Byron,
I would like to echo most of what Buddy says, and add some of my own commentary.
I was in the same boat with you as I learned those knots, but Buddy is right...you really need to know how to tie them. I bought a bunch of butt material and tippets to build my own smallmouth leaders, and after building my first one (Harry Murray's recipe) I had the knots down pretty good.
Again, very true. The 'Rapala' knot is what I use when I spin fish from time to time, and it gives flies great action.If you are going to be fishing mainly warmwater, you will need a good loop knot. Either what they call the 'non slip' or the 'Rapala' knot are good. Most topwater flies, clousers, and any fly you want to move freely will benefit from being tied on with a loop knot. This is especially true with tippets above around four pound test.