"which knot to tie fly on"
I was on a local fly fishing forum the other day and noticed a thread titled "which knot to tie fly on". After reading through the entire thread (51 posts in all so far) it occurred to me that not one person had mentioned the knot that we have been almost using exclusively for the last few years. Clinch knot, improved clinch knot, turtle knot, Trilene knot, loop knot, nail knot, Duncan loop knot, etc, etc, etc - they were all there but after trying them all I finally settled on one that has proven to be very strong, very simple to tie, and has the very low profile beneficial for fishing the tiny stuff. The knot is called the Davy Wotton and it's the first in the flyguys.net series on fly fishing knots!
The story behind the knot is that Davy Wotton, one of the coaches in the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships and long time competitor for the Welsh national fly fishing team, through trial and error invented a knot that allowed him to attach a fly in seconds - a critical requirement when competing.
The Davy Wotton knot, unlike other knots that are used to attach flies, does not require the tippet to be pulled down on the knot to burn and weaken the mono and there for has a very high break strength - almost 100% I'm told. I have used this knot for the last few years without a single failure - and I've horsed in a few lunkers that I'm sure would have compromised lesser knots!
The knot is so simple to tie that it sometimes seems difficult but once you figure it out and use it you will not use another one! Here's the tying instructions:
1. Take your fly and pass your tippet through the bottom of the eyelet. Turn the fly upside down so the hook point is turned up or on the top.
2. With the fly extended to the left, pull or extend about three or four inches of tippet through the eye.
3. Take your tag piece of mono and pass over the top of the main leader (away from you) and draw it back through, making a loop.
4. Take the tippet and pass it under, then over the top of the bottom leg of the loop. If you have been successful, the tag end will point directly toward you.
5. To secure the knot, bite the tag piece and pull the leader end taut, causing the knot to close. If you have tied the Davy knot properly, the knot is firmly fastened and will not slip.
Over the last few years we have used the Davy knot for all styles of fly fishing and we're totally convinced that this is one of the best knot available for securing a fly to leader. Give it a try and we're sure you'll agree!
* For a more detailed version of this article (AKA with pictures) please visit: http://flyguys.net/blog/fishing-information/fishing-knots/fly-fishing-knots/the-davy-wotton-fly-fishing-knot
The story behind the knot is that Davy Wotton, one of the coaches in the World Youth Fly Fishing Championships and long time competitor for the Welsh national fly fishing team, through trial and error invented a knot that allowed him to attach a fly in seconds - a critical requirement when competing.
The Davy Wotton knot, unlike other knots that are used to attach flies, does not require the tippet to be pulled down on the knot to burn and weaken the mono and there for has a very high break strength - almost 100% I'm told. I have used this knot for the last few years without a single failure - and I've horsed in a few lunkers that I'm sure would have compromised lesser knots!
The knot is so simple to tie that it sometimes seems difficult but once you figure it out and use it you will not use another one! Here's the tying instructions:
1. Take your fly and pass your tippet through the bottom of the eyelet. Turn the fly upside down so the hook point is turned up or on the top.
2. With the fly extended to the left, pull or extend about three or four inches of tippet through the eye.
3. Take your tag piece of mono and pass over the top of the main leader (away from you) and draw it back through, making a loop.
4. Take the tippet and pass it under, then over the top of the bottom leg of the loop. If you have been successful, the tag end will point directly toward you.
5. To secure the knot, bite the tag piece and pull the leader end taut, causing the knot to close. If you have tied the Davy knot properly, the knot is firmly fastened and will not slip.
Over the last few years we have used the Davy knot for all styles of fly fishing and we're totally convinced that this is one of the best knot available for securing a fly to leader. Give it a try and we're sure you'll agree!
* For a more detailed version of this article (AKA with pictures) please visit: http://flyguys.net/blog/fishing-information/fishing-knots/fly-fishing-knots/the-davy-wotton-fly-fishing-knot