How Many Knots Do U Use?

[SilverMallard]

I only use 3 knots for fly-fishing. They are:

Double Surgeon's Knot - for joining tippet to leader, etc.

Clinch Knot - w/6 wraps of the free end. Occassionally, I will feel compelled to add the half hitch to the end to make it an Improved Clinch Knot, but not often. I use this one for ALL hook-to-line connections down to size 20 flies and 7x tippet.

Nail Knot - improved with UV cement for line to backing connections.

Note: I use looped leaders and add loops to fly lines for a loop-to-loop connection at that juncture. So no knot there unless I'm fishing straight mono for warmwater fish. In that case, I use the Improved Clinch Knot on the leader attached to the loop in the fly line.

I find this more than adequate for everything I've encountered in 10 years of fly-fishing.

What say you?

[snagged in outlet 3]

Hey Mallard.

I use a Davey knot for small flies and light tippet. A clinch for larger flies and tippet. I use loop to loop for fly line to leader using a perfection loop. And this Albright knot http://www.flyanglersonline.com/begin/knots/albright.html for backing to fly line.

For conventional tackle I use a palomar knot most of the time.

Quack, quack.

SIO3

[tippet7]

I usually use a blood knot for the leader/tippet knot but when it turns cold and my fingers arent so nimble, i use the surgeons knot.

I use the cinch knot for nymphs, streamers etc and the non slip mono for my dry flies

[snagged in outlet 3]

I fortgot to add that I put a loop at the end of my leader to attach my tippet to. Works great! Just use a clinch knot to attach your tippet.

That is all.

SIO3

[Terry Beeson]

I tend to use the "Orvis-Albright-double-improved-overhanded-Davy's-blood-surgeon-clinchy-cinch-nail" knot pretty exclusively for everything... It's a bugger to learn how to tie it, but you're set for anything when you do...

OK... Nail for backing to line, loop to loop from there to tippet, Improved Clinch and trying to use Davy's knot more now on hooks/flies.

[Gavin]

All kinds of them...

Fly to tippet

Clinch

Improved Clinch

Palomar

Rapala Knot (non slip loop)

Davy Knot

Leader to tippet

Blood

Double or Triple Surgeons

Uni-Knot

Perfection Loops

Fly Line to Leader

Nail Knot

Albright Knot

Backing to Fly Line

Albright Knot

[Midge]

backing to real: arbor

fly line to backing: albright or nail

leader to fly line: nail or loop to loop

tippett to leader: double or triple surgeion's

fly to tippett: improved clinch or orvis for smaller flies(20 or smaller)

http://orvis.com/orvis_assets/files/index.html

[SilverMallard]

See? I think this is a cool thread. Not to try and toot my own horn, but to me this is what these BBS's are good for. Compare and contrast...share tips and observations. I've seen stuff on all these various knots for a decade now, and never could really figure out why I would need to master a bunch of new ones. So I thought I'd toss it out there for discussion to see if I was missing something...broaden my perspective. Thanks for participating, guys. Hopefully, more will also contribute.

[LostMyWife]

See? I think this is a cool thread. Not to try and toot my own horn, but to me this is what these BBS's are good for. Compare and contrast...share tips and observations. I've seen stuff on all these various knots for a decade now, and never could really figure out why I would need to master a bunch of new ones. So I thought I'd toss it out there for discussion to see if I was missing something...broaden my perspective. Thanks for participating, guys. Hopefully, more will also contribute.

AMEN....Great thread. One like this got me hooked on 4 knots, that seemed to do everything.

But, having practiced my knots for hours and hours when I was coming to Taney, I did find that when you don't use it, you lose it. I tried to tie a simple double surgeons last weekend to add some 4 lb line to my spinning reel. Yes I was to lazy to strip the whole thing and change it properly, and could not remmber how to tie the knot. I could not believe it.

LMW

[Danoinark]

I pretty much use furled and poly leaders so from the fly line I nail knot about a 12 inch butt section of amnesia where I tie a perfection loop, I attach the leader loop to loop to the amnesia. I simply add tippet by loop to loop to the leader and tie all flies on with a clinch using 7 turns. I tie the clinch using a pair of hemostats. The loop to loop allows me to change leaders or add a sinking leader if I want. I find this quick, easy. And with this configuration I seldom have a breakoff.

Dano