Knots are something that I guarantee keep many people off the water, and I believe knot tying is a bigger learning curve to some folks than actually casting a fly rod. Knowing your knots will allow you to fish more, keep your fly in the water, and even fish at night. Having a good blood knot will even make fishing less expensive allowing you to tie your own leaders and avoid those expensive pre-packaged leaders!

Here are three things you can do to become a better knot tier.

-Practice with cheap mono fishing line. Tie the same knot until you can tie it without actually looking at it. This is a great alternative to mindless t.v watching!

-Don’t settle for a messy knot, close each one properly and perfectly. Choosing the best knot for the job and going through the motions is useless if you do not close the knot perfectly every time.

-Take your time, that rising fish will be there when you are done. If you are a guide I promise you that your clients don’t have a choice but to wait, they will judge you more for losing a fish due to a junk knot than they will for you taking an extra minute tying the leader properly. The squiggly tippet is my biggest fear when breaking off a fish, So tying the knot properly is a top priority on my boat.

Coming up is a video series on some of the knots to get you on the water and keep you fishing! Blood Knot, Improved Clinch Knot, Perfection Loop, Lefty’s Loop Knot.

We are going to start with Blood Knots.