Fishing The Fly Scotland

Index => Main Discussion Area => Topic started by: Trout Master on 11/05/2009 at 10:02

Title: What am i doin wrong
Post by: Trout Master on 11/05/2009 at 10:02

Hi i whent fishing on thursday got a fish on lost it fly came off.  Had a look and the knot came undone whent on sunday fish on leader line came off line.  The knot i do is the blood knot i think its called i twisst the line 3 or 4 times.  Then put the end throw the hole wet it then pull to tightin the knot.  So im i doin something wrong or have i just been unlucky.

Title: Re: What am i doin wrong
Post by: Iain Cameron on 11/05/2009 at 11:28

Possibly a snap-off but probably a poorly-tied knot -- happens to me when I am careless or in a hurry to tie up. (i sometime don't pass the tag through the loop. sloppy!!!)

For tying on flies, I use the half-blood knot (5-6 twists typically for lightish tippets <6lb BS). As long as I am careful, and I TEST the knot by pulling firmly, then it does me grand.

If I am ever in doubt, or if it looks a bit curly-wurly, then i snip it off and do it again. properly!

Example - http://www.letsflyfish.com/knots.htm

If you want something a little more secure, try the tucked half-blood -- see
http://www.fishandfly.co.uk/knots/index.html

cheers
iain

for what it's worth, knot-wise, i keep life super-easy; i only ever use these knots
- nail knot (fly-line to tapered leader)
- overhand loop knot (for creating loops)
- 3-turn surgeon/water knot for joing lengths of similar diameter mono
- half-blood for flies
- wind knot... :-)

Title: Re: What am i doin wrong
Post by: P Ross on 11/05/2009 at 20:44

The following website is pretty good too www.animatedknots.com :z18

Title: Re: What am i doin wrong
Post by: Gordy66m on 19/05/2009 at 10:10

I now exclusively use the "Davy Knot" for all tippet to fly connections, really easy to tie and super strong, here's the link

http://www.utahoutdoors.com/pages/Davyknot.htm

Title: Re: What am i doin wrong
Post by: Rob Brownfield on 19/05/2009 at 18:30

Be warned, some lines do not like the blood knot. I used the blood for some 25 years whilst using maxima line with no issues at all, ever. However, since switching to other lines from Berkely, Orvis, Stren, Daiwa, Frog etc etc I have had to switch to the Grinner knot.

Basically, and this is just my theory, a stretchy line like Maxima is ok with the Blood, but modern low stretch/flurocarbon lines do not like it as it is a "strangulation" knot..ie, the harder you pull the more the line is pinched and thus weakened. Stretchy line seems to withstand this better.