the pocket guide to fishing knots: a step-by-step guide to the most important knots for fresh

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Contents

Preface:WhyKnots?IntroductionKnotKnow-How

withSandyMoret,Islamorada,Florida

LookingatFishingLinesOverhandKnotArborKnotClinchKnotImprovedClinchKnotBuildingLeaders

withChicoFernandez

BloodKnotKnots

withFlipPallot

TrileneKnotFishingKnots

withJimmyHouston

AlbrightKnotFishingtheAlbrightKnot

withPhilMonahan

BiminiTwist

HuffnagleKnotOrvisKnotAbouttheOrvisKnot

withTomRosenbauer

Surgeon’sKnotSurgeon’sLoopPerfectionLoopDoubleFigureEightLoopKnotAbouttheDoubleFigureEight

LoopKnotwithJerryGibbsFish-N-FoolKnotConventionalTackleKnots

withStevePennaz

BraidedKnotCrawfordKnotDropperLoopDuncanKnot/LooporUni-KnotUsingtheDuncanLoop(a.k.a.Uni-Knot)

byTomKeer

FigureEightKnotFlowerKnotFishingtheFlowerKnot

withPeterCorbin

GeorgeHarveyDryFlyKnotImprovedTurleKnotFishingtheImprovedTurleKnot

byTomKeer

NailKnot

NeedleNailKnotDoubleNail-KnotLoopWhippedLoopHomerRhodeLoopKnotNon-slipMonoLoopKnotPalomarKnotSlimBeautyFishingtheSlimBeauty

withTerryGibson

SnellNon-slipShoelaceKnotTandemHookRigBerkleyBraidKnotEugeneBendKnotBloodySimpleKnotContributorBiographiesAuthorBiography

Preface:WhyKnots?

IntheSkyhorseseriesofPocketGuideto…Knotsbooks,weposethequestionrightfromtheget-go:Whyknots?Today,wehaveallmanneroffastener systems and glues by which anyone can affix one thing toanother.Velcro,snaps,fasteners,buckles,superglue,epoxy—allcandothejobforus,right?Notsomuch in fishingapplications.Wewant toworkwithourhands

andourmindswhenfishing—wewantthetactilefeelofbeingconnectedto a wild thing and the satisfaction of knowing that we created theconnectionsbywhichwe’rejoined.Also,fishingisacraftofskill,andisn’titmore fulfilling todevelop themusclememory thatenablesus to loop,twist,andthread linestogether to formanunbreakableknot?Sure it is.We’re really endeavoring to create unbreakable bonds, which is aphilosophicalorspiritual,orevenmetaphorical, truth.Partof fishing—orequestrian or prepping skills, to mention two other subjects in theSkyhorsePocket Knot series—is being ready and able to join lines forspecificpurposes,anytimeyouwant,eitherwhilepreparingtofishawayfromthewaterattheboatdockorinyourgarage,orwhileyou’rewaist-deepwadinginariver,orsittinginakayakoracanoe,orloungingonashoreline. Here’s another thought: We don’t need any gizmos whenwe’vegottwohandsandabrainandcanlearntheskillsthatcalltomindtheslogan“beprepared.”Beingananglermeansbeingpreparedforanylinefixes,atanytime.Further, fishing isachallengeofexperimentation

andexplorationanddiscovery.Knotsbindustothat,too.I thinkbackona trip to theBlackHillsofSouthDakota,when Iwas

drivingwithdeterminationtogettoSiouxFallsforanearlyflightthenextmorningafter fishing inYellowstoneNationalParkandspendingtime inMontana and Wyoming. In the afternoon, I had to take a break fromdriving—andIneededtofish.Istoppedatawell-wornparkingareaandslipped onmywaders and fishing vest and assembledmy 6-weight flyrod.Noonewasaround,itwasabouttwointheafternoononanAugustday. I walked down to the stream, a meander leading into a pond. Abeaten path encircled the pond, which probably attracted most of thefishing attention at that pullout. I followed the stream up, against itscurrent,awayfromthepond.Afterfiftyyardsorso,Isawalongshadow—but itmoved,undulatingsidetoside.Itwasamassivetrout.Perhapsthis stream was stocked? I saw “catch-and-release only/artificial fliesonly”signsalongthepath.Specialregulations,asignalthiswasspecialtroutwater. Iwatchedthefishas itheld inadeeppool,and iteasedtothe surface, gently eating something and leaving a dimple in the flatwater.Ilookedcloserintothewaterandsawcream-coloredmayfliesonthesurface.Abigfishmeantseriousfood,soratherthantrytomatchthehatch, I tied on ameaty grasshopper pattern. I was amped—like buckfeverforhunters,Ihadbig-troutfever.Withshakinghands,Ihurriedtotieon thehopper imitation. I castupstreamof the fishandmended the flylineslightlyasthehopperdrifteddowntowardthefish.Isawaslightshiftin the fish’s attitude—maybe it took a look at the fake hopper, but itwasn’tconvinced?Icastagain,flippingamendinthelinetotherightandthenleft,andsteeredtheflytotheoutskirtsofthefish’svision.Itdidnothesitate—it streaked sideways and swirled at the surface to engulfmyJoe’sHopper. I broughtupmy rod, tightening the lineandbending therod.Ihadasolidhookset…forabouttwentyseconds.Thefishswirledaway towardadeadfallnear thestreambankand I flexed the rod to tryand turn the fish’smomentum.Andmyknotpulled free:My flyand thefishwere gone. Itwas big fish, probably a cutthroat trout or a cut-bowhybrid.Ofcourse,I’llneverknowwhatitwas.Ihadacurlicueontheendofmytippet,thetell-talesignthattheknotpulledfree.ItwassupposedtobeanImprovedClinchKnot,butIhadmessedupsomethinginmyhastetotieit.Afterthat,Imethodicallyrededicatedmyselftotyingdependableknots.Sincethattime,Ihaven’thadanotherImprovedClinchfailme,and

that was about sixteen years ago. I’ve caught striped bass, bluefish,tarpon,permit,snook,grouper,bonefish,seatrout,redfish,brown,brook,and rainbow trout, bass, pike, and panfish—allwithout knot failures, atleast not at the terminal knot where the tippet is tied to the fly. Whyknots? That’s why. I learned the knots I needed, I practiced andimproved,Icommittedthetyinginstructionstomymusclememory(tothepointwhereIcantiemostfishingknotsatnightinthedark),andIhavemany fine memories of great days catching wonderful fish. No snaps,fasteners, or glues necessary. “A fisherman is only as good as his (orher) knots” is a common truism.More accurately, fisherman will neverlanda fish if theydon’tmaster basic knots.Youmayhookor “sting” afish,asinmyanecdoteabove,butyouwon’tachievethatsatisfactionoflanding and releasing or keeping the fish, whatever your preference.Knots are foundations of fishing, you need to learn them, just as youneed to learnwhere to find fish inastreamorhow to read the tides toknowwherefishmightbe in theocean.Weneedknots—theycompleteourconnections.

Introduction

Ifell inlovewiththeideaandconceptofflyfishingmanyyearsbeforeIactuallybegantoflyfish.IgrewuponalakeinCentralNewYork,jiggingforwalleyes,castingHula-Poppersforbass,andice-fishing.Beforethat,Idunked worms for trout in area rivers. But even as a child, I alwayswantedtoflyfish.For thecuriousconventional-tackleangler likeyoungerme, fly fishing

seemed more of a natural way to connect with the environment, itseemedmoreskilledthanmyjigging.LittledidIknowhowgooditwouldget,orwherethecraftwouldeventuallytakeme.I’vecaughttarponintheFlorida Keys, silver salmon in Alaska, permit in Mexico, bonefish inBelize,AtlanticsalmoninIreland.Allonflies.Idon’tparticularly likewritingtheabovewords,especiallybecausefly

fishinghasalsogivenmehumility.Ithriveontheconnectionswithotheranglers,withbeingpartoftheenvironment,withthefish(ofcourse),withthe movement and physical mechanics of casting, and with theintellectualchallengeofdiscerningwhatthefishareeating…Itrulyloveall that. I also feel gratified by the technical, endemic knowledge I’veacquiredalongtheway,abigportionofwhichincludesknottying.AsmyfriendPhilMonahanpointsoutinthisbook,themostdifficultknotscan—strangely—be the most gratifying to tie. I don’t include any trulyimpossibleknots inthisbook.Phil isspeakingoftheAlbrightKnot(alsoknownastheAlbrightSpecial)—aknotPhiltieswell.AndwhenPhilgivesmeachance to tie it—hevolunteered tobemydesignatedAlbright tierforanumberofyearswhenweworked together—I feelgratifiedby thehavingtheskilltodoit,too.Ifeelgratefultosharethevoicesyou’llhearinthisbook—fromanglers

such as Flip Pallot, Jimmy Houston, Tom Rosenbauer, Steve Pennaz,Chico Fernandez, Jerry Gibbs, and others. Those interviewed for theirknot insights in this book are not only great anglers, they’re also greathumanbeings,andIamblessedtoknowthem.Readandreflectontheadvicetheygive.And,mostimportant,practiceyourknottying,usingtheillustrationsinthisbook.It’sfunandgratifying(thoughmaybefrustratingat the start), and each time you land a fish, whether it’s a ten-poundwalleyeorahundred-poundtarpon,you’llbepleasedwiththeknot-tying

knowledgeyoupossess.When it comes to refining that knot knowledge and solidifying your

musclememoryoftyingknots,I’mremindedofafishingexperienceIhadwhile Iwas a journalist riding aboardCapt.RandyTowe’s flats boat inIslamorada,Florida,asRandywasguidinganglerPatFordintheGoldenFlyTarponTournamentonespring.Pathadcaughtatarponofabout155poundsfirst thing inthemorning,andhookedasecondfishofprobablyabout120poundswhenhisconnectionfailedandtheshocktippetcameback with a curlicue. It happens, even to an angler of Pat’s vastexperience; he has held umpteen International Game Fish Associationrecords, includingone for cobia thatwill likely stand for a long time—asixty-seven-pound,four-ouncecobiaonflytackle,intheeight-poundtestlineclass.Hesaystheonlythingsthatconnectyoutoafisharetheknotsin your fishing lines—and those connections are only as good as youmakethem.Heputsisplainly:“Ifyou’vegotabadknotanywhereinyourconnection,thelineisonlyasstrongasthatknot.There’snothingmoreimportantthanyourknots.”Patofferstherecommendationthatanglerslearnthreeknots—orthree

typesofknots:aloopknot,anImprovedClinchKnotwhenyoudon’tusealoop,andsomethingthatconnectsleadersections.“Youneedtofigureoutasequenceforusingthoseknots,”hesays,“andyouneedtoknowthoseknotsreallywell.That’sallbasedonthepremisethattheonlythingconnectingyoutothefisharetheknots.”Here’smore input on knots—and a preview of the interviews in this

book—fromananglingfriendandatremendousflyfisher.

KnotKnow-HowwithSandyMoret,Islamorada,Florida

Sandy and wife Sue own and operate Florida Keys Outfitters inIslamorada, for decades one of themost influential fly-fishing shops intheFloridaKeys.Sandy haswon theKeys’most prestigious fly-fishingtournamentsninetimes,andhe’sacatalystinteachingthesportthroughtheFloridaKeysFlyFishingSchool,organizedbyhisshop.

“Therehavebeenaplethoraofknotsthroughtheyears,andthathasledtoatremendousamountofconfusion,andthedevelopmentofspecialtyknotsforthisandthat.ButwhenIfirststartedfishinginsaltwaterintheFloridaKeysandSouthFloridaback in1972, Igot involvedwithMiamiandsport-fishingclubs,andkeptupwith theSaltWaterFlyRoddersofAmerica,whomaintainedrecordsuntiltheIGFA(InternationalGameFishAssociation)tookover.Igotinvolvedinfishingsomeofthetournamentsin the Keys. I found I got lucky more often than not, and that wasencouraging.

