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Need to learn some fly fishing knots?

Then welcome to the fly fishing knots page. There are many knots that exist in the fly fishing world but in reality all you really need to know is a handful of them.

We’ve only listed the most popular fly fishing knots below but there are many more that are used for just as many reasons. You'll need to know a knot to tie your backing to the reel (arbor knot), to tie your fly line to your backing (nail knot), to tie your leader to your fly line (perfection loop or nail knot), to tie your tippet to your leader (blood knot or surgeon's knot) and to tie your fly to your tippet (improved clinch knot). Practice these knots so that whatever happens out on the water, you'll be prepared to tie on a new line.

Click on any of the following links to learn more about each fly fishing knot.

The Arbor Knot

An Arbor Knot provides anglers with a quick, easy connection for attaching line to the reel spool.

How to tie the Arbor Knot:

Pass the line around reel arbor.
Tie an overhand knot around the standing line.
Tie a second overhand knot in the tag end.
Pull tight and snip off excess. Snug down first overhand knot on the reel arbor.

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The Blood Knot

Blood Knot’s are one of the strongest knots for tying together two lines of equal or different diameters.

How to tie the Blood Knot:

Overlap the two lines allowing an area of about six-inches to work with. . Take one line and wrap it around the other line 5 times.
Grasp the tag end of the line you just twisted and feed it down in-between the two lines, in front of the first twist you made.
Repeat with other end, twisting in the opposite direction and directing the tag end upward into the middle loop that has been created.
Slowly pull the lines simultaneously in opposite directions until the knot is tight.
Once knot is seated, clip the tag ends closely.

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Clinch Knot

The Clinch Knot is probably the most popular knot used to attach a light tippet to small flies of size 18 and smaller. It is a very easy knot to tie.

Steps to tie the Clinch Knot:

Take the tag end and pass it through the eye of your hook, allowing at least 3 inches of tag beyond the eye. Wrap the tag end six or seven times around the line toward your leader.
Next, run the tag end through the first loop in the line just above the eye.
Moisten the knot area with either saliva or with water from the stream. Grab the tag end and the line going to your rod and pull simultaneously, forcing the coils to form a tight spiral. Once tight, slide the tightened coils against the eye of the hook with your fingernail and assure the coils are in a uniform spiral, not overlapping each other. Clip the tag end.

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Improved Clinch Knot

The Improved Clinch Knot is probably the most popular knot used to attach a light tippet to small flies of size 18 and larger. This knot is the same as the clinch knot only it adds one more step at the end.

Steps to tie the Improved Clinch Knot:

Take the tag end and pass it through the eye of your hook, allowing at least 3 inches of tag beyond the eye. Wrap the tag end six or seven times around the line toward your leader.
Next, run the tag end through the first loop above the eye, then over the coils and through the large loop you just created.
Moisten the knot area with either saliva or with water from the stream. Grab the tag end and the line going to your rod and pull simultaneously, forcing the coils to form a tight spiral. Once tight, slide the tightened coils against the eye of the hook with your fingernail and assure the coils are in a uniform spiral, not overlapping each other. Clip the tag end.

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Nail Knot

The Nail Knot is the strongest connection for connecting the fly line to the backing. With this knot you'll need to find a small tube like an ink refill tube from a ball point pen to aid in tying this knot.

Steps to tie the Nail Knot:

Lay the nail or tube parallel with the end of the fly line. Place the leader next to the fly line and leave an extra 10 to 12 inches of leader beyond the tube.
Grasp all three materials with the left thumb and forefinger on the left edge of the nail or tube. With your right hand, grasp the end of the leader material and, working left to right around all three materials, make seven or eight close wraps.
After wraps are complete, grasp the remaining tag from your leader and pass it through the tube.
Carefully remove the tube and slightly snug the coils.
Grasp both ends of the leader and pull simultaneously until knot is tightly seated on the fly line. Trim tag end of leader close to the knot and you're ready to fish!

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Perfection Loop

The Perfection Loop is the ideal loop to tie on the end of the fly line to easily attach leaders that also have loops tied in them. This makes it possible to change leaders in seconds.

Steps to tie the Perfection Loop:

Form a loop at the end of the line, allowing about 4 inches of tag. With the remaining tag, create another loop to the side by wrapping the tag once around the line going to the rod.
Holding the two loops in place, direct the tag end around the line, crossing over the top of the second loop you created.
Keeping the tag end in place, pull the second loop you created through the first loop.
Moisten with saliva or water and tighten until knot is firm and trim tag end.

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Surgeon's Knot

The Surgeon's Knot is the ideal loop to tie on the end of the fly line to easily attach leaders that also have loops tied in them. This makes it possible to change leaders in seconds.

Steps to tie the Surgeon's Knot:

Place the line and leader parallel to each other with an overlap of six inches and moisten this area.
Create a loop with the two lines as if you are working with one line. Grasp the junction where the end of your line going to your rod and the leader meet. Pass this and your entire leader through the loop you created three or four times. Grasp all four ends surrounding the knot and pull slowly at the same time. Once the knot is tightened, trim the tag ends.

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Surgeon's Loop

The Surgeon's Loop is tied just like the surgeon's knot only in a loop design. It's probably the quickest loop to tie and retains nearly 100% of it's strength. Again, loops make it possible to change leaders in seconds.

Steps to tie the Surgeon's Loop:

Take 12 inches of line and double it, making a loop that is roughly six inches long. Tie a loose overhand "granny knot" with the loop. Be sure not to tighten completely.
Take the end of the loop and bring it through the circle you have created with the overhand knot one more time.
Grab the end of the loop and slowly pull while holding onto the tag end and the line going to the rod at the same time. When the knot is tight, clip the tag end.

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Saltwater Fly Fishing Knots and Loops

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