Fly Fishing Knot Tying

Why is fly fishing knot tying important?

If I had a dollar for every time I had a fish on and then suddenly had a ‘fish off'... I’d have about seven dollars.

And that’s too many fish off! It comes down to the all important fly fishing knots.

Here are the basics of knots used in fly fishing:

1. Lubrication – Why are anglers constantly sticking fishing line in their mouths? Spit helps the knot seat properly! Also – think of it like the oil in your engine – it helps keep things cool during motion so your line doesn’t get weakened.

2. Seat the knot - “Seat” means to tighten down properly. Pull on both sides of the line to ensure everything is tight. Better you test it than a 2# trout!

3. Clean it up – use your nippers to remove any free ends or the “tag” end, (as opposed to the standing end that attaches to your leader). Be careful! If I had a dollar for every time I clipped the standing end of the line instead of the tag end, I’d have… oh never mind. We’ll cover all the basic fly fishing knots here.


Three Knots :
Clinch, Surgeon's Knot, and Surgeon's Loop

All You'll Ever Need

Fly Fishing Knot Tying - The CLINCH Knot ; the most frequently used knot.


Surgeon's Knot - Tippet to Leader


Surgeon's Loop - Loop at the end of your leader


Tight Linz BLOG


Ready to Learn the Basics of Fly Casting



KNOT OF THE DAY