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Here
are fly fishing and fly tying techniques that can make your days
on the water more productive and more enjoyable
Index
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King
Sling
A
method of tying the King Sling using hemostats
developed by Bruce E. Harang making properly tying the
knot in fine tippet material much easier.
In general, whenever you tie knots in mono-filament
you need to thoroughly wet the knot and draw it up
with a single smooth tightening motion. This applies
whether the monofilament is nylon, fluorocarbon, or
any other monofilament polymer or co-polymer.
The following discussion and knot selection is for
freshwater fishing. In saltwater there are several
alternative knots, which are, in some cases, more
suitable.
The knot is started in the same manner whether or not
you are using a set of forceps to assist with tying
the knot.
Form
a double loop at the end of the line by folding the
end of the line back on itself forming a loop. Then
fold the loop back on itself forming a second loop.
Grasp this second loop with your forceps
(the forceps are not shown in these images but you
should be able to understand how to use them to tie
the knot from these images and the written
description). See Figure 1
below
Now
rotate the second loop end and the forceps around the
double line three times. See Figure 2 below.
Next,
push the second loop and the forceps holding the
second loop through the first loop. Then release and
withdraw the forceps leaving the second loop extending
through the first loop. See Figure 3 below. Note: you
can also reverse the procedure by placing the closed
forceps through the first loop and then grasping the
second loop, wrapping the forceps and grasped loop
around the standing line and tag three times. Finally,
draw the forceps out of the first loop along with the
second loop.
Wet
the knot and using one hand to pull the single loop
and the other to pull both the standing line and the
tag end start to draw the knot tight. Once the knot
forms, even out the knot loops on each end of the knot
itself. See Figure 4 below.
Finally,
complete drawing the knot tight. Clip the tag end
leaving a short stub and the loop knot is complete.
See Figure 5 below. Note that in Figure 5 the tag has
not yet been cut off.
This
is one of the strongest, safest loop forming knots in
the fly fisherman's arsenal. Learn to tie this easy
loop knot and you won't loose fish to failed loops.
I have tied this loop knot in monofilament up to 50
lb. Breaking strength with a diameter of 0.028"
with no problems getting the knot to tighten.
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The
Eugene Bend
A
method of tying the Eugene
Bend using hemostats developed by Bruce E.
Harang so as to make properly tying the knot
in fine tippet material much easier.
In general, whenever you tie knots in
mono-filament you need to thoroughly wet the
knot and draw it up with a single smooth
tightening motion. This applies whether the
monofilament is nylon, fluorocarbon, or any
other monofilament polymer or co-polymer.
The following discussion and knot selection
is for freshwater fishing. In saltwater
there are several alternative knots, which
are, in some cases, more suitable.
The knot is started in the same manner
whether or not you are using a set of
forceps to assist with tying the knot. Start
the knot by running the tippet end through
the hook eye and back up the line. Form a
second loop in the opposite direction with
the tag. Hold the tag end and the hook eye
between your fingers (Fig. 1).
Insert
a closed pair of forceps through the second
loop and rotate the closed ends of the
forceps around the standing line three
times. This automatically also wraps the
second loop around the standing line three
times (Fig.2).
Now
grasp the tag end of the tippet with the
forceps and pull the forceps out of the
second loop thereby pulling the tag end of
the tippet through the second loop (Fig. 3).
Pull
the tag end until the end loops of the knot
are small enough that they cannot slip over
the hook eye. The knot should be snug, but
not tight, and should be located several
inches above the hook eye (Fig. 4).
Wet
the knot to lubricate it and protect the
monofilament from frictional heat damage.
Then with a smooth steady motion, pull the
standing line until the knot slides down the
standing line to the hook eye and seats. You
will know the knot is properly seated when
you hear and feel the knot click into
position. In addition, a properly tied and
seated knot will have the tag end forming a
very pronounced V with the standing line
(Fig.5).
The
knot works best with monofilament lines of
about 12 pounds breaking strength or less.
It also works better with soft lines than
with hard stiff lines.
By
using a pair of forceps (hemostats) to
assist with tying the knot you will find
changing flies with very light tippet and
tying with wet hands to be far easier and
the cause of many fewer impolite words on
stream.
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Quick,
or Simple, Blood Knot
While
this knot has been known as the quick blood knot or simple blood
knot, it is not a blood knot because the tag ends come out the
ends of the knot instead of in the center as they do in a true
blood knot. It is, however, easy to tie, and very effective. The
only drawback over the true blood knot is the bulk of the knot.
Wrap
the tag end of one line seven or eight turns around the tag end
of the second line (see Fig. 1) to start the knot.
Next
the tag end of the second line is wrapped around the tag end of
the first line seven or eight times (see Fig. 2).
To
tighten the knot, grasp the tag ends and slowly draw the knot up
until the tag ends stand out at right angles to the knot. Do not
draw the knot so tight that the length of the knot is less than
about 5/16 inch long (see Fig. 3).
Next
wet the knot and grasping the two standing lines pull quickly
and firmly to tighten the knot (see Fig. 4).
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Gaiter Saving Tip
My favorite gaiters for use when wading are made of
neoprene and utilize a Velcro brand fasting system. They are easy to put on and take off
even when your hands are cold and numb. However, after losing one in fast water I was
reminded quite graphically that neoprene floats. And after having to shell out another $25
dollars for a new pair I decided that the boot speed lace hook put on by the manufacturer
had to be replaced by a better security system. With this in mind I stopped in at the
local outdoor shop which carries camping and packing supplies. There I found some small
engineered material (graphite filled nylon or some such) snap swivel clips. A pair of
these and a foot of nylon webbing of suitable size for the clip loops cost a mere $2.35
plus sales tax.
At home I used a seam ripper to remove the nylon webbing holding the boot speed lace
clip from each gaiter. Then I cut and melted two pieces of the nylon webbing to provide a
loop about the same size as the original from the one foot strip. I placed one snap on
each piece of webbing and used a standard home sewing machine to stitch the nylon webbing
onto each gaiter in the same location as the old webbing.
Now when I put on the gaiters I snap them onto my boot lace at the toe of the wading
boot and even if the closure lets go or is torn open the gaiter is locked to my wading
boot. This will also work for any other style of gaiter which opens into a single layer of
material.
The illustration below will give you all the information you need to make this simple
improvement on your neoprene gaiters. Hopefully, you will try this before having to spend
$25.00 to replace one lost gaiter.
© 1998, Bruce E. Harang
Tying the
Clinch and Improved Clinch Knots Tip
by Bruce E.
Harang
Clinch Knot
| I prefer to attach my fly to the
tippet using a clinch knot or an improved clinch knot. Tying these knots in fine tippet,
especially in the rain, can be a frustrating exercise. To solve this, there are available
a number of special tools to do just this job. My fishing vest already weighs in at a
quarter ton. So another tool attached to it is out of the question. After reviewing what I already carried
that might serve, I realized that my hemostats could do the job. Tying the clinch knot is
remarkably simple using hemostats (see illustrations below). |
| If you do not draw on
the tag end when tightening the knot, you produce a perfect clinch knot every time. If you
do draw the knot tight by pulling on the tag end, you roll the knot over itself and the
knot will cut the tippet like a hot knife. This is true no matter whether you use only
your hands or a tying tool.
I have now used this method for
over 7 years very successfully and without knot failure.
© 1998, Bruce E.
Harang
Improved
Clinch Knot
But how could I tie the improved
clinch using my hemostats? The answer evaded me for a long time. Then, while tying a
clinch knot during a day on the water, the answer leaped out at me. Instead of releasing
the tag end from the hemostat jaws after drawing it through the first loop, continue to
hold the tag end and push the hemostat jaws through the new (second) loop formed by
drawing the tag through the first loop. Now release the tag end from the hemostat jaws and
withdraw the jaws. As with the clinch knot, hold the tag end and the fly in one hand and
draw the knot tight after wetting by pulling on the standing end of the tippet. Having
used this procedure for over two years now I have found no problems with tying perfect
improved clinch knots. See the diagram for a visual explanation.