“But the confusion and lack of understanding of the importance ofknotswassomethingwehadtowadethroughbackthen,andI foundacouplethings:Youneededtoattachabuttsectiontoaflyline,andthatled to tying a Nail Knot, which is basically the same as a Uni-Knot orDuncan Loop. The Nail Knot was as important back then as now,althoughyoudidn’thavetotieitoften.Ifyoutiedagood,eight-turnNailKnotandusednomorethanthetwenty-pound(tenkilogram)maximumtippetaccordingtotherulesofflyfishing,youweren’tgoingtohaveanyproblemswithitcomingloose.Itwasprettyfail-safe.Abouttwentyyearsago,we learned to tie thesameknotwithout thenail and theNail-lessNail Knot was developed, thus destroying a micro industry becausenobodyneededallthoseNailKnottoolsanymore.Ofcourse,wealwaysusedapaperclipforourNailKnots.“TheotherthingaNailKnotallowsyoutodoistoputaloopintheend

ofyourflyline.YoucanusetwoNailKnotswithfifteen-poundmonoandalittlespacebetweenthemtomakealoopforconnectingyourflylinetoyour backing.That’s a no-fail system.TheNailKnot is versatile in that

way.”(Seethatknotonpage147inthisbook.)Sandycontinues:“Thenextthingyouhavetodois jointwopiecesof

monofilamentofsimilarsizes to tapera leader. I foundaBloodKnot isthebestknotforthis.Iguessit’scalledaBloodKnotbecausewhenyoutightenityoucancutyourhand.It’sreallytwoClinchKnotstiedbacktoback, if you think about it. It’s simple.An improvedBloodKnot can beusedwithdissimilardiameter lines.Sameknot, justdoublethe light lineand treat it as one piece. You have to remember to always wrap thelighter linemore times than theheavier line.This isbecause the lighterline compresses easier and faster.When that knot ties up tight, thereshould be no space and no give. And the tag ends can be cut totallyflush,sonotagsarehangingout.Thatdoesn’tsoundlikeabigissue,butthe fact that you can cut those tags and not pick up a piece of grasswhen you’re fishing is a huge issue.ABloodKnot is amust knot.WeteachthoseintheFloridaKeysOutfittersschool.”SandyhumblymentionsthathelearnedmuchofthisintheIslamorada

BonefishTournament, “fishing for thebiggest,smartestbonefishon theplanet, where a ten-pound bonefish barely gets a look.” Sandy speaksthetruth:that’sthetoughestbonefishtournamentanywhere,andSandy’swonitfivetimes.Ofcourse,inthisequation,youstillhavetotiethehookonyourtippet.

Sandy recommendsusingan ImprovedClinchoraDuncanLoop todoso.“ThosearetheknotsIuse.Ihavealotofconfidenceinthem;they’reprovenand they’resimple. I’ma firmbeliever thatoneof the joysof flyfishing is the fact that it’s so simple. When you become a competentcaster, it’s almost like you reach out and place the fly and coax andtriggerthefishintoastrikeresponse.There’snoscent,there’snotrickery—it’sjustapureandsimpleinteractionwithnatureandacreature.”Fortarponandbiggame,SandyusesaBiminiTwisttoformthedouble

lineandclasstippet.ThedoublelineistiedtotheleaderbuttsectionorataperwithanImprovedBloodKnot,asisthesinglestandoftippettotheshockorbite tippet. “It’saprettysimpleoperation,”Sandysays. “Whenyoutiethesameknotsandtheywork,yougetmoreconfidenceinthem,youtiethembetter,andyoupullharderagainstthem.”Amentothat.

Proficiency in tying knots is critical to fishing success, but so ismaintaining your connections and inspecting your leaders throughout a

fishingday.NolessanauthoritythanJoeBrooksofOutdoorLifewroteinhis book Salt Water Fly Fishing, first published in 1950: “The leaderrequiresaminimumofcarebutthatminimumisextremelyimportant.”Herecommended feelingalong the leaderafter landinga fish, tocheck fornicksandcuts;ifneeded,cutawaytheweakenedpartoftheleaderandretie. Periodically retie your hook, as casting can weaken the terminalconnection, Brooks advised. “All these things take only aminute to doandmaysaveyoumanyanicefish,”hewrote.Remember—thiswasfirstpublishedin1950!AfriendofBrooks,BenO.WilliamsofLivingston,Montana,reminisced

withmeaboutvisitingwithhiminthe1960sand’70s.BenworkedatDanBailey’s Fly Shop in Livingston during his summers off from teachingschool, andhemetmanyoutdoor legends, suchasBrooks,LeeWulff,and Charlie Waterman. (And Ben’s no angling slouch himself.) Herecalls, “I started tying knotswhen I was a kid in the BoyScouts. I’vealwaysbeenfascinatedwithknots.Then,IjoinedtheNavyandIlearnedeveryknotyoucouldpossiblytiebecauseitwasrequired.”Hesaysevenwhen hewas teaching drafting or science classes at school, hewouldaddress the importance of knots. He credits Brooks with teaching somany. Ben suggests using a section of clothesline or other thick ropewhen practicing knots so you can visually see them coming together:“Youwanttoseewhattheknotreallydoes.”AnotherinveterateanglerandfriendwhoImetthrougheditorialworkis

Jerry Hamza, author of Outdoor Chronicles (available from SkyhorsePublishing),andabrotherfromanothermotherwhogrewupinCentral-WesternNewYork,thesameregionIdid.Hesaysheusestwoknotsinfly fishing—aNailKnot to assemblea leader, and the ImprovedClinchKnotfortheterminalconnection.Hejokingly(Ithink)addsthatithelpstotightendowntheSuperImprovedClinchKnot(hisnamefortheImprovedClinch) if you’ve had a Scotch and thatmixeswith your saliva, but hesays it has to begoodScotch, otherwise it’s aBarely ImprovedClinchKnot. He feels the Improved Clinch Knot is dependable and has beenaroundsolongsimplybecauseitworks.Jerry’sfishedaroundtheworldforcountlessspecies(whichyoucanreadaboutinOutdoorChronicles).All theknots included in thisbookare tried-and-true.Youmay finda

couple that best fit your fishing.Practice andmaster them, since you’llwanttobeabletotietheminthedark,whenit’scold,inroughseasina

boat, or on the shore when it’s windy, or on a cloudy day in flat light.Studythem,tiethem,fishthem—findsuccess.

JoeHealyWaterford,Vermont

Spring2017

LookingatFishingLines

Fromthetimewhenanglersbegantoappreciatecatchingfishasasport,andnotonlyasaskillusedtoharvestfood,theearliestfishinglineswerereported to bemadeof horsehair andgut, later givingway to silk—theerawastheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies.Thesesilklineswerecastwithawhippypoleorrod,theprecursortoaflyrod.Later,silkbait-casting lines became popular. The leader on the horsehair or silk linewasgut,amaterialwhichwaslessobvioustofishwhenunderwaterandthereforelessofathreattofishthantheheaviersilkcastinglinetowhichitwasattached.The leaderwasthe transitionalpieceof theconnectionintendedtobeastranslucentaspossiblesothefishmightbefooledintoeatingtheflyorbait.Thisprincipleofusingalinelessvisibleoratleastlessnoticeabletofishpavedthewayforthenearlyinvisiblelinessuchastoday’smonofilament(asinglestrandofextrudednylon,hencethenamemonofilament) or fluorocarbon used as the terminal fishing connection.AsnotedfishingwriterA.J.McClanetoldreadersinhisclassicbookThePracticalFlyFisherman,“Thepurposeofaleaderistoreducethevisibleconnectionbetweenlineandfly.Obviously,thetrout,afishcreditedwithkeeneyesight, isgoingtobesuspiciousofhisbreakfast ifsomething isleadingitaroundbythenose.”So,weheightenourdeceptionbyaddinga section of line that disappears or blends inwith the surroundings, ordoesboth.Still,ananglermustfirstdecideonatypeoffishinglinebasedonthe

application. Itused tobea fishing linewasdriedafteruse, toprotect itfrom wearing thin or rotting. In Tackle Tinkering, H. G. Tapply writesaboutallowingafishinglinetodryonapieceofnewspaper—infact,herecommends that method. (Although H. G. cautions “remember, whendrying,tokeepthelineoutofthesunandawayfromdirectheat.”)Thatbook was published in the 1940s. I’ve been lucky in my career as anoutdoors editor, and one shining friendship was getting to know BillTapply,thesonofH.G.Tapply(alsoknownasTap).InevertoldBillthistruth … that I learned to read from studying “Tap’s Tips” in Field &Stream.Quiteliterally,Iwasprobablythreeorfouryearsoldatthetime—thoughitwouldn’thavebeenthefirsttimeBillhadheardthat,nodoubt.GenerationslovedTapandhisoutdoortips.(OtherreaderslovedBill,forhe was a talented mystery novelist, as well as a gifted outdoorstoryteller.) H. G. takes us deeper into history when writing aboutdressing bait-casting lines with beeswax, paraffin, or fly-line dressing.Thesamewastrueforflylinesofthe1940s—theyneededtobedressedbeforeuse.Iwon’tgointoH.G.’sadvicefordetectingbreaksinafly-linesurfaceandrepairingtheline.RefinishingaHDGorGAFfly line inthaterawas tedious and time-consuming and never guaranteed saving theline. Even knowing the kind and size of line you were using requiredsome guesswork or mathematics with the use of a micrometer. Backthen, anglers tried to followguidelines from theNationalAssociationofAnglingandCastingClubstodetermineauniformsystemoffly-linesize—Isay“triedtofollow”becauselotsofvarianceexisteddependingonthetypeofline.Speaking of the alphabetic soup of fly-line designations back in the

mid-twentiethcentury,welearnfromThePracticalFlyFishermanbyA.J.McClaneabout theactual letter-sizedesignationsof fly linesback then,whichaccountedforthenamesofthelinessuchasHDHorHCHorGBGandFAF.Forhootsandgiggles,astheysay,let’stakealook:

LETTERSIZE NOMINALDIAMETERS(In1000thofInch)

I .022

H .025

G .030

G .030

F .035

E .040

D .045

C .050

B .055

A .066

AA .065

AAA .070

AAAA .075

AAAAA .080

Assuch,adouble-taperflylinerecommendedforan8½-foot,5-ounceflyrodmightbeHDH,whereasaso-calledthree-diameterlinewouldbeHCF, McClane tells us. My point here is to consider the namingconventionof that time,and toappreciatehowwe’vesimplifiedmattersthroughthedecades—atleastwhenitcomestoflylines.Nowadays,we buy fly lines by their number rating—5-and 6-weights

fortrout,forexample,and8-to12-weightsandupforheavierfishinfreshandsaltwater.Theheavierlineshelpuscastinwindyconditionsorwhenwe need to make long-distance casts to wary fish on the alert forpredators(includinganglers,youmightsay).Thenumbersarebasedonthegrainweightoftheheadoftheline,theforward-mostthirtyfeet.The constant between then and now when assembling your tackle

connectionsistheneedfordependableknots,suchastwothatMcClaneshares inhisbookthatyou’llalso find in thisbook—theBloodKnot(forjoiningleadersections)andthePerfectionLoop(formakingloopsintheendsof leadersections ifyouwant touse loop-to-loopconnections).H.G.Tapplyalso listsknots inTackleTinkering (1946), inachapter titled“Knots: Hitches and Splices the Angler Should Know”: He shares thePerfectionLoopandalsotheBarrelKnot(similartotheBloodKnot)andrefers to itas theTwistKnot;healso listsothers thathavegoneoutof

fashion for fishing,suchas theWaterKnot,Bowline,JamKnot,DoubleJam, Tiller Hitch, Stevedore Knot, and Figure Eight Knot. Knots comeandgo.

