The Top 5 Fly Fishing Knots you Need to Know

Last updated on January 10th, 2024.

Leonard Schoenberger
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There are few things more important in fly fishing than strong knots. We show you how to tie five of the most important ones.

All kind of situations in fly fishing require strong knots and of course you need different knots for different situations. It takes a different knot to connect a fly to your tippet than your tippet to your fly line for example. We compiled five of the most important fly fishing knots in this article and show you how to tie each one. We also created a compilation of these five in one video so you can learn them all at once if you want.
 

Let’s start by getting to know the knots that connect your fly line with your tippet. To create this connection you want to form a strong loop at the end of your tippet and connect it to the loop at the end of your fly line. There are two great solutions to tie such a strong loop, the Perfection Loop and the Double Surgeon Knot. Two of the most important fly fishing knots.

The Perfection Loop – Connect tippet to fly line

Double Surgeon Knot – Great connection between tippet and fly line

Let’s continue by learning how to tie the Blood Knot. The Blood Knot is a great fly fishing knot that connects two lines of a similar diameter. So if you are interested in creating your own tapered leaders you can use this knot to tie together different strings of tippet to form a nice tapered leader. Also, if your leader gets to short, the Blood Knot is a great way to extend the lifetime of your leader by adding a new string of tippet from a spool you are carrying.

The Blood Knot – a strong connection between two lines of similar diameter

Another crucial knot of your setup is the connection between your fly and your leader. There are two fantastic fly fishing knots that you can use to attach your fly to your leader. The first one is the Improved Clinch Knot which is the classic way to tie your fly to your tippet. The other one is the so called Rapala Knot, often also referred to as the Non Slip Mono Knot. This fly fishing knot is a great alternative for streamers for example because it gives your fly more movement in the water.

Improved Clinch Knot – Classic connection between tippet and fly 

Rapala Knot / Non Slip Mono Knot 

If you’re eager to learn all these knots at once, we have created a compilation of all five for you here: