I Know Knot What I Do

When it comes to fly fishing, tying a knot is not the most glamorous of subjects. Without a knot, however, you’ll not be snatching the Muskie of your dreams.

Fly Fishing Knots

First thing first, we need to get the lingo down since we wont be using illustrations in this article. Three basic terms will cover practically any aspect of the knot tying process. “Tag end” refers to the last ten inches of so of line you are holding in your hand, to wit, the pointy part you will be pushing through and wrapping around things. “Standing end” refers to the rest of the line. Yes, very complicated and difficult to understand. “Wrap” refers to the action wherein you move the tag end of the line one full revolution around the standing end. The wrap can also be called a turn, but you have the general idea.

As with practically anything in fly fishing, there are an infinite number of variations to knots. Mysterious variations include the Steroidius Double Flip [good for catching professional athlete fish], the Marigold Hammer [good for catching the neighbor’s plants while practicing in your back yard] and the Wifeous Annoyous [a complex knot that gets you in trouble with the wife since you’re supposed to be painting the garage], but you probably start with the “Aarrgg, Dammit…” knot common to beginners.

Fisherman’s Knot

Other than tying your shoes, the easiest knot to learn is the fisherman’s knot. Get your hook in one hand and tag end in the other. And a one and a two…

1. As you proceed, keep everything slack. We will be passing the tag end through loops we create. DO NOT tighten anything until told to!

2. Pull the tag end through the eye of the hook.

3. Bend the tag end back to the standing end and wrap four or five times. Make sure you do not tighten the wrap. [You should now have a closed loop through the hook.]

4. Take your tag end and push it through the loop formed by the wrap. Do not push it through the hook eye, just the bigger loop of line.

5. You will have just created another loop and should pass the tag end through again.

6. Slowly pull on the hook and stag end until the knot is tight. Watch those fingers.

Congratulations! If you’ve tied the perfect knot, it is time to hit local fishing spot. If you’ve made a mess of it, try again. Either way, you get to avoid painting the garage.

Thanks

Casting for the right fishing rods

Rods are an essential piece of the puzzle whether you're fly fishing, surf fishing, or deep-sea trolling. It's almost as if the fish can sense the quality of your rod even with the feet of water between you and him. Why bother getting reeled in by this piece of junk, they might say.

Seriously, the right rod has a serious impact on your skills. For instance, with flying , a proper rod can directly affect how well you cast. The wrong rod could leave you well wide of your wanted mark, whereas a high caliber rod can put you precisely where you want to be.

Plus, high quality fishing rods are also much more dependable than junkers. You may be able to pick up a rod on the cheap and save a few bucks, but imagine the feeling when that rod falls apart at the wrong moment. Say, you are finally on that vacation with your buddies to Minnesota, pull out on one of those beautiful one thousand lakes, when you're rod snaps apart in your hands. That's not a pretty picture to say the least.

Now that you're sure you need a quality rod, here are some of the telltale signs that you should look for. Check out the make and composition of your rod. Today's strongest and lightest models come with graphite composition or other alloys. Examine the cork, too. It should not require any tape or extra glue to fit to blank. The guides should be of a strong durable metal and perhaps even coated with some sort of rust protectant.

With these qualities in mind among others, do a thorough job with your research. Put as much effort into finding the right fishing rods as you would investing in the best set of golf clubs.

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