These procedures
are also very helpful for tying these same knots in heavy stiff leader materials more
commonly used in saltwater fly fishing.
© 1998, Bruce E.
Harang
Boot Lace
Tip
by Bruce E. Harang
Here is a method to
"tie" your wading bootlaces without the need to tie and untie knots. Place a
small plastic spring-loaded closure (used on stuff sack draw cords) on your bootlaces.
This will hold the laces tight while you are fishing and allow quick easy
"untying" of the wet (frozen) laces at the end of the day. Even cold frozen
fingers have no trouble releasing your laces using this method.
Total cost is about $2.00 for the
pair of closures you will need. These are readily available at most camping/hiking shops.
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© 1998, Bruce E. Harang |
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30 Second Nail Knot
If you are
like me, tying a nail knot is a chore you experience as seldom as
possible. Getting the knack of holding the fly line, the backing
line or leader butt and a hollow tube while at the same time winding
the backing or leader around the fly line is a never ending source
of frustration. Well, there is a solution. Joe Dion of Orvis has
devised a method of tying a nail knot which produces a real nail
knot without the need of a tube. Further, you don�t have to wind
things back upon themselves or turn things inside out. Orvis
representative Leigh Oliva showed me how to tie the nail knot using
this novel method.
Give this one a try, it is simplicity itself.
This is so easy you can actually tie the nail knot on the stream in
less time than it takes to tie a blood knot. The following figures
clearly show how to tie the nail knot using the Joe Dion method in
30 seconds.
The Orvis Company has given permission for the
free use of the method and knot.
The copyright protected
drawings of Bruce E. Harang may be freely
used for non-commercial purposes as long as the original copyright
notice is included and each set of drawings is used together as a
unit.
30 Second Nail Knot
- Joe Dion Method
© 1995 Bruce E. Harang |
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Leaders Get No Respect
Dry Fly
Leaders
Until recently
most dry fly leaders were constructed using the George Harvey style or
formula. George Harvey developed this style of leader in the 1940's and
they still work well today. This style of leader construction does not
allow the leader to straighten out completely when cast. Instead the
leader lands on the water with a series of S curves. That is, it partially
collapses at the end of the cast. This is the critical thing necessary to
allow for the dry fly to have a drag free float. The fly is floating
naturally, without drag induced by the conflicting currents between the
fly and the angler, during the time it takes for the S curves to be
straightened out. This was a major step forward for dry fly fishing.
However, to create such leaders you must use numerous short pieces of
monofilament of differing diameters. This in turn requires a multitude of
blood knots in each leader. A few George Harvey style leader formulae are
given below to illustrate. They are good leaders for dry fly fishing and
worth the time to tie and take fishing.
George
Harvey Style Dry Fly Leaders
For size 20 and
smaller flies:
10 Foot Leader:
Butt: 48"
of 0.019-inch
Mid-section: 18" of
0.015-inch
12"
of 0.013-inch
6"
of 0.011-inch
6"
of 0.009-inch
6"
of 0.007-inch
Tippet: 24" of 0.005-inch
12 Foot Leader:
Butt: 54"
of 0.021-inch
24"
of 0.017-inch
Mid-section: 12" of
0.013-inch
10"
of 0.011-inch
6"
of 0.007-inch
Tippet: 6" of
0.005-inch
24"
of 0.004-inch
A new way of
looking at dry fly leader design came from the fertile mind of Gary Borger
and was published in his fly-fishing system approach book Presentation
in 1995. What Gary Borger found was that he could achieve the required S
curves in a dry fly leader during casting without having to tie so many
individual pieces of monofilament together. As a consequence there were
far fewer blood knots to tie. As you see from the Gary Borger leader
formulae below the leaders consist of a butt section, one or two
midsections, and a tippet section. Thus, you are only required to tie two
or three blood knots for each leader. These leaders work equally as well
as the George Harvey style, but with a lot less blood letting by the
person tying the blood knots.
Gary Borger
Style Dry Fly Leaders
Size 10 through 14
flies:
Butt: 48"
of 0.013-inch
Mid-section: 12" of
0.010-inch
Tippet: 48" of
0.007-inch (4X)
Size 20 and smaller:
Butt: 12"
of 0.013-inch
Mid-section: 48" of
0.010-inch
48" of 0.007-inch
Tippet: 12" of
0.004 or 0.005-inch
The basis for
the Gary Borger dry fly leader is the fact that it is not necessary to
have no more than a 0.002-inch diameter difference between pieces of
leader material in order to have the leader turn over. In deed, what Gary
found was that the cross-sectional area of the leader can be reduced by 60
percent and the leader will not hinge, but will turn the leader over
properly. Gary points out that a 60 percent reduction in cross-section
area is the same as a 35 percent reduction in diameter.
"So, instead of instead of stepping a leader down from 0.020,
to 0.018, to 0.016, to 0.014, to 0.012, to 0.010 inch, the fly fisher can
step down from 0.020 to 0.013 to 0.008. (Multiply the size of the material
by 0.65 (65%) to get the next smaller size that you can use; for example,
0.020 x 0.65 = 0.013)." (see Presentation, p.181).
When you use this 60 percent reduction method you must modify
the way you tie the blood knot. Gary Borger explains, "But if there's more
than 0.002 inch difference between the two pieces of material being
joined, then the Blood Knot tends to slip". (see Presentation,
p.187). The answer is Gary's 5/7 Blood Knot. "Instead of making 5 turns
with each end of the material, the angler ties the knot using 5 turns with
the heavy material and 7 turns with the light material. "The extra turns
with the lighter material produces a knot that pulls up evenly; each
side slides tight at the same rate and the knot forms perfectly. It's the same
length from the center to either end of the knot." (see Presentation,
p.188).
In both styles of construction, the tippet needs to be made
using a very soft, or limp, monofilament material. This will allow the
leader to produce the S curves that you are trying to produce when casting
a dry fly.
Give both of these dry fly leader construction styles a go.
Tie a few of each and fish them each a bit. See what works best for your
style of casting and fishing and then stick with that formula. Remember
however, that when the fishing conditions change, or the size of the fly
changes, you need to think about the leader required to turn over that fly
under those conditions, and still achieve a drag free float.
Next we will finish dry fly leader design with comments by my
friend Paul Beebe, concerning leader tapers.
"Most knotted leaders (is there another kind?) are built with
ratios of butt-to-mid-to-tippet lengths of 50-25-25 or 60-20-20.
Essentially, these ratios are the same. So the one you use is a matter of
personal preference to best suit your casting style. However, 50-25-25
leaders can be made with long tippets from more subtle material to give
drag free drifts of dry flies. In addition, with the Bloody Quick knot
used to join sections, it is not necessary to have small diameter changes
between sections (say, 0.002 or 0.003 inch). Rather, you can join sections
with diameters different by as much as 0.005 to 0.007 inch. So, a basic
10-foot, 5X dry-fly leader is made from 5 feet of 0.020 inch diameter, 2.5
feet of 0.015 inch diameter, 1 foot of 0.010 inch diameter, and lastly 1.5
feet of 0.006 inch diameter material. This is simple and quick, and very
similar to the Uni-Body Leaders of Gary Borger but with better knot
confidence.
You could just as well call that portion of the leader from
the 0.020-inch diameter to the 0.010-inch diameter, a base section onto
which you add your proper tippet section. I use Maxima Chameleon material
for all sections but the tippet section. I use Umpqua or Climax for the
tippet section. More from habit than anything else, I continue to use a
48-inch butt section of 0.022, 0.020, or 0.017 inch diameter Maxima. This
is followed by a 30-inch section of 0.015-inch diameter Maxima and an
18-inch section of 0.010-inch diameter Maxima as a base leader or base
section. Some may think that 0.020-inch diameter is too stiff for a
5-weight line, and, for some people and rods, it might be. However, my
rods are first generation Winston Graphite, and they are slow and
difficult to cast without closing the loop. A stiffer material like Maxima
helps to get the loop open near the end of the line. Again, this is my
personal style and casting stroke. Someone else might alter the leader
material or use slightly different proportions. However, in most all
leaders, you will find the proportions are invariably just about 50-25-25
or 60-20-20.