Cortland’sbest-sellingfreshwaterflyline,theClassic444weight-forwardline.Useloop-to-loopconnectionstoattachtheflylinetothebraidedbackingandtheleaderbutt.

Cortland’sBigFlylinehasweldedloopsatbothends,whichmakesriggingquickandeasy—simplytieloopsonthebackingandleaderbuttandattachtheflylinewithloop-to-loopconnections.

I’llspareyouanytutorialonthewaythingsusedtobewhenitcametomeasuring line thickness with amicrometer to assemble lines and theleader;instead,let’slookathowthingsaretoday.AsImentionedearlier,flylinesarenowratedbynumber,lowestforlighttackle(0-to5-weight)tomiddleweights(5-to9-weight)toheavierweights(from10-to12-weightorso),andthensomeoutlierssuchas13-or14-weightsforbig-gameoceanspeciessuchassailfish,marlin,tuna,sharks,andthelike.

Cortland’sTropicPlusGTTunaSaltwaterLineisabig-gamelineavailablein13-weightforheavyweightfighters.

MyfriendandmyformereditorialmentoratOutdoorLife,VinSparano,wroteinhisbookCompleteOutdoorEncyclopedia(1998),“Fishinglinesaremadeofawidevarietyof natural andsyntheticmaterialsandasaresultdifferwidelyintheircharacteristicsandtheusestowhichtheycanbe put. No two types of lines, for example, have the same degree ofelasticity, abrasion resistance,water absorption,weight, and diameter.”Forspinningandbait-casting,thelinestodaydifferbasedonthetypeoffishing,andincludemonofilamenttofluorocarbonbutalsobraidedlines,calledsuperbraids.Let’s first lookat the traditionalmodern fishingmaterial usedas line,

leader, and tippet—monofilament. One of the contemporaries of A. J.McClanewasthefishinglegendJoeBrooks,whowroteinhis1950bookSaltWaterFlyFishing,“EverytimeItieonaleaderIwonderwhatwedidinthedaysbeforenylonappeared.”Thismaterial,asinglestrandofextrudednylon,canbetaperedtoform

a fly-fishing leader to transfer weight into the cast going ahead of theanglerandagainonthebackcast;aleveloruniformdiameterlineisusedasfishinglinespooledonabait-castingorspinningreel.Monofilamentisstrong,it’sstiffenoughthatitresistskinking,itcastswellandiseasytoretrieve,and itholdsknotswell. It’sservedanglerssincearoundWorldWarIIdayswhenitwasintroducedandisthemostcommonfishinglinetoday.Ithascompetition,though.Inthemid-1990s,anewtypeoflinetookthefishingworldbystorm,a

braided line made of Dyneema or Spectra (high-modulus polyethylenegelspunthroughaspinneret)thathadimpressivetensilestrength,loworalmost no stretch (and therefore sensitive to fish bites or strikes),abrasionresistance,heldnomemorywhencoiled,andcameinstrengths

with diameters thinner than monofilament. Thinner, stronger, tougherbecamethemarketinglanguageoftheday.Becauseithadafabricfeel,it didn’t kink and still cast well. However, its surface was slippery(comparedtomonofilament)andunfortunatelyknotswereknowntoslipoutoftheline.Further,thelinesweresolimptheymightfoulyourfishingby wrapping around a rod tip, causing potential rod breakage. Thelimpnessalsomadeforflaccidknottying,sotospeak,aswrappingloopsbecamemoredifficult thanwhenyouused relatively stiffmonofilament.Finally—andformanyanglersthelaststraw—thelineswereabrasivetothe touchand could cut into fingersas you fishedor tied knots.ThesefactorslimitedtheadoptionofSuperBraids—atleastatfirst.Onepositivewas that the lines generally floated, so were convenient for topwaterfishing.

Over time, manufacturers improved the characteristics of the SuperBraids.Aprimarychangewastoimpregnatethelineswithapolymerorto use a tighter braiding technique so they held together tighter thanpreviously,andthisseemedtoaddalittledesirablestiffnesstothelines.Asecond-generationofSuperBraidsisnowavailable,andthelinesareclearlyheretostay.Theyseemtobemadeforspoolingonbait-castingoutfits,andcertainlyhavetheirproponentsforspinningrods. Iusedthelines in themid-1990s, when they were fairly new, andwas tutored inflipping and pitching by a pro while we fished a southern lake forlargemouthbass.Itwasfunandsatisfyingfishing,andIlikedthewaythelinesbehavedandallowedmetogeta“feel”fortheplasticbaitswewereusingasIwasmeasuringthetargetdistanceofmyflipsandpitches.These braided fishing lines have replaced Dacron (a synthetic

polyester) braids in many applications—though Dacron, which is lessexpensivethantheSuperBraids, isstillusedasfly-linebackingandfortrollinginfreshandsaltwater.Onepopular “superline” isFirelinebyBerkley.Thecompany tellsus:

“Berkley-brandedlinesaremadefromthehighestgradeDyneemaintheindustry,agel-spunpolyethylenethatisfifteentimesstrongerthansteelbyweight…Berkleysuperlinesofferzerostretchattypicalfishingloads,plus low memory and, thanks to incredibly high tensile strength,remarkablythinlinediameters.”Intheknot-tyinginstructionsinthisbook,I’ve selected knots that work well with so-called Super Braids that are

mentionedbyseveraltopanglersinthesidebarsinthebook.

StrenbraidedSuperline.

Cortland’sGelSpunfly-linebackingisanexampleofasuperline.

The next in the troika of today’s popular fishing-line materials isfluorocarbon (polyvinylidene fluoride). Fluoro is only used as leadermaterialbecauseit’sexpensive—moreexpensivethanmono,forsure—and it holdsmemorywhen coiled, so it ismostmanageable in shorterpieceswhencoilingisn’tanissue.Thesameasmono,it’sextrudedasasinglepiece.Itactuallyhasgreatertranslucencethanmonofilamentandisthereforelessvisibletofishunderwater.

TheOrvisCompanymakesapopularfluorocarbonleaderandtippetmaterialcalledMirage.

This isbecause fluorohasasimilar refractive index towater so lightpassesthroughit.Andso,becausetheselinesarenotasvisibletofish,anglerscanuseheavierpound-test fluoro lines in fishingsituations. It’salsostiffer thanmono,whichhelpscasting,particularly thepresentationflycastwhenyou’redroppingthefly—thefluorostraightensoutnicelyasitunfurls.Itabsorbsnowatersodoesn’t“weaken”whilebeingfished,andactually sinks faster than mono and is more resistant to abrasion. Itdoesn’t “stretch” or give as quickly as mono does, but that can play

against youwhena fish strikes suddenlyorwhenyou’re fightinga fishand the shock absorption ofmono is an advantage.When it comes toknots, fluoromustbemoistenedbeforeseating theknot,otherwiseyouriskknotfailure.Thisseemsmorecrucialthanwhenusingmono—thoughyou should moisten mono knots, too. Manufacturers have improvedfluorocarbon formulations, soalways read thepackaging, catalogs,andwebsitecopytolearntheclaimedadvantages.

Riooffersvariousleaderandtippetmaterials,suchasfluorocarbonmaterialcalledFluoroflexPlustippet,taperedleadersandnylonmaterialcalledPowerflexPlus,andmonofilamentsaltwaterleaders.

Without question, when I’m fishing in situations where visibility is aconcern—suchas the saltwater flatsof theFloridaKeys—Ialwaysusefluorocarbon.YearsagoIwasfly fishingtheflatsof theKeysoutof theOceanReefClubinKeyLargo.Bonefishweresporadicallytailing,tippinguptofeedintothecoralandsandbottomwiththeirunderslungmouths,probablypickingupsmallcrabs.Ihadacrabflypatterntiedon,andtheguide poled the boat within a longish cast of a tailing bonefish. I firedaway and came up short. That’s when I experienced a benefit of thefluorocarbon leader and tippet I was using: The diameter of the fluoro

was smaller than six-or eight-pound-test monofilament, so my leader,tippet,andflyenteredthewaterwithnaryaripple.Ididn’tdisturbthefish;itkeptontailing.SoIpickeduptheflyandwithaquick-snapdouble-haul,droppedtheflyagainaboutthreefeetfartheroutthanmyfirstcast.The“plop” ofmy fly striking the surface got the fish’s attention, and its tailturnedlikeasailtacking.Imadeoneslowandshortstripofflylineandthencame tight tomy first bonefish.Aftera few thrusting runs todeepwater, the fish began to tire; I slid out of the boat and held steadypressure. Ibrought the fish in tomeas itcircled,closerandcloseras Ireeled in line. Itwasanicebone.Myknotsheld. Itwasanexcitingdayforme in Key Largo. I thought about Curtis Point not far away on thesoutheastendofOldRhodesKey,whereIhadoncefishedwithCapt.BillCurtis, the longtime fishing guide who reportedly developed the polingplatformonaflatsskiffandforwhomthepointwasnamed.Atanotheroccasion,onthecoastoftheYucataninMexico,theguide

poled the boat along a shoreline near a boca as we looked for snook—robalo,theguideLemussaid.Ihadjustcompletedtyingonasectionoftwenty-poundfluorocarbonasashocktippet toguardagainstasnook’srazor-sharpgill plates. I useda three-turnDoubleClinchKnot to tieonthe fly. In thewavewash, I sawwhat appeared to be sunkenpiece ofdriftwood.Lemussaw it too,andhemotioned forme tocast.Thewindwasblowingacrossthebowoftheboat,soIturnedmybodytopresentthe flyonmybackcast.As I began to cast, Lemuswhisperedurgently,“No!No!”He tensedwhen I releasedmybackcastand thestreamer flylandedabout a foot in front of the snook’s nose. “Yah!” Lemushissed.The snook ate and after we landed the nearly twenty-pound fish, weheadedbacktothelodgetodeliverittothekitchenstaff.Withinanhour,we were eating snook sashimi. Again I was using fluorocarbon, withknotsthatagroupofanglersandIhaddiscussedthenightbeforeatthelodge,BloodKnotsintheleaderandtheDoubleClinchtotieonthefly.Success—becauseIknewmyknotsandhowtotiethemcorrectly,underpressure.

Generally, the guidelines for fishing lines are: Super Braids (or“superlines” as Berkley calls their product) are thin for their pound-testrating, haveno stretch andallowanangler to haul a fish out of heavycover,areabrasionresistant,floatorsuspendnearthesurface,areeasy

tocast,butoftenhavesurfacesthatareslipperyanddon’tholdallknotswell; fluorocarbon lines are thin for their pound-test rating, are resilientand abrasion resistant, yet sensitive because you can use a smallerdiameter line with the same pound-test rating as thicker mono, don’tstretch as much as monofilament, are less visible underwater thanmonofilament, but they sink so aren’t great for topwater fishing, holdknots well, but develop memory when coiled and are expensivecomparedtomonofilament;andmonofilamentlinesarethetried-and-truefisherman’sfriendthathavestoodthetestoftimeandarestillfavoredbymanyanglers,despitesomeof the tradeoffscompared to theother twotypesoflines.Onebottomlinetoconsideristhatmonofilamentcostslessthan fluorocarbonandbraids,andstillgets the jobdone.All three linescertainlyholdknots,sothechoiceisyours.

Nevertheless,tobeacompetentangler—andtoachievetheenjoymentof landing fish—you need to learn to tie dependable knots in all theselines.Theknotscarryover frommaterial tomaterial,butyoumust takecare when tightening them so the loops don’t slip out of sequence,causingtheknottocollapseandfail.Getasupplyofthesematerialssoyoucanexperimentandtietheknotsinthisbook,andothersyoucomeacrossthatlookeffectiveforyourfishing,tillyou’vegotthemfixedinyourmusclememory.AtestIusewhenIfeelI’velearnedaknotbyheartistotieit inlow-lightconditionsorinthedark,asifI’mfishingatnight.Trust

TheForce,myfriends—TheForcebeingyourintuitiveknotknowledge.

OrvisSuperstrongPlusisaknotless,taperedmonofilamentleaderandtippetmaterialthatthecompanysayshasgreaterknotstrengththanotherleader-and-tippetmaterialsonthemarket.

OverhandKnot

Let’s beginwith a foundational knot, the knowledge ofwhichwill impelyoutoacquiregreaterknotknowledgeandfeedyourhungerforlearningknotsforanyfishingapplicationandpurpose.

1.Loopapieceoftippetorleadermaterial.2.Bringthetagendbackthroughtheloopyoujustformed.3.Moisten theknotwithsalivaandpullbothendswithequal force totighten.

ArborKnot

Thisisanotherfoundationalknotthatyoucanusetosecurebackingonafly reelorbraided,monofilament,orany fishing line to thearborofanyfishingreel.

1.Bring the linearound thearborof the reel.Tieoneoverhandknotoverthestandingline,andtieanotherattheveryendoftheline,asshownhere.

2. Moisten the knots and draw both knots tight, and pull on thestanding lineto tightenthesmallknot into theknotaroundthe line,therebyjammingtheknotstogetherandsecuringtheline.

ClinchKnot

Let’sassumeyoureject thedynamiteorhandgrenadeapproachtofishcollection—andsoformostanglers, this is thefirst fishingknot learned:tostatetheobvious,youneedtoknowhowtosecureyourhookorluretoyour fishing line,otherwiseyouwillcatchnofish.TheClinchKnotdoesthejob,anditcanbeimproved—aswiththeImprovedClinchKnot,whichisthenextknotlistedhere.Youcandoalotwiththisknot.Infly-fishing,bytyingitwithalongtagend,youcantieadroppedflyforatandem-flyrig(whenit’slegal),oryoucantieadropperoffthehookbendofthefirstfly.Bedeliberatewhen learning thisknot—theconfidenceyouget tyingthis one knot will help you step up to other knots necessary for otheruses.

1.Passtheendofthetippetthroughthehookeyeandformaloopwithyour thumband forefinger, extending over the standing part of thetippet.

2.Windthetagendaroundthestandingpartofthelinewiththethumbandforefingerofyourdominanthand.Onceyoutiethismanytimes,you’ll develop muscle memory. On a standard knot, make fivecompleteturnswiththetagend.Withlighterleaders,youcanmakesevenoreightturns.Usingheavier-testshocktippets,onlyusethreeturns,otherwiseyou’llhavedifficultygettingtheloopstosetproperly;threeturnsisenough.

3.Thread the tagend through the loop in frontof thehookeye.Usesalivatolubricatetheknotasyoutightenit.Cliptheexcesstagend.

ImprovedClinchKnot

Here,you’lladdonefurthersteptotheClinchKnot,improvingitsstrengthandcreatingtheImprovedClinch.

1.RepeatsteponeoftheClinch,runningthetagthroughthehookeyeand making seven, five, or three wraps around the standing line(dependingontheteststrengthofthefishingline—thestrongertheline,thefewerwrapsareused).

2.Bringthetagendthroughtheloopinfrontofthehookeye.3. Now, bring the tag back through the large loop formedwhen youpassed the tag through thatsmall loop in frontof thehookeye,asseenhere.

BuildingLeaders

withChicoFernandez

WhenIwaseditingSaltwaterFlyFishingmagazineinthemid-1990sandearly2000s,IbecamefriendswithcolumnistChicoFernandez,whowasbased inMiami.Chicowasaheroofmine,and Igot toknowhimasafriendly,insightfulperson.Hehelpedusoutatthemagazinebyteachingfly-casting at the Miami Boat Show, and I enjoyed being his guest onnights out in Miami Beach. Here, he shares some advice on makingleaders and the knots to use to make connections. He makesconnections—inlifeandinflyfishing—easilyandexpertly.Verycool.

“Infly-fishing,theknotswetalkaboutaremainlyfortheleader.Andtheleader isanextensionof the fly line—you’remaking the restof the lineconnection,andyouwanttomakethatleaderturnoverjustastheflylinedoes.OneoftherulesofthumbthatIadvocate,andthathasworkedformeforever,isusingabuttsectionthat’satleast50percentofyourleaderlength. For example, if you have a ten-foot leader, at least five feetshouldbethebuttsection.Ifyouhaveless,itwon’tturnover,especiallyin the saltwater world, but even in freshwater if you’re casting with alighter rod, like a 3-weight, you need about 50 percent. Some people

adheretotheleaderformulathatCharlesRitzcameupwithinthe1930sof sixty-twenty-twenty inwhich sixty is the butt section and twenty andtwenty are the tapered sections. If you have the right butt section,everythingwillturnover(whenyoucast).The60percentisalittlemoreaggressiveandwill turnoverahard-bodiedpopperorWoollyBugger inAlaska or a deer-hair bug. You can fluctuate between that 50 and 60percentbuttsection,andthatwillwork.“Now,howheavyshouldthebuttsectionbe?Mostpeopledon’tusea

buttsection that’sheavyenough. Ifyouusemonofilament,youneed tohaveabuttsectionthat’sthickenoughandheavyenoughsotheflylinetransmitspowertotheleader.It’snotjustdiameter,it’sweight.Ifyouusecommon sense, you know that the weight casts the fly line. (Think ofcastingaweight-forwardflyline,versusattemptingtocastalevelline,forexample.)Youneedtheproperbuttsectionfortheleadertoturnover.”Chico makes an argument for using lighter fly rods, when the

conditionsallow,because thatwill reduce theweightof the fly lineandleaderassemblyhittingthewaterandthereforeallowyoutomakemoredelicate presentations. “Fish will feel the slap on the water of heavierleadersandlines,solighterisbetter,whenconditionsallow,”hesays.Whatdoesheusetoconnectleadersections?Handsdown,theBlood

Knot. “I don’t like theSurgeon’sKnotbecauseyouhave tooverlap thelines a lot, and if you don’t pull the lines evenly, the knot doesn’t set.”Plus,hesays,ifyouhavetoretietheleader,theSurgeon’sKnotusesalotoflineandoftenyouhavetostartagainwithfreshline,whereasyoucanretieBloodKnots.Further,ChicofeelsaBloodKnotisstronger.And the Blood Knot doesn’t create complications. “When it is set

properly and trimmed, it is the most aerodynamic knot, but moreimportantlyitdoesn’tcatchmuchgrasswhenretrievedthroughthewater.But theSurgeon’sKnot, the tags go out at angles andpick up a hugeamount of grass. For these reasons, I use the Blood Knot, and I’vecaughteverythingfrombonefishtobass,tosailfish,tofourorfivemarlin,andaboutamilliontarpon.”Chico’stiponusingaBloodKnot:“Youhavetoputmoreturnsaround

thelowerstrengthorthinnerline,thanaroundtheheavierorthickerline.”Herecommendsusingasix-turn-to-four-turnconfiguration.However,becareful about the bulkiness of the extra turns. “You really need thoseextra turnsgoing fromthe leader to the tippet. Idon’tneedsix-turns-to-

fourturnsgoingfromthebuttsectiontothenextsection,wayupontheleader.Ineedtheextrastrengthdownnearthefly,fromtheleadertothetippet, say from twenty-pound to the twelve-pound sections that Iadvocate the six to four turns. It’s at the end of a leader, that’s theweakestlink—theconnectionfromthetippettothenextpieceup.Or,forevenmore strength at this connection, you can tie an Improved BloodKnot. Thatmight be a little stronger.”He alsomentions that you coulduseaBiminitoformthetippetsectionandtiethedoublelineoftheBiminitothepreviousleadersection,particularlyforbiggerfishsuchastarpon.Finally,Chicosays regardlessof the typeof leader,hedoesn’twant tofightanyfishtoolongbecausethatimperilsthefish’schancesofsurvival.Fortheterminalknotusedtotieonthefly,healmostalwaysusesaloop—usuallyaDuncanLoop(alsocalledaUni-KnotLoop).

BloodKnot

This isanelegant,utilitarianknot,oftenpreferredbyanglers for joiningsectionsofaleader.

1.CrosstwostrandsofmonofilamentsoyouformanX.GiveyourselfabreakandleaveaboutsixinchesoftagsatthetopoftheX.Now“walk”thetagendsupthestandingend,leftandright.You’llhavetofocus,usingsomedexterity towrap the tagends.Useyour thumbandforefinger,ifneeded.

2. Use seven turns for light material, five turns for regular-diametermaterial,andthreeturnsforheavystuff.Afteryoumaketheseturns,thread the tag ends through the loop at the X. Again, you’ll needsomedexteritywithyourfingerstodothiswithbothtagends.

3.Coattheknotwithsalivaandpullonbothstandingpartsofline.Thetagendsshouldextend through the loopenoughso that theydon’tslipoutwhenyou tighten theknot.Youwant thewraps tobeneat,tightcoilsorbarrels,asshownhere.Trimthetagends.

Knots

withFlipPallot

Angler’s angler, spoken-word poet, television personality, flats-boatdesigner, all-around nice guy, and teacher by nature, Flip Pallot hasacquired,throughdecadesoffishing,anencyclopedicknowledgeofwhatworks.Thefollowingconversationoccurredinasteadystream,withnaryan interruption from me, simply my acknowledgements that Flip wasspeakinganglinggospel.IgottoknowFlipwhenhewroteforFlyFishingin SaltWatersmagazine in the 1990s. Enjoy this, and apply it to yourfishing.“Knotsalldependonwhat’sneededforthefishingsituation,andforme

that’s90percentflyfishing.Everyonehasaterminalknotthattheyusetotieonthelureorfly,andIusetwo—probablythesametwothat80or90percentofeverybodyelsehas. Iusea loopknotwhen Iwant the fly tohavemoreactionorIwanttheflytosinkfaster.AndtheloopIuseistheDuncanLoop.ItietheDuncanLoopinmostsituationswherebitetippetisnotinvolved.Itietheknotwithsixturns,andifI’musingstrongerbitetippetImightonlyusethreeturns.Thebiggerandheavierthetippet,thefewerturnsI’lluse.Bychangingthenumberofturns,I’mabletocinchituptightenoughsothatitdoesn’tslipandyetremainsaloop.“WhenIwantafirmconnectiontothefly,IuseanunimprovedClinch

Knot.Iusuallyusethatwithsixturns,andwithaheavierbitetippet,fewerturns.“ThesearetheknotsIuseeachandeverytimeIconnectsomething.I

supposetheseare theknots I tie themostandtherefore Ihavemusclememorytotiethem.Idon’t thinkabout it, I justtiethem—theyjustformthemselves.“One of the other two knots that I usemost frequentlywould be the

BloodKnot,toformleadersbasedonaformulaIhavethathasevolvedformeoveryears.IalsousetheBloodKnottotieeachsegmentofmytaperedleader.Iunderstandthat it’sperhapsthehighest-testingknotorthestrongest-testingknot,butovertheyearsI’vecometorealizethattheleaderisstrongertestthantheclasslineanywaysoit’sveryraretohaveanyleaderfailure(usingthisknot)andit’safastandefficientknot.Andmost of all, it doesn’t require a lot ofmaterial to tie.Youdon’t have todoubletheline,andfigure-eightthings;itjustrequiresverylittlematerialanditcanbeclippedoffverycloseandtheleadercanbereeledupintothe rod guides if needed. TheBloodKnot is involved in every leader Iuse,ifthatleaderistapered.“Finally, thefourthknotIuseandrelyonmost istheSnell. Iuseit to

connect the butt section ofmy leader to the fly line. TheSnell is very,verysmall, streamlined,and light—and it formsa terrific transition fromthe fly line to the butt section so all the energy from the fly line istransferredintotheleader.ThosearetheknotsthatIliveby,rightthere.”

