Blood knots for me but I cant tie them without the aid of a tieing tool....thats chained to my vest..*S*
Printable View
Blood knots for me but I cant tie them without the aid of a tieing tool....thats chained to my vest..*S*
The figure 8 knot is also a good one. As others have said, the double surgeons has served me very well. I have a devil with the blood knot and have pretty well given up on it, with no ill effects on the fishing.
This little critter makes blood knots easy as pie...
http://www.madriveroutfitters.com/im...rcdennison.jpg
Do you carry hemostats (forceps) with you on your vest? I echo the double or triple surgeon's knot but I like tying mine using my hemostats.
http://mudbugco.com/joom/images/stor...fthemoknot.pdf
You can also search the internet for a video on this. It was posted on flyfisherman.com but when I went there I couldn't get the video to display. It was done by Lefty Kreh.
I like using the hemostats as I feel it's easier to tie especially since I have phat phumbling phingers.
I've also used the Tie-Fast tool and use it to make up my knotted leaders down to the last section and then tie on whatever tippet I want when I'm at the stream using the hemostat knot. I've used the tool that Sully posted above and it works ok for blood knots but I think the tie-fast tool is quicker and simpler to operate.
Only ever used a blood knot for tapering leaders no matter what sizes.
I prefer the double surgeon's knot, on those rare occasions when I need to add tippet.
Those occasions are rare because I use a furled leader with a tip ring for virtually all my ( trout ) fishing. Just use a clinch knot to tie the tippet to the leader tip ring and good to go.
Tippet to leader=double surgeon's knot.
tippet to furled...loop to loop using surgeon's loop on the tippet or improved clinch.
Mike
Another vote for the double surgeon's knot. It's the only one I ever use for tippet material. 8T :)
I usually don't post on these kinds of threads because this kind of thing really breaks down to personal preferences in most cases, but I think when it comes to tippet to leader knots, there is an exceptional knot that is consistently overlooked, presumably because it's nowhere near as well known as the two that are typically mentioned - surgeon's and blood knots. The one I'm referring to is known as the Orvis Tippet Knot I think, though it is probably very similar to the Figure 8 knot that someone else mentioned. I never embraced the blood knot when I got started because it just looked way too complex for me to tie reliably on the many occasions where I'm adding tippet during a typical day's fishing. I know many who have said once you get accustomed to it, it becomes second nature, but I never gave myself a chance to get to that point. As a result, I spent most of my FF life tying variations of the surgeon's knot, but I was bothered by the fact that I had periodic failures with that knot. Could have been operator error of course, and there weren't a great many of them, but enough that it worried me about that being a potential weak link at a bad time, like in the middle of a tussle with a big fish. I read an article some years ago about the strength of the Orvis Tippet Knot vs. the Double Surgeon's and Blood Knot. As I recall, it was far superior to the DS and as good as the BK. Anyway, I looked it up and thought it looked very easy to tie (and it is), and started using it years ago and have never looked back. Not a single failure since (knock on wood!) and I can tie it easily in any conditions. Here's a link to an animated illustration of it. For the record, I have no affiliation with or particular love for Orvis, just a very satisfied user of the knot.
http://www.orvis.com/orvis_assets/files/index.html
Hi Garb,
...Or you could seek out a 10 foot or 12 foot 6X leader and do away with the extra connection.
In lieu of that either the double surgeons or blood knot will usually suffice, the latter being my choice in most situations, but then I can tie them by hand very quickly.
The best knot to use will usually be the one you're most proficient at tying.http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/i...ons/icon12.gif
Best, Dave