Fly to leader Knot

[Danoinark]

Zach

Good to see you over here on OAF...welcome.

Dano

[jOrOb]

I like the Davy knot on small flourocarbon tippets. I like the low profile of the knot, and it seems to hold better in Flouro than the cinch. I think that is because there is more friction when tying a cinch. Friction kills flouro.

I stick with the cinch on mono. I even use the cinch on Flouro if I am using a large hook, but I am really careful to wet it.

I don't mess with the Improved Cinch because there is little difference in knot strength, and I can tie a cinch using my forceps with little trouble. It is a convenience factor.

But like Gavin pointed out, if you didn't have a pigtail, then it was a failure above the knot. That means your knot held so stick with it cause it is working.

[mtnestrz]

I've been using the Pitzen for about ten years. In that time other than break offs on 7 and 8x tippets due to overly aggressive hook sets and stupidity I have had great success.

Also, it is an easy knot to tie for people like me that have little feeling left in their fingers.

Just remember to draw the knot down until it sets.

[Robert]

I use the improved clinch knot, and have no problems. As suggested in another post I do cut off 1.5' on a nine foot leader and tie on a tippet. Of course lubracation of the knot has a lot to do with its ability to hold. A little spit helps a lot. Heat is generated when pulling a knot tight.

[MTM]

I use a few different knot's just depends on what I am doing. I use a blood knot for tying leaders. I use a Surgeon's knot for tippet material and I use a clinch knot for tying smaller flies on. But for larger flies I like and use the Palomar knot as it is a 1 hundred percent knot and I trust it. Another great thing about the Palomar knot is the size of it. It is very small. I like that. I worked for a large Fly Fishing Company some years back. They have there own leader and tippet material and they also have a machine that will test all of that type of material and also knot strength. Seeing that sure open's your eye's on that stuff and the breaking strength's of a lot of different leader and tippet material's. Seems they all do not read true LOL. I also use a Duncan Loop now and then. I won't get into saltwater there are a lot more to use there. Ron

[gonefishin]

I hate trying to tie a complicated knot with cold wet stiff fingers and hands. For me simple and proven are the knots of choice. I use the improved clinch knot probably 75% of the time but, when I get down to lines that break at 3 lbs or less then I prefer a Palomar knot. Both knots are simple and effective, what else do I need?

[Charley Hart]

Any suggestions on tying the fly on? Don't know if it's releated or not but on 3 different occasions this weekend i had my leader break off while simply setting the hook. Not a heavy hookset like on a largemouth but just raising the rod up.

Each occasion the line had a clean break and wasn't unraveled at all--fyi i was using a clinch knot

Oh this topic could spawn WWIII. I spent about 5 years trying to find the right not. Nothing worse then seeing that darn curly cue and a fish swimming away with the magical fly that has caught dozens of fish before.

I switched to the Orvise knot last summer and love it. Easy for me to tie and it never fails unless I fail to tie it properly! (Usually laziness sets in and you just tie the hook on even though you know you need to do it again! Being human stinks!)

I know that others might disagree, but when I hooked into a giant snapper and started dragging him around until the line NOT the knot broke I knew the Orvis knot was what I was looking for.

Good luck!

[Robert]

Knots can be troublesome. Lubracation is usually the problem when snuging the knot tight. Florocarbon tippet is very prone to heat up when the knot is tightened. I'm using the Davy Wotton knot for tieing on flies. The following site will give anyone instructions on how to tie it.

http://www.pechetruite.com/Noeuds/Davy-knot.htm

Lubracate the knot before you pull it tight.

90% of all fish lost are due to a knot tied incorrectly.

[Davy Wotton]

Thanks for the referals for my knot.

I have used that since the 1950s, as when l was a kid it was the only way l could figure out how to tie a hook on.

To day for example a Brown of 8lb was landed to 6x with that knot, and in my life time literally 1000s of fish have l caught, and l see something like 8 thousand fish a year get caught by clients who fish with me.

I have used that knot for all species l have fished for, tarpon and many other very large saltwater species.

It is just about the fastest knot you an tie. You have a very small knot and you waste very little tippet or mono when tying that knot.

In fact l can tie that in less than a second.

Dead easy when your hands are cold.

You can only tie that knot two ways, right and wrong.

If it slips you did not cinch it down well enough. Or you did not reverse the turns.

I am not going to get into the issue of how nylon is tested as such as under those clinical situations it cannot take into consideration such things as how you set the hook, how much stretch there is of fly line/leader to fly. What action of rod you use, relative angles you hooked the fish at and so on.

I also know that much of what you are told by way of filament diameter and BS, are exactly that.

Use what you are comfortable with. What suits one may not another

What Zach says is also correct, that the diameter of a hook eye is related to the diameter of the wire gauge used.

I was at one time a technical director for the Partridge hook co, and that at times gave us problems when sorting as it where the scale up or down for a new hook pattern.

Hook eye size should also have some bearing on the diameter of the tippet or leader termination that you use.

Only a fool would use 6x tied to a size 4 wooly bugger.

Small flies of course give you little option as large DI mono will not pass through the eye.

Davy.

[Robert]

Davy,

Your knot is tops. I saw some friends of Dave Whitlock at the store last week and showed them the Davy knot. I'm sure you must have heard about it. We spent much time tieing your knot and discussing same. All agreed to give it a try. I need to bring in some clipped off shoe laces for a better demo I have a huge hook to use for demo. I have given up using the improved cinch for tieing on flies. Your knot and the polomar knot for Atlantics is all I use know.

Thanks for a great knot!!

Bob