TrileneKnot

Manyanglerspreferthisknotforbiggerorheavierluresorfliesbecauseitholdswell.Infact,itoftentestsstrongerthanaClinchKnot.

1.Start thisknot thesamewayasyouwouldstartaClinchKnot,butafteryouhavebroughtthetippetthroughthehookeye,keepcomingaroundandpassthetippet throughthehookeyeasecondtime, inthesamedirectionas the firstpass.Thiswill formadouble loop infrontoftheeyeasyoustarttomakeyourturnsaroundthestandingpartoftheline.Keepthisloopopenwiththethumbandforefingerofyourlefthand.

2.Windthetagendaroundthestandingpartfivetimesonly.Bringthetagendbackthroughthedoubleloopinfrontoftheeye.

3.Moistenandtightencarefully.InsteadoflettinggoofthetagendasyouwouldwhentighteningaClinchKnot,ithelpstoholdthetagendtightlyagainstthefly.

FishingKnots

withJimmyHouston

Thoughtsonknotsfromtheprofessionalbassanglerandtelevisionpersonality.

“Goingbacktotheearly1970s,IworkedforBerkleyTrilene.Backthen,the big fishing line was (the competitor) Stren. But Berkley hired me,Ricky Green, Tommy Martin, and Roger Moore. That was the originalTrilene team (of professional anglers). They sent us out to storepromotions to talkaboutTrilene.Oneof the things theydid in theearlydayswas use line-testingmachines.We affectionately named oneR2-D2,becausethatwasaboutthetimewhenStarWarscameout.Itbrokelineatacertainteststrength,andwhatwehaditforwastoshowpeoplehow breaking strength worked. That was new back then. But we alsoused it as a teaching tool to showpeople how to tie good knots.MostpeopletiedaClinchKnot,anditpulledthroughataboutseventypercent.Ifyoutiedaswivelon,itwouldbreakatabout14or15percent.Andsowewouldteachpeopletotieagoodknot.”

TheTrileneKnotcameabout,Jimmyremembers,whenheandRickyGreen were fooling around during fishing promotions, trying differentknots,andtryingtogetpeopletochangeoverfromStrenfishinglinetoTrilene—andtoteachpeoplehowtotiebetterfishingknots.“Backthen,RickyGreenand Idida lotof thosestorepromotions.A lotof times inthosedays, at a promotion,wewould tie thousands of knots.We triedeverykindofquirkythingtotieknots,andthenputitonthemachineandlet itbreakitortrytobreakitorpull itthrough.Well,RickyGreenandIactuallydevelopedtheTrileneknotforthosepromotions.WeshowedittoTrilene and told them, ‘Hey, this is sensational, it’s a great knot.’Everyonewascomparing it to thePalomarKnot. Ifyou tie thePalomarKnotwell,it’s100percent.SoweshowedourknottoTrilene,andIsaid‘Iwant tocall it theJimmyHoustonKnot.’AndRickyGreensaid, ‘Well, IwanttocallittheRickyGreenKnot.’Whenwecameupwithitwewereplayingwiththatmachine,anditwouldn’tbreak.That’s theoriginof theTrilene knot. In the process of all that they didn’t call it the JimmyHoustonortheRickyGreenknot,theycalledittheTrileneKnot,whichishowit’sknowntoday.Thiswasprobablythelate1970s.“Back in the seventies and eighties, people didn’t know how to tie

fishingknots.It’snodifferentnow.Wegotokids’fishingderbiestoteach,weworkthemallaroundthecountry.”Eventually, Jimmy did develop a knot known as the JimmyHouston

Knot.“ItookaClinchKnotanddoubledthat,andwasplayingaroundwiththat, a double ImprovedClinch—doubling the line and running throughtheeyeofthelureandthenwrappingfourtimesaroundthedoubleline.Thiswasmore or less killing timeat these promotions, so I called thisone theJimmyHoustonKnot,and thiswasapure100percentknot, inmonofilamentorbraid.Youcanbreakalureoffandgoandretrievethatlureandyou’llseethelinebrokebutnottheknot.Theonlytimeyoucanmakethatknot fail is ifyoucinch itdownwrongandthe linecuts itself.Whatitreallyis,isaDoubleImprovedClinch.Thatgoesbacknowaboutforty years. We got it down to where four wraps would hold it. If I’mfishingaplasticworm,Ileavethetagslongbecausetheywilltuckinsidethewormandholdthewormstraight.PeoplewhowatchusonTVknowthatastheJimmyHoustonKnot.“Knotsareanintegralpartoffishing.Wetaughtalotofpeoplehowto

tie knots, including how to tie the Jimmy Houston Knot—and the coolthing, that knot is a 100 percent knot inmono, fluorocarbon, or braid,”Jimmyconcludes.

AlbrightKnot

In saltwater fishing, you’ll often need to connect lines of differentdiameters;sometimes,thematerialsaredifferent,suchaswhenyoujoinmonofilamenttofluorocarbon.You’llfindtheAlbrightKnotmostusefulforjoining these different lines, particularly when building leaders for big-gamespecies (usually in saltwater fishing), or attachinga fly line to itsbacking.

1. Make a loop in the tag end of the heavier leader material,overlappingwiththelinewiththetagendacoupleinches.Passthelighter material through this loop and pinch it against the heaviermaterial.Giveyourselfacoupleinchesofmaterialtoworkwith.

2. Wrap the lighter material over the doubled section of heaviermaterial, working toward the loop. You want about ten to twelveturns. (I recommend using twelve.) On the same side that you

enteredtheloop,passthelightermaterialbackthroughtheloop,asshownhere.

3. Pull on the standing parts of the lighter material and the heaviermaterial—pullsteadily,don’trush.Allowthecoilstoformtowardtheendof the loop.Pull the tagendof the lightermaterial to seat thecoils.Next,pullsteadilyon thestandingpartof the lightermaterial,coaxingthecoilstotheendoftheloopintheheaviermaterial.Usingpliers, pull the tag endof the lighter line, hard.Pull equally on thelight standing line and heavy tag to secure the knot. Trim the tagends.

Note:Intheclassicknot-tyingbookPracticalFishingKnotsII,theauthorsMarkSosinandLeftyKrehrecommendusingafinishingknottolockthetag end of the lighter line of the Albright in place, the same way youwouldlocktheBiminiTwist(seesteps3and4oftheBiminionpage82).

FishingtheAlbrightKnot(AlsocalledtheAlbrightSpecial)

withPhilMonahan

Credit:SandyHays

Phil is the former editor of American Angler magazine and a formerfishing guide in Alaska and Montana. Now the editor of the Orvis FlyFishing blog, he enjoys fishing the small streams near his home insouthernVermontandtravelingacrossthecountryreportingonfly-fishingdevelopments.He and I edited fly-fishingmagazines during the 1990s,when “how-to” was important to the readership, long before you couldfindinstructiononmuchofthesportthroughYouTube.“TheAlbrightKnotisoneofmyfavoriteknots—strangely,becauseitis

socomplicatedtotie.Thetrendinknotsistocreatethestrongestknotswith as few moves as possible and to try to get the smallest knot

possible. I rememberwhen I was first starting to fly fish and I saw anillustrationfortheAlbrightKnotthatfeaturedtentotwelveloops—that’salotof loops! Itwassuper intimidatingat first,and I think Ispenta lotoftime and quite a bit of backing perfecting it. But when it does cometogether, it’sactuallyaveryattractiveknot. Ithasthatslim, tightprofile.Whenyougetallofthosewrapstolieperfectlyonenexttotheother,andyou tug as hard as you can and you can’t make anything budge, it’ssatisfying.Andbecause it’shidden insideyour reel,youneversee it. Ifyou’refishingquiteabit,youwillretieyourBloodKnots,buttheAlbrightKnotissomethingyoudon’twanttoworryabout.Youwanttoknowyouhave ten to twelvewraps connecting that thing and there’s noway it’sgoingtofailyou.Theprocessisverysatisfying:togeteverythingtoworkperfectly in a somewhat complicated knot, to pull it tight, and haveeverythingseatperfectly,andbeabletoclipthosetagendsreallyclose.”Phildoesn’tfeelheneedstousesupergluetomaketheknotstronger:

Once it’s tied, it’s tied. “Putting superglueon it is gilding the lily. It’s aknot, so it’s supposed to hold. Let’s not complicate it.” He uses theAlbright exclusively to attach his fly line to the backing on the reel, asmanyflyfishersdo.Anglersreportusingtheknottojoinlinesofdifferentdiameters,ormonofilamentorfluorocarbontobraidedlines,ofteninbig-gamesaltwaterapplications.Phil reminds me he used to tie my Albright Knots when we worked

together while I edited Saltwater Fly Fishing and he edited AmericanAngler. (Okay, I supposehedid tieoneor two forme.) “When IwasafishingguideinAlaska,Igotalotofknotpracticebackintheday.Togetmefromthefly tothebackingonmyreel, I feel like itshouldgoClinchKnot, BloodKnot, Perfection Loop, Albright Knot. It’s also cool to tie aknotnamedafter(famousfishingguide)JimmieAlbright.”Albright was a saltwater pioneer who guided countless anglers and

many celebrities in the Florida Keys, including baseball legend TedWilliams. In theNew York Times obituary when Albright died in 1998,Richard Stanczyk of Bud ‘n’Mary’sMarina in Islamorada is quoted assaying:“JimmieandTedwerealotalike.Bothofthemwerecompetitive,expert,tough,andcantankerous.Jimmiehadagreatsenseofhumor,buthewasalsoverydedicatedanddisciplined.Hetookhisguidingseriously,andhelpedmaketheindustryalegitimateprofession.”Albrightadvancedthe sport inmanyways; he is also credited with developing the Blood

Knot.Keepthefaith,Phil.

BiminiTwist

Doubling your class tippet is insurance when fighting big, hard-fightingfish.InternationalGameFishAssociation(IGFA)regulationsallowyoutousethisinsurancewhenyou’refishingforrecords,therebycreatinga100percent connection between your class tippet and shock or bite tippet.Howcoolisthat?Butyou’llhavetomasterthisknottodoso.Ifyoueverfish for record catches, and plan to submit a record for IGFAconsideration,you’llwantaBiminiinyourleaderconfiguration.

1.Makealoopwithyourclass-tippetmaterial,putahandintotheloop,and twirl it twenty or thirty times. Now place the loop aroundsomething stationary—over your knee (as shown here), or someanglersplacetheloopoveradoorknob.Makesurethenow-twistedloop is closed tight.While you have the loop over your knee or adoorknob, place your forefinger at the Y formed where the loopmeets the twists. Slowly release the tag end as you push a fingeragainsttheforkoftheY.Whatyou’redoingislettingthetagendrollover the twists. It’s pretty cool! Don’t let the coils bunch up oroverwrap; it helps to slightly elevate the tag end as you push thatindexfinger.Whenyouhaveaneatgroupofcoils,securetheknotbymakingahalf-hitchintheY.

2. Do it again on the other side.Now do it a third time around bothsides.

3.MakeaClinchKnotsetuparoundthelegs,windingthetagendfivetimes around the doubled line and tighten that, slowly and evenly.Pullthetagendwithplierstomakesuretheknotistightandthatitseatsproperly.Makeanoverhandknottosecurethewholething.

