Category
Knots and Connections
A knot has one job and a surprisingly large number of ways to fail it. These are the knot profiles, connection choices and comparisons for figuring out what belongs between the two things you are trying to keep attached.
Everything filed under this heading, newest first.
Worth opening first
- Which Boat Knot for Which Job, Before Your Favorite Knot Gets a VoteDocking, mooring, anchoring, and the one you tie in a dark parking lot at five in the morning.
Narrower headings inside this one
Kreh, Rapala, Homer Rhode or Baja? Let the Leader Pick the Loop
Before you tie a Kreh, Rapala, Homer Rhode or Baja, check whether the lure even needs a loop. A split ring may already be doing that job, and leader stiffness usually settles the rest.
How to Tie the Knotless Knot on a Hair Rig
A carp picks a bait up, feels the hook and blows it out. The Knotless Knot hangs the bait on a hair past the bend instead, and the hair length has to be right before you pull the wraps home.
Bimini Twist vs Spider Hitch vs Australian Plait: How Much Double-Line Structure Do You Need?
Picking between a Bimini Twist, Spider Hitch and Australian Plait comes down to what the double line has to feed next, not build time or a strength ranking.
How to Tie the NanoFil Knot Before a Palomar Creeps on You
On slick fused line a plain Palomar doesn’t snap, it slides. The NanoFil Knot is that Palomar with one more trip through the overhand, and the tag is what you watch when you test it.
How to Tie the Orvis Knot, Short Enough for a Size 20 Fly
A long clinch barrel on a tiny dry fly is basically a second fly. The Orvis Knot locks in a small figure-eight right behind the eye instead, once you’ve got the return pass figured out.
How to Tie the Pitzen Knot So the Coil Drops All at Once
On light tippet the Pitzen tells you when it’s done: the coil drops onto the eye in one piece and you feel it land. Put it on stiff heavy leader and it just won’t close.
How to Tie a Riffle Hitch and Make a Swung Fly Wake
A Riffle Hitch won’t hold a fish and was never supposed to. It moves where the leader leaves the fly, which is the difference between a swung fly tracking dead and one pushing a V across the current.
How to Tie the San Diego Jam Knot, Locked at Both Ends
When the line stays on the reel and the lures keep changing, the San Diego Jam handles mono, fluoro or braid, provided the tag makes it through the little opening behind the eye.
How to Tie the Uni Snell Knot: Same Wraps, New Address
If your hands already know the Uni, the Uni Snell is mostly a change of scenery. Braid wants a few extra turns, and the barrel has to stay on the straight part of the shank.
How to Tie the Davy Knot: No Golf Ball on the Gnat
On a size 20 dry, the knot can be the biggest thing at the front of the fly. The Davy leaves almost nothing there, as long as you pull the tag before the standing line.