Let us ‘Knot’ make that mistake again

The big three. Illustration by award-winning watercolorist Thom Glace.

A blogger condemning a knot does not necessarily mean it will fail

By Skip Clement

Failure to properly seat any knot almost assures failure. Correctly seating a knot means that the tying turns do not ride randomly atop each other. However, most knots fail because they are not locked down forcefully, allowing slippage.

Of course, choosing the wrong knot for the job it is intended to serve is huge for most anglers, hikers, travelers, and climbers—the latter knot maker deals with life and death. Travelers deal with cargo going airborne on the interstate and not only destroying that property but killing fellow drivers. Hikers pack the kitchen sink and come to camp with bad backs or strained limbs because pack contents determine their resting place off-center. Anglers dealing with lost fish, hooks, tippets, leaders, and even fly lines with their bad knots.

Go with the pros

Professional fly fishing guides, offshore captains, and mates never use knots that fail them, obviously. That, paradoxically, does not mean guides, captains, and mates all use the same knots – far from it.

A good book to have, Lefty knows knots.

After talking to guides and captains about knots for 70 or so years, it is clear that they do not undergun. A professional guide or experienced angler will not give failure an opening chance by using a knot rated at [for example] 50% of line strength. Instead, they would choose a Bimini Twist Knot rather than a two-turn Surgeon Knot. Cargo is more reliably held down with a Truckers Hitch than a pair of Overhand Knots.

Online is often an unreliable reference

Today, scorning users of the improved Clinch Knot is popular. Some claim that the knot our fathers and mothers showed us and used themselves is, for some reason, not good—a very false conclusion. Are there better knots? Of course, but are you comfortable tying the San Diego Jamb Knot [or other] from a rocking skiff deck, blowing rain with cold hands?

Old but still good

According to a former IGFA official responsible for approving World Record fly-only catches, always said the Improved Clinch Knot was the knot of choice more than any other knot she came across.

Some would bet the table that the simple Improved Clinch Knot captures more game fish annually than any other.

That would be all records from crappie (Pomoxis annularis) to stripers (Morone saxatilis)—however, never a fisherman’s knot on a hook for a billfish, shark, or blue marlin, etc.

Thom Glace, the award-winning watercolorist’s commissioned striper, is one of the best illustrations of Morone saxatilis.

Word of advice:

If you arrive at the dock rigged, do not be displeased if your guide or captain clips off your fly. They have a reputation to protect, including their being all-in on your success. Allowing their client’s knot to fail is a sin in the guide or captain world, and a ‘not-my-fault’ Trumpian excuse is unacceptable.

Instead, be glad your guide/captain stepped up to the plate and took responsibility for the fly (if necessary to change) and, more importantly, a better-tied knot, even if it is the same knot you tied.

Thank your guide for taking responsibility and caring for your having the best outcome rather than saying, ‘Why did you do that?’ amateur response.’ Capt. Andrew. Derr