A final note, most leader material measures 0.001-inch
diameter larger than labeled. All leader material, Maxima included, is
extruded in metric sizes and then converted (incorrectly too) to
non-metric sizes. Thus, don't be too concerned about the uneven
graduations in Maxima labels; say from 0.022 to 0.020 to 0.017 inches in
diameter. Those sizes are actually 0.55, 0.50, and 0.45 mm diameter."
As you can see, Paul has opened a completely new facet to
tying your own leaders. You can tailor a leader to your personal casting
style, or the casting characteristics of your fly rod, or both. This is
something almost impossible to do with commercially manufactured leaders.
A final comment about dry fly leaders, in an article by a
well-known commercial fly tyer on dry fly leader construction, he stated
that you couldn't produce a proper dry fly leader unless you use only
0.001-inch diameter changes between sections. I will sum up my thoughts on
this idea in the words of a famous member of the British Foreign Service,
"RUBBISH!" Even if you could get monofilament in 0.001-inch diameter size
differences, which you cannot, you simply end up with a series of knots
strung together with pieces of monofilament. For example using this idea
would produce a George Harvey style 10 foot, 6X dry fly leader having 17
knots!
Now we turn to leaders that are designed for nymph and wet fly
fishing. In dry fly fishing, we need the leader to collapse over some
portion of the tippet end to provide the slack necessary to allow some
period of drag free float of the fly. In nymph fishing, on the other hand,
we need the leader to tell us were to look for our fly. Why is this so? In
nymph and wet fly fishing the fly is under water and not visible to us in
most instances. We must instead concentrate on where the fly is underwater
and watch it with our mind�s eye. If the leader partially collapses into
coils of slack we cannot determine where the fly, which is out of sight,
is in the stream. Ideally, we want the leader to extend in a straight line
directly out from the end of the fly line. Then we are able to concentrate
on watching the correct area in the stream to detect the strike of a fish.
In many forms of nymph fishing the use of a strike indicator of some type
can be helpful. Nevertheless, do not be lulled into thinking that watching
the strike indicator will make you a good nymph fisherman. It will not. I
can personally attest to the fact that bass and walleye, for example, can,
and do, suck in a lure and expel it without ever causing a strike
indicator to move. While I have not fished under conditions where I could
watch the trout, I do not doubt they too do take far more lures than we
ever realize. Nymph fishing means spending long periods concentrating on
our unseen fly interspersed with short periods of adrenaline rushes when
we raise our rod and a fish is on. The intense concentration on where our
sunken fly is tells us when to raise our rod to receive the adrenaline
rush! If your attention span is no longer than the 20-second sound bites
on the evening news you will never be very successful nymph fishing, no
matter how many strike indicators you use.
How do we construct a leader that will allow the best
presentation of a sunken fly while providing us with the best detection
ability? First, we use a relatively stiff material throughout the leader.
This means that the tippet is stiff enough so that it will not collapse
when casting a nymph. Instead it will turn over the nymph and push it
straight out from the fly line. It becomes an extension of the fly line
all the way out to the fly itself. One of the best leader materials to
accomplish this is Maxima chameleon brand monofilament. This particular
material has the correct stiffness even in the 7X size for nymph leaders.
Additionally, it is very abrasion-resistant and has great knot strength.
Leader formulae for nymph leaders are somewhat more simplistic
than comparable dry fly leader formulae. The following nymph fishing
leader recipes will give you a good starting point as well as several very
good nymph-fishing leaders. Both recipes are from Gary Borger. Four feet
of 0.020" diameter, one foot of 0.013" diameter, four feet of 2X, and 6"
to 8"of 5X monofilament. This is a good leader when we use lead to get
the fly down deep quickly. Attach the lead just about the knot between the
2X and the 5X material. When not using lead or for use with streamers try
four feet of 0.020" diameter, 1 foot of 0.013" diameter, two feet of 2X,
and one foot of 5X. This leader will turn over the fly straightened out
and ready to fish as soon as the fly hits the water. All material used for
these leaders is Maxima Chameleon brand monofilament.
©1998
& 2004 Bruce E Harang
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