4.Theresultisadoublelineononeendandsinglelineontheother.This is commonly used as the class tippet connection in a leader,especiallywhenyou’re fishing for recordcatches—theBimini is theleadersectionyouwouldsubmit toarecordorganization tohavearecord catch certified. The rules from the International Game FishAssociation (IGFA) state: “Fly rod applications must include theentire leaderstillattached to the fly.Allother recordsmust include50 feet of the main line still attached to the double line and/orleader.”Formoreinfo,gotoigfa.org.

HuffnagleKnot

When you need to employ a Bimini Twist as a class tippet (kind of amiddletransitionalsection,beforethebusinessendof thebiteorshocktippet), joining it to a heavy bite or shock tippet (usually for saltwaterfishing),givetheHuffnagleKnotatry.

1. Make an overhand knot in the heavy leader material, a coupleinches from theend.Draw this knot up to forma figureeight, andplace the loop end of the Bimini Twist through the loop, and thenbackaroundthroughtheother loop,asshownhere.Pull theheavyleadermaterialtight,closingtheknot.Youjoinedthetwolines,nowyoufinishtheknot.Trimtheheavytagend.

2. Knot the loop of the Bimini around the heavy leader material, asshownabove.

3.Nowusethe loopof theBimini, looping itaroundtheheavy leadermaterial five times (likeyoudidwhen finishing theBimini).Pull thetagendandcoaxthecoilsoftheresultingknotintoaneven,thoughunruly,bunch—slowlyanddeliberately.

4.Pullonthelooptagendandtheheavy(shock)tippettotighten.Trimthetag.

OrvisKnot

Usethisknotforfreshorsaltwaterapplications.Seetheinterviewbelowwith Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis to learn more about the history of thisknot.

1.Passthetippetthroughtheeyeofthelureorfly,comingupfromthebottom,andmakealoop,asshownhere.

2.Bringthetagaroundthestandingline,makinganotherloop.

3.Maketwoturnsaroundthenewloop.4.Applysomesalivaandpulltheflyandthetagend,totightenagainstthehookeye.Trimtheexcesstag.

Note:TheOrvisCompanyCEOPerkPerkinsmadethisknotevenmoreuseful with a version called the Orvis Tippet Knot. You use the sameengineering for both knots, only this one joins lines (whereas theothersecures the fly or lure hook). Start this knot by overlapping tippet andleader linesby six toeight inches.Forma loopas youdidabove, andthen make a second loop and bring the tag ends through that loop acoupletimes,asyoudidabove.Moistentheknot,pinchthetagendsonthe standing line, and draw the knot tight, pulling evenly. Clip the tagends.

AbouttheOrvisKnot

withTomRosenbauer

Formore than fortyyears,TomRosenbauerhasworked inavarietyofcapacitiesforVermont’sOrvisCompany,thecountry’soldesthuntingandfishingmail-ordercompanyfoundedin1856.Hehasalsowrittensomeofthe most instructive books to date on fly fishing. His book, The OrvisGuide toFlyFishing, isoneof themostaccessible introductions to thesport published in themodern era. I’ve had some superb days fishingwithTom,includingtimespentwithhimandCapt.TonyBiskiontheflatsof Monomoy Island off the coast of Cape Cod and with Tom on theBattenkillinVermont.

“Inthe1990s,Orvishadacontestwherepeoplecouldsubmittheirown

knots.Wehadall theknots testedonan Instron(knot testingmachine)and a guy name LarryBecker submitted this knot,which some peopleclaimed was another knot, but the truth was nobody had ever seen itanywhere.It’saverysimpleknottotie.PerkandDavePerkins(theCEOandvicechairmanofOrvis,respectively)areverygoodanglersandtheyuseitexclusivelytotieonafly.“Oneofthebiggestbenefitsofthisknotisthatit’sconsistent.Ifyou’ve

ever been involvedwith knot tests—and I have been—you realize thatmostoftheknotspeopleuseareveryinconsistent.Forinstance,aClinchKnot or an Improved Clinch Knot may be close to 95 percent, if tiedperfectly.Butwefoundifyoutakeareallygoodknottier,andheorsheties ten knots, you’re going to find 20 or 30 percent variation in thebreakingstrength.Inconsistencyinknotsisarealissueandtheredoesn’tseemtobeawayaround it.TheOrvisKnot isa reallyconsistentknot,andit’ssoeasythatit’stoughtotieitimproperly.Andit’sareallystrongknotandit’sclean.Whenhefirstsawit,PerkPerkinssaid,‘Aw,that’sacool knot.’ He came up with a way to use the same knot to join twopiecesoftippetmaterials—theOrvisTippetKnot.”

Surgeon’sKnot

1. You’re joining two pieces of line with this knot, so begin byoverlapping the tag ends by four to six inches.Make an overhandknot loop in the overlapped line andpinch the junction of the loopwithyourthumbandforefinger.

2. Make another overhand knot with the doubled line. Moisten thisconnectionwithsaliva—Iusuallypopthewholethinginmymouth—whichwillhelpsecureitwhenyoupulltight.

3.Holdtheheavyandlightlineandpullquicklyandtightly.Befirm,bedecisive!Trimthetagends.

Surgeon’sLoop

TheSurgeon’sLoop isadoubleoverhandknot that formsa loop. It’salittlebulkywhenusingheaviermaterial,but it’seffective.ThePerfectionLoopisanalternativeformanyanglers.

1. Form a loop and overlap the tag endwith the standing leader foraboutsixinches.

2.Makeanoverhandknot inthedoubledsectionandpassthesingleloop through thedouble loopyouhave just formed.Don’t jump thegunandtighten—yet.

3.Makeanother turn of the single loop through the doubled loop. Inpractice,thisissimplytwooverhandknotsontopofoneanother.Asalways,pulltightandtrimthetag.

PerfectionLoop

Asthenameimplies,thisloopknotallowsyoutoachieveaperfectloopinlinewiththestandingsectionoftheleader.

1. Start bymaking a loop, and adjust the tag end so it extends at aright angle. You’ll need a second, smaller loop in front of the firstone.Dothisbybringingthetagendaroundthefirstloop,asshownhere.

2.Passthetagbetweenthetwoloops.Itshouldenduppointingatarightangle to thestandingsectionof the line.Pinch it inplacewithyour thumb.Pull thesecond loopthroughthefirst.Don’t let thetagendstrayor creep.The loopwill tightenwhenyoupull thesecondloopstraightabovethestandingpartoftheleader.Moisten.

3.Here’sthefinishedloop—nowclipthetag.

DoubleFigureEightLoopKnot

1.You’llneedagoodamountofexcess lineat the tagendto tie thisknot.Tieadoubleoverhandknot in thefishing line.Threadthetagendofthelinethroughthehookeye.Adjusttheoverhandknotsoitlayssideways,revealingthefigureeightthatgivestheknotitsname.

2.Bringthetagendupthroughthefirstandsecondloopsofthedoubleoverhandknot(asshownhere).Pullthetagthrough.

3.Tightenthatfirstknotconnectionatthehookeye.Bringthetagendaroundthestandinglinetwotimestomakeanotherdoubleoverhandknot. Now you have the second figure eight,made by the seconddoubleoverhandknot.Bringthetagendthroughthesecondloop,asshownhere.

4.Moistentheknots.Pullbothhookbendandthestandinglinetoslideup the first knot, joining the knots together to form the loop of thehookeye.Cliptheexcess.

AbouttheDoubleFigureEightLoopKnotwithJerryGibbs

Whenyou’vebeenattheforefrontoffishingwritingforacoupledecades,as was Jerry Gibbs while serving as Fishing Editor for Outdoor Lifemagazinetillthemid-2000s(takingupthatmantleinthe1970sfollowingthe great Joe Brooks), you tend to learn a knot or two—or hundreds.JerrydidexemplaryworkforOLduringthosedecades,andwhileIwashiseditorthereintheearly1990s,I’mproudtosaywebecamefriends.Interestingly, we’ve hunted birds together more than we’ve fished, butI’velearnedlotsfromJerrythroughtheyears.Iaskedhimaboutfishingknots, and he came up with a beautiful recommendation—the DoubleFigureEightLoopKnot.TheknotJerrydescribeshereinhisownwordsis similar to the Homer Rhode Loop Knot (included in this book), onlyyou’lldoubleuptheoverhandknotseachtime,beforesecuringtheloopinplace.

“Ifigurethatwithinherentlylessflexibleheaviertippets,anylittleextrayoucangive toaddmovement toyour fly isagood thing.Thusa loopknotisagoodthing.Thatsaid,backintheday,pioneeringFloridaKeysguide Nat Ragland often went to great effort of snelling many of hisstreamers(aidedby the front-endshankspaceofclassicFloridaKeys–style tarpon flies) feeling he got better hook sets. I still like a loopconnectionand,ofcourse,wantonethat’sstrong,easytotie,and,withflies, facilitates a straight swim. I’ve used a Homer Rhode Loop Knot,whichisreallysimpletotiebutsometimesresultsinaslightoffsetorkinkthatdiscouragesastraight flyswim.TheUni is reallyawful tocinchuptightonaheavytippet.“Intheend,IdiscoveredtheDoubleFigureEight,popularizedbyCapt.

SteveHuffofSouthFlorida,perhaps themost innovativeand insightful

angler and guide living today. This knot answered all my criteria. Ofcourse,youcanuseitwithahard-bodiedlure,softplastic,orbaithook.It’snotconfinedonlytothoseeighty-pound-testmonotippets;I’veuseditdowntothirty-poundtest.Afterthat,ImightswitchofftoaNon-slipMonoLoopas in,say,a twenty-pound-testor lighter tippet,becausewith thatlightermaterialthere’snoneedtodropyourhookoveranobject—hardorshortpieceofropetiedintoaloop—tosnuguptheFigureEight,whichissomething I always do working with heavier tippet. On trips where it’simpracticaltocarryoneofthosefly-leaderstretchers,I’veusedtheknottoquicklytieupabatchoffliestoforty-andsixty-poundtesttippet,coiledthetippetandtherestoftheleader,andstowedtheminzipperedplasticbags.Takingthemoutforuse,alittlehandstretchingandeverythingwasfine—andmyfliesswamstraight.”

Fish-N-FoolKnot

ThisknotwasawinneronthevideoseriesKnotWars,whichpittedwell-knownknotsagainsteachotheronaknot-testingmachinetoprovewhichwasstrongest.

1.Threadthetagendupthroughthehookeye,twice,formingadoublelooparound thehookeye.Giveyourself a lengthofabouteight toteninchesoftagsection.

2.Makealoopwiththetagend,holdingtheloopnearestthehookeyebetweenyourfingers.Wrapthetagendoveranduparoundthetopdoubledlinefivetoseventimes.

3.Moistentheknotandpullthetagendandthehookatthesametimetocinchtheknot.Theloopshownaboveisforillustrationpurposes:whenyou tighten it, theknot’sbarrelwrapswill secureagainst thehookeye.

4.Thisishowthefinishedknotshouldsit.Cliptheexcesstag.

ConventionalTackleKnots

withStevePennaz

Stevewas the longtimeeditorofNorthAmericanFishermanmagazine,thepublicationoftheNorthAmericanFishingClub,forwhichhewasalsoexecutive director. (Full disclosure: I worked with Steve and anotherexcellenteditornamedKurtBeckstromatthemagazinein1995.)Healsowas thehostofseveral fishing televisionshows through theyears,andheoversawandhostedtheseriesKnotWars,whichpittedtwoknotstiedwith braided, monofilament, and fluorocarbon line on a knot-testingmachine to prove which was stronger with each line type. Knot Warsbecameatoppaidsportsappwhenitwaslaunchedin2010.TheknotsSteve talks about here come out of the testing in the Knot Warscompetition.(Findvideosonlinebysearching“KnotWars.”)

