to use is the Albright Knot. But experienced knot tiers often prefer the Blind Splice Loop, which provides a much smaller profile and the opportunity for a loop-to-loop connection. Saltwater angler and those concerned about achieving the highest breaking strength on backing-to-fly-line connections will want to consider tying a Bimini Twist and Surgeon's Loop in their backing prior to attaching it to a loop in their fly line secured by double Nail Knots.

For trout and light freshwater fishing, tying your backing to your fly reel requires the simplest knot of all, an Arbor Knot, tied with two overhand knots. Again, salwater fly fishers usually prefer a stronger knot, such as a Uni-Knot tied after the backing has been passed twice around the reel arbor.