Beginner Tip of the Day

            A quick tip I learned half way through my experiences was using knots to my advantage. I use to hate knots! One knot in your 6lb test line can weaken the strength by 50%. So, with that one little stinker of a knot, that you may or may not be aware of, your line is only capable of 3 lb strength. So when you do manage a hog of a trout and he gives a few good tugs, that line will snap in a second where the knot was hiding. While learning to fly fish, and to this day still, I often have a bad run in with a couple of knots. Some so bad you just completely cut the leader and restart everything! And only God knows, but there are probably twenty trout you're going to miss because its going to take forever to re-tie everything.

            Wind knots are just plains stupid knots. They occur while fishing into the wind., or against the wind, or any direction the wind is in. They can make the ever so smooth cast of a dry fly turn into what looks like a string of Christmas lights. Knot after knot after knot. Sometimes they sneak up on you all at once. You think your doing fine because the 5x or 6x tippet is so thin and hard to see. When you go to get junk off of your fly you realize youve been stricken with eight pesky knots!

            Other knots occur for beginners in general. Learning the ability to feel the weight and force of the rod, and how to make subtle changes that result in smooth knot-free casts is something that comes with 1,000 casts. Others may pick up sooner, but with a weighted Girdle Bug, bead head nymph, split shot, and an indicator all on a line together, it can take some getting use to. I've noticed through my adventure that I sure don't get as many knots as I use to. They do exist here and there, but are so sutble, it hardly bothers me anymore. When it does happen bad, which isnt all that often, I do get upset and look like a would be golf champion throwing his irons into the pond and kicking at his golf bag and cussing up a storm. But I do get settled down, look at what I've got around me, and patiently re-tie.

          Sometimes its too much weight. Sometimes its the way you bring your loaded line back but not letting it go back all the way thus causing your inter-passing lines to sometimes form a perfect knot. Its absolutely insane how it happens, but it does happen. So enough talking about why knots are bad, Id like to talk about why they are, oh so wonderful!

           I learned this trick from a fishing magazine. I'm sure every fly fisherman knows about the use of knots and how to harness their power for good. My friend and, long-time experienced, ex-guide, fly fisher admits he doesn't use the knots for good. To my surprise the benefits out weigh the hassles of tying an extra knot. They do require an extra tie but sometimes this comes natural when one builds a leader with tippet. If you're rebuilding a short leader and have 3 or 4 sections of knots, place them in positions in which they will benefit you.  Say near the end of your tippet, you may want to use a knot to secure your weight, wherever your prefer it.

         
          Using the knot from one tippet to the other can securely hold split shot. Don't you hate when your split shot slides down your line all the way to the fly? Constantly re-clamping and destroying the weight each time until its nothing but a crushed can that could fall off at any minute. Ive put many hours in the water without knots for my weights, and I have gone through two times as many split shot because they kept getting destroyed by me squeezing them tight. Once again the lead is soft and finds its way on top of your fly. Well with a weight secured against the bulge that is the knot on the line, all you have to do is never think about it sliding down again. In the picture to the right, shows where to tie your blood knot or whichever knot you use. Its pretty much the distance you want the split shot to be from your first fly. This can also be used if you like to put your split shot between your lead and dropper fly. Its the same idea, this time adding two tippets, creating a knot between the two flies.

        Knots are also great for holding indicators up if they are sliding down. If you have a thick leader and your indicator is up there, you may not have a problem. But the thinner your leader gets, it will start to move after every cast. Just like the split shot knot, the same will work for any indicator. There are a few more advanced ways to use knots but I will get back to you all with that later.


                                                                              Fish On!