“IliveintheNorthCountry(inMinnesota)andwedoalotoffishingatnightandinthewinterwhenyourhandsaresocoldit’shardtotieaknot,so I like to use knots I can tie essentially without light—knots that areeasytotie.TheImprovedClinchhasbeenaroundformany,manyyearsandmillionsofanglersuseitbecauseit’sstrongandeffective.ButoneoftheknotsthatcameoutofKnotWarsiscalledtheFish-N-FoolKnot;it’sbasically amodifiedUni Knot. It goes through the hook eye twice andwrapsup.WhatIlikeaboutthisknotisthatIcantieitwithnumbhands.AnditdidwinKnotWars,Ithinkitwasthefirstyearofthecompetition,asthestrongestknot,beatingthePalomarandothers.Thatknotperformedverywellonallthreetypesoflines.“I’ve always struggled with the leader-to-line connection. I’ve been

using theUni-to-Uni formany years, it’s a decent knot, but it’s not thestrongest. I knowa lot of guys like to tie theBloodKnot, but for some

reason thatknotand I justdon’tgetalong realwell. Iheard fromsomeguysnorthoftheborder(inCanada)aboutaknotcalledtheBobForanKnot.Youcangoonlineandfindinstructionsfortyingit.TheguysItalkto,andtheguyswhoItrust,arebecomingbiggerandbiggerfansof it.”Stevesayshe’shadtheUni-to-Unifailsohe’slookingforareplacement,andtheBobForanKnotmightbeit.“Thelinesaresogoodtoday,andtheequipmenthasbecomesogood,

Ithinkanglershavebecomesomuchbetterthanevenagenerationago,intermsofefficiencyandeffectivenessandoverallskill.Withcatch-and-release, anglers are catchingmore and bigger fish. And I think they’rebecomingmoreeffectiveat landinggiant fish, too.Knot failure is not athingofthepast,butpeoplearemuchbetterandbetterequippedtopushtackletothelimits.Frankly,infreshwaterthereareveryfewspeciesthatallowyou topush the limitsof tackle.Basically,you’reequipped for thesituation.Braided linesarestillan issue forsomeanglersbecauseyoucannotuseknotswithbraidsthatyou’dusewithotherfishinglines.Thebraidsare tooslippery forknots like the ImprovedClinch, theknotswillslip right out.As longas you’reusing the right knot for the line, I thinkyou’llbeingoodshape.“Anglers will benefit from taking the time to practice knot tying—if

you’rewatchingTV, take the timeandpractice tyingknots. Ifyoureallypracticeandstudytheknots,asyouworkonthem,you’llgetthere.Thecinchingprocessofaknotmakesanabsolute,massivedifference in itsoverallstrength.”

BraidedKnot

This knot is a triple threat, proving effective on braided superlines,monofilaments,andfluorocarbons.

1.Doubleoverthebraidedlineandruntheloopthroughthehookeye.2.Bringasectionofdoubledlinebackoverthestandinglineandloopitaroundthestandinglineeighttotentimes.

3.Runtheloopbetweenthehookeyeandthefirstcoil,andtightenitslowlyandcarefully.Clipthedoublelineandthetag.

CrawfordKnot

1.Holdingthehookshankwithyourlefthand,runthetagendthroughthe hook eye and bring the end back underneath and around thestandingline.Passthetagendinfrontoftheloopandbackaroundthrough the loop, as shownhere.Moisten the knotwith salivaandpullthetagenddown.

2.Nowfirmlyholdthehookandpullthetagendtotightentheloopoflineinthefinishedknot,againstthehookeye.Cliptheexcess.

DropperLoop

Whenyouwant to fisha tandemrigandhaveone flyextendingoff theleaderandanotherontheterminalend,usethisknot;youcantieanothertippetsectiontothislooptodropalureorflyoffit.

1.Makealoopintheline.2.Windthetagendbackthroughtheloopfiveorsixtimes.Holdingtheconnectionsotheloopisstandingup,pullthemiddleofthebigloopdownthroughthewrapsyoucreated,asshownhere.Thisformstheloop.

3. Moisten the wraps with saliva and pull the two ends of the line,securingtheloopinplace.Youdon’thavetopullontheloopatall;thewrapstightentheloopinplace.TherearesimilaritiesheretohowaBloodKnotisformed.

DuncanKnot/LooporUni-Knot1.Bringthetagendthroughthehookeye(oraroundareel’sarbor).Attheendclosesttothehookeyeorthereel,beginwrappingthetagaroundthe

standingline.Dothisfourorfivetimes,eachtimepassingthetagendthrough

thebottomloop.

2.Bring the tagone final time through thebottom loop,and thenpullthetagtotightentheknot,asshownhere.

DuncanKnot

Uni-Knot

Note:Youcantightenthisknottoformaloop,orjointwosectionsoflinewith a Uni-to-Uni using the knot shown here and drawing together theknotsintoonestrongconnection.

UsingtheDuncanLoop(a.k.a.Uni-Knot)byTomKeer

Itwould figure thatoneofmy favorite knotshas threedifferentnames.TheoriginalnameforthemultipleoverhandknotwastheGallowsKnot,anditwasfirstpublishedin1944.Later,intheearly1960s,amannamedNormanDuncan twisted itup,anddidsowithoutknowing thatwhathethoughtwashisknothadalreadybeenwrittenabout.ThatwastheknotIlearnedtotie,andIknewitastheDuncanLoop.Aboutadecadelaterinthe 1970s,VicDunaway, a fishing editor fromFlorida,wrote about theDuncanLoopandreferredtoitastheUni-Knot.Callitwhatyouwill,it’sstill the same great knot. And these days, the Uni-Knot may be morefitting. Why? It’s universal, in many regards. The knot ties well withmonofilament, fluorocarbon,andbraided line. It isequallyusefulacrossall fishing disciplines. Use it when fishing with live bait; tie on a plug,spinner,orspoon;oruseitwithavarietyofflies.

TheDuncanLoop (alsocalled theUni-Knot) isuseful formanyotherapplications, too. Use the Duncan Loop instead of an Arbor Knot toattachlinetoareelarbor.Usethesameknotwhenattachingaleadertoahook,aswivel,ora three-way rig.ThisMVK (MostValuableKnot) isstrong and tests out at more than 95 percent breaking strength. Thebenefit is that itholdsupunder thesteadypressureofasoundingandrunning fish, as well as the pounding jerks associated with a jumping,tuggingfish.Nomatterhowyourfavoritespeciesfights,theDuncanLoopprovidesanedge.Buthere’swhatIlikebest,andperhapsthisiswhyit’sknownasboth theDuncanLoopand theUni-Knot—it’s a loop knot aswellasa fixedknot.Seat theDuncanLoopaquarterofan inchaboveyour fly or bait, and it’ll function as a loop. Streamer and nymphflyfishermen, big fly saltwater anglers, and live bait anglers love theadditional naturalmovement that comes froma loop knot.Whena fishhits,theDuncanLoopslidesuntilitsnugsdowntothehookeye.Thenitmiraculouslytransformsintoafixedknot.Ifyou’retyingonaplug,asoftplastic, or a stickbait, you can always seat the knot to the hook eye.Threenamesforoneknotwithuniversalapplications—you’vegottaloveit.

FigureEightKnot

1.Bringthetagendthroughthehookeye,andbringitaroundtoformafigureeight,asshownhere.

2.Tightentheknotagainstthehookeye,andclipthetagend.

FlowerKnot

1.Bringthetagendthroughthehookeyeandthenloopitupandoverthestandingline.

2.Bringthetaginsidetheloop,andthenbackpasttheoutsideoftheloop,asshownhere.

3.Moisten,tightentheknot,andclipthetag.

FishingtheFlowerKnot

withPeterCorbin

Credit:GrahamKenanHegamyer.

Recommendedbyfineartist,sportsman,andmasteranglerPeterCorbinofShooter’sHillinMillbrook,NewYork—alsoalongtimefriend.TheFlowerKnotisadependablereplacementforaClinchKnot,Peter

Corbin says. However, Corbin also warns it can pull out if it’s not tiedproperly:“Ithinkwhathappensis,thelasttagonthepull-throughwilljustbeacurlicue,becauseithastoreversetotightenupproperly.Theknotisreallyquick—it’sanoverhandknot,andthenthetaggoesbackthroughthe other way to complete it. It’s simple. As I get older, and I have tochangemyglassesorwhateverwhentyingaknot,Icanalwaysdothisone.MyhuntingpartnerJimKlineshowedittome,andinitiallyIdidhavealittletroublekeepingclearwhichwayIwascomingwiththetagafterIdidthefirstoverhand;IhadtomakesureIwaswrappingaroundtherightpartof the line.WhenIwasup inCanada(Atlanticsalmonfishing)andSamDempster(aguideontheHawkeRiverinCanada)showedmetheknot, he said somany people are tying it because it’s easier than theClinch Knot. I can’t claim any originality on this, I can only say that itworks. Supposedly, it’s stronger than a clinch, too. Between this, aPerfectionLoop,andaUni-Knot,andIdon’thavetoclutterupmymindwithanythingelse—youcantiejustaboutanything.”CorbinsaysheusestheUni-Knottojoinlinesofdifferentdiameters—a

leaderbutttoaleadermidsection,forexample—andhe’shadthelighter

line break, possibly from the friction created when tightening the knot.Corbin shares a tip: joining mono to braided backing (or mono to asectionofbraided line),heusessix turnsaround thebraid tocompletetheUni-Knot.

GeorgeHarveyDryFlyKnot

Ifyoulovetrout,youshouldknowthenameGeorgeHarvey.Hisobituaryreads:“Havingorganizedwhat isbelievedtobethefirstcollegeanglingcourse in theUS,Mr.Harveybecameknownas theDeanofAmericanFly Fishing.” He was a legendary angler, yes, but he was also alegendary teacher who indoctrinated countless anglers into fly fishingthroughhiscourseworkatPennState.Wehonorthemanandhislegacybyincludingthisknot.

1. Bring the tag end through the hook eye, and loop the line twicearoundthestandingline,formingtwocircles.

2. Bring the tag end around the loops, pinch the loops with yourfingers, and bring the tag end over and around, as shown here,exitingbehindtheloops.

3.Drawtheknottightandclipthetag.(Andremembertosay,“Thankyou,ProfessorHarvey”whenyoulandafishusingthisknot.)

ImprovedTurleKnot

1. Run the tag end through the hook eye and form a loop of line(shownhereloopedaroundtheheadofthefly).

2.Formanotherloopwiththetag,forwardoftheflyorlure,andbringthetagthroughthatthreetimes.

3.Pulltheknottight,coaxingthesmallloopovertheheadoftheflyorlure,intopositionagainstthehookeye.

FishingtheImprovedTurleKnotbyTomKeer

Everwatchadry flywithadown-turnedringeyeridenose-down in thesurfacefilm?Orhaveyouseenasalmonflywithanup-turnedringeyeridewhopper-jawed?Ihave,andIwastheonewhotiedthemontheline.Letme tell you this fromexperience:noself-respecting troutorsalmonwillhitaflylookinglikethat.Atleastthey’veneverhitmine.Ourmodern-dayproblemwassolvedalongtimeagothankstoanineteenthcenturyBrit,MajorWilliamGreerTurle.While thisgentlemandidnot invent theknot named after him, he did popularize it. Why? To solve the sameproblemyouandIfacewithnose-downridingflies.TheImprovedTurleKnotisalooptiedandseatedbehindtheringeye.

A loop,which isessentiallya lasso, is tiedat theendso thatwhen theknot isseated it retracts tosecureagainst theheadof the fly.Becausetheknot isattached to thehead,dry flies rideperfectlyon thesurface.Insteadofhavingapressurepointwhere theknotmeets thehookring,the lasso approach spreads out pressure points, thereby offering 95percent breaking strength. Since themonofilament passes through thering there isadegreeofmovement in the fly, too. It’snota lot,but it’smore than a fixed knot will allow. Tome, the biggest point is that theleaderandthehookshankaredirectlyinline.Andthatiswhyyourdryflyfloats exactly where it was designed to ride: high on the surface ordirectlyinthesurfacefilm.

NailKnot

Useasmallnail—hence theknot’sname,used in thisstyleof tyingaspopularized by the great Joe Brooks ofOutdoor Life, but known to bedeveloped by Florida Keys fishing guide Jimmie Albright—as thefoundationaroundwhichtoformthisknot.

1.Makesevenwrapsaroundthelineandthenail,asshownhere.2.Bringthetagendbackthroughthegapprovidedbythenail,againasshownhere.

3.Withdraw the nail and pull the tag end of the line.Make sure thewrapsstaylinedupneatly,anddon’tbunchup.Bunchedwrapscancauseknotfailure.

4. Here’s the finished knot with the tag clipped. Some anglers addsuperglue (cyanoacrylateadhesive) over thewraps toensure thattheydon’tseparate.

NeedleNailKnot

ThisisasimilarpremisetotheNailKnot,onlynowyouuseaneedleto“sow”yourleaderintotheflyline.Thisisagreatwaytoattachaleaderbuttsectiontotheflyline.

1.Startbythreadingthelineintothecenteroftheflyline.2.Wrapthelinearoundtheflyline,usingtheneedleasabase,asyouwouldaNailKnot.Pullthetagendundertheknotwraps,usingtheneedleasyouraid.

3.Tieoffandclipthetag,makingsurethewrapsarelinedupproperlyandnotbunched.

DoubleNail-KnotLoop

1.Use theNailKnot tosecure theheavier lineor fly line intoa loop.Start by doubling over the heavier line. Tie a Nail Knot using aneedleorotherstraightobject.

2.Here’sthefirstfinishedNailKnot.3.NowsecuretheloopwithasecondNailKnot.Again,someanglerscoattheNailKnotswithsuperglueorsilicone.Yourcallonthat.

WhippedLoop

Aconvenientwaytoformaloopattheendoftheflyline(theforwardendforattachingtheleader,thebackendforusingaloop-to-loopconnectionfor the reel’s backing) is simply whipping a loop using fly-tying thread.Youcanthenattachtheleaderwithaloop-to-loopconnection.(Somefly-linemanufacturersmake fly lineswith loopsat theends, savingus thetrouble.)

1.Startby forminga loop in the fly lineandwrapping fly-tying threadmany timesaround the tagendof the fly line tosecure the loop inplace.(Youcanpeeloffthefly-linecoatingifyou’dpreferandmakealoopwiththeexposedbraidedlineunderneath—yourchoice.)

2. Lay a short loop section of heavy monofilament over the threadwrapsandmakeabout tenmorethreadwrapsover themono.Runthe thread through themono loop and withdraw it from under thethreadwraps,makinga“trapwrap”andsecuringthethread.

3. This is the slightly taperedWhippedLoop.Someanglers coat thethreadwithsuperglueorotherfixativetoensuretheloopwon’tpullout.Yourchoice.

HomerRhodeLoopKnot

Thisisanexcellentutilitarianloopknotforwhenyouwanttoimpartmoreaction to a lureor a fly. Theman forwhom the knot is named,HomerRhodeJr.,wasafly-rodpioneer inSouthFloridaandtheEverglades inthe mid-twentieth century. He originated the Homer Rhode Jr. TarponStreamer(similarindesigntothetarponSeaducerpopularizedbyChicoFernandez)andtheHomerRhodeJr.TarponBucktail,whichwerebothfeatured in Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing by Joseph D. Bates Jr.RhodeswrotetoBates,andisquotedinthebook,“You’llnotethatallofmyneckhackleandsaddlehacklefliesaretiedwithveryheavycollars.”Healsowrote: “When Idress fliesonoffsethooks I removedabout90percentoftheoffset,whichseemstogivethebestresultsinhookingandholdingfish.”Alittleclassicfishingtipfromanearlysaltwatermaster.

1.Make an overhand knot a couple inches from the end of the line.Bring the tag end through the hook eye, and back through theoverhandloop,asshownhere.

2. Draw up this knot against the hook eye—loosely. Make anotheroverhandknotaroundthestandingline.

3.Moistentheknotsandpullthelureorflybythehookbend,causingthe first overhand knot to jam up against the second. Clip the tagend.

Non-slipMonoLoopKnot

Déjàvu?Yes—youstartthisknotthesameasyoudidtheHomerRhodeLoop.

1.Makeanoverhandknotinthelineandpassthetagendthroughthehookeye,bringingthetagbackthroughtheoverhandknot,asseenhere.NowgetClinchknotty—wrapthetagaroundthestandinglinefive time, as seen here. Use four turns for line heavier than forty-pound-test.

2.Nowreverseyourself—bringthetagbackthroughtheoverhandknot

loop,onthesamesideyoudidpreviously.3.Tightenbypullingthetagend,withpliersifyouhavethem.Thenpullthe lure or fly by the hook bend to seat the knot as you hold thestanding line, and you should have your loop—Non-slip, just asintended.

PalomarKnot

This knot has lots of history as a fisherman’s helper, but recently hasbeen maligned as it doesn’t always test out at 100 percent on knotmachines.Whenyoutieitright,thought,thePalomarwon’tletyoudown.

1.Beginbydoublingtheline,threadingitthroughthehookeye,givingyourself enough length, and forming an overhand knot, as shownhere.

2.Bringtheflyorlurethroughtheknot(orbringtheloopovertheflyor

lure).3.Pullthestandinglineandtheflyorlurebythehookbendtoseattheknot,andclipthetagend.

SlimBeauty

WhileeditingSaltwaterFlyFishingmagazine, I got to knowCapt.TomRowland,andhe laterhelpeddevelop thisknot;he’salsoacreative flytier. Rowland guided in the Rocky Mountains and later in Key West,Florida,andwasknownasahard-working,no-nonsenseangler.Henowproduces television shows, and you can find out more about this knot(including an excellent video on tying it) atwww.saltwaterexperience.com. He tells the story at the website abouthow this knot was named—not for the profile of the knot, but in ahumorousreferencetothenicknameawaitressgavehimonenightataCubanrestaurant,SlimBeauty.

1. Tie a double figure eight in the leader, and rotate the knot at thisstageso theconcave loopscurveup,making iteasier tocompletethisknot.

2.Double your other leadermaterial, and thread thedoubled loop inandout, through the two loops of the figure eight, as shownhere.Drawthefigureeightalittletighter—butnottootight.Thenextstepis towrap the joining leadermaterial five timesup theother leadermaterial(A).

3. Now wrap the doubled line four times back to the overhand knotconnection,threadingitthroughthefirstloopyoumade(B).

4.Pulltight,slowlyanddeliberatelysecuringtheknot,andtrimthetagends.Thisiswhatthefinishedknotshouldlooklike.

FishingtheSlimBeautywithTerryGibson

TerryGibsonhasworkedatmagazines includingSaltwaterFlyFishing,FloridaSportsman,andOutdoorLife,andalsohasworked tirelesslyonconservationissues.HelivesinFloridaandoftenspendspartoftheyearinWyoming,sohefishesinbothsaltandfreshwater.“When I was working atFlorida Sportsman magazine, JeffWeakley,

editor,showedmehowtotiethisknot.Heshowedittomeinthecontextof tying it so you could wind it through the guides of a conventionaloffshorerod. It’sareallygreatknot to tie,whenyou’re joiningmaterialsfor a leader, or in fly fishing, tying the leader to the tippet. It’s reallystrong;I’veneverhadonebreakthatI’vetiedright.I’veuseditfortarponleaders, but primarily I’ve used it for offshore fishing—trolling and kitefishing,thatsortofthing.It’sniceforkitefishinginatournamentbecauseonceyoureeltheleaderintotherodtip,it’sanofficialrelease.Withanykindofguideonarod—rollerguidesorregularloops—itrollsrightinandgoes rightbackout.Thebiggest thing is if youaccidently reel theknotpast the rod tip, like when the guide is trying to grab a tarpon, forinstance,it’snotgoingtomakeanydifference—itwon’thurtyouoryourrod.Plus,I’mlazyandIdon’treallyfishforrecords,soitworksforme,”Terrysayswithalaugh.

“It’s easier than some of the conventional knots used for a tarponleader. I’ve tied itmore thanaHuffnagle,and it’squicker thanaBiminiTwist, so I’m pretty pragmatic and this is quick and easy. It also helpsyour fly track straighter and helps the leader turn overwhen you cast.Theknotmakesaveryaccuratepresentation.”

Here’sabonustipWhen you need to tie the braided fishing line to a fluorocarbon ormonofilamentleader,Terryrecommendsusingback-to-backUni-Knots.“Idoa lotofspin-fishingwith light, finesse lures.That’ssomethingwedohereintheIndianRiverLagoon(inFlorida).Weusereallylightbraid,likeeight-pound,andlightormedium-actionspinners.IfyoutietheUni-Knotsright,theknotsareprettyslim.IdoublethebraidoverwithaSpiderHitch,andthenItieaback-to-backUniwiththebraidandtheleader.Thetrickis tonotuseanymorethanthreeturnsoneachsideandtomakesuretheycinchdowntightonbothends.Theyshouldlookliketwobeerkegsstanding on top of each other, perfectly, once you’re done tying them.Thisdoublestheabrasionresistanceofyourbraidedline,too.I’vepulledsomesnook fromplaces Inever thought I’dget themoutof, using thisknotsetup.”

Snell

1. Thread the tag end of your tippet up through the hook eye, run itthroughaboutafoot,andthencircleitbackthrough,soyouformacirclearoundthehook,asshownhere.

2. Rotate the loop around the hook shank six times, working backtowardthebendofthehook.Useyourfingerstopinchthewrapsonthe hook shank. Really, you’re twisting the loop around the hookshank, six times. Slip the wraps up to the hook eye,making suretheystayinorderlywraps.

3.Makesurethestandinglineexitsthroughthehookeye,sothehooktracks straight when you retrieve it. Hold the tag end and pull thestanding line to seat the knot. Youwant an orderly bunch towraprightbehindthehookeye.Clipthetagend.

Non-slipShoelaceKnot

Here’sanother funknot to learn.Youcanuse it to tieshoelacessothelaceswon’tsliponyou,oryoucansecure itemswitheyelets(likebuoyfloatsmaybe?)withthisknot.It’sgoodforgeneraljoinery.

1.Crossonelineovertheother—thinklikeyouaretyingyourshoes.2.Nowdoublethetagendtomakealoopandbringtheothertagendaroundinfrontoftheloop.

3. Wrap the tag end around the loop. After you’ve made a couplewraps,bringthetagenddownthroughthewrapsyoujustmade.

4.Thefinishedknotwillhavetwobows—the“bunnyears”yourmothertoldyouaboutwhenshewasteachingyoutotieyourshoes!

TandemHookRig

1.Passtheleaderthroughthehookeyeofthefirsthook.Youwanttoleavealotoflinebehindthehook,toworkwith.

2.Makeanoverhandknotinthelinebehindthehook,anddrawitintoa figure eight around the hook. Bring the loops of the figure eightoverthehookpointandslowlytightentheknotbehindthehookeye.

3.Measureanadequatedistanceforthefishingyouhaveplanned,andtieonasecondhook,usingtheterminalconnectionofyourchoice,such as the ever-reliable Improved Clinch Knot that we coveredearlierinthisbook.

BerkleyBraid

Onpage120inthisbook,wecallthisknottheBraidedKnot.Butit’salsoidentified as the Berkley Braid Knot. Sowemention it again, this timerecommendedsