Knots, Line, and so on

[tjm]

I think I've used lip balm, maybe not that brand,  to float flies sometime in the past. As I recall it's made of petrolatum (Vaseline) and wool-fat (lanolin ) with maybe some wax. For sure you could use it as a lubricant, but creek water works for knots.

[snagged in outlet 3]

9 hours ago, Mitch f said:

Another thing I heard from Seagaur is that they recommend chapstick for a line lubricant for cinching. Just the word lubricant always gets  @fishinwrench quite excited. 😆 

ps. Wrench, I’m talking about engine parts

My first thought when you mentioned @fishinwrench was astroglide 😆

[fishinwrench]

11 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

My first thought when you mentioned @fishinwrench was astroglide 😆

And a shoehorn ?   💪 

 

Yeah right 🙄

[snagged in outlet 3]

2 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

 

Yeah right 🙄

True.  You probably don’t need anything😂

[fishinwrench]

5 minutes ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

True.  You probably don’t need anything😂

It's the mechanics creed....

Above all else, do no harm.  👌

[Al Agnew]

The best knot is the one you can tie with cold hands, in the dark, and get it right every single time you tie it...as long as it's fairly strong.  To that end, I go with the palomar most often.  It isn't easy tying it on big lures with multiple hooks, but I use a snap 100% of the time on such lures anyway.  The double pitzen looks like it could replace the trusty palomar on those bigger lures, but I don't really see a reason to switch on snaps and on single hook lures like jigs or soft plastics.  I can tie a palomar in my sleep, and I KNOW how strong it is.

Honestly, I don't worry too much about knots.  When I'm fly fishing, I often use an improved clinch knot with fewer wraps than recommended, often no more than 2 or 3 wraps.  That's for small flies where it isn't easy to get the line doubled through the eye; if the eye is big enough I use a palomar on them, too.  Never had a problem with it.  And in fishing a two nymph rig, I tie on the upper fly with a palomar with a 12 inch long tag end, and then tie the second nymph to the end of that tag end.  I know lots of fly guys tie the second fly using a separate piece of tippet tied to the bend of the hook of the first fly, but that isn't a good idea if you're going barbless, and it's tying three knots instead of two.  I still catch enough fish to make me happy doing it my way.

Interestingly, though, my top nymph is usually bigger than my bottom nymph, and I often tie the top nymph with the palomar and then the bottom, smaller one to the tag end with an improved clinch...and if I snag the bottom fly, the line usually breaks at the top of the tag end, right where it goes into the palomar.  Apparently that's a weak point in the palomar for some reason. The good part is that I almost never lose both flies, though I have to retie the top fly. 

[tjm]

34 minutes ago, Al Agnew said:

And in fishing a two nymph rig,

I'm curious about reasons for fishing two rather than three as in the traditional wet fly rig?

[fishinwrench]

3 hours ago, tjm said:

I'm curious about reasons for fishing two rather than three as in the traditional wet fly rig?

I'm curious about reasons for fishing 3, or 2 for that matter.  

I never was, or will be, a dropper kinda guy.   I'd rather fish ONE FLY properly than multiple flys improperly.....or should I say "less proper".   

But that's just me. 🤷‍♂️

[snagged in outlet 3]

6 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I'm curious about reasons for fishing 3, or 2 for that matter.  

I never was, or will be, a dropper kinda guy.   I'd rather fish ONE FLY properly than multiple flys improperly.....or should I say "less proper".   

But that's just me. 🤷‍♂️

When bobber (indicator 😆) fishing 2 flys, they can drift more naturally.  And the top fly acts as an attractor.   Sometimes way better than the single fly they are biting on the 2-fly rig.   Egg and worm for example.    Presentations without a bobber (indicator 😆) usually involves a fly mimicking a “swimming” bug right?   I grew up fishing without a bobber (indicator 😆) and am quite deadly with it today.  But it’s always with a nymph or wet fly.  Both have there place and time.  

[Mitch f]

11 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

The best knot is the one you can tie with cold hands, in the dark, and get it right every single time you tie it...as long as it's fairly strong.   

Yea I’ve heard the saying “The best knot is the one you tie the best”

Since switching to fluorocarbon I’ve done an evolution on knots. I’ve learned that some of the traditional mono knots don’t well with fluoro. I’ve also pretty much decided to go back to mono on spinning reels. I actually hate to use spinning reels but some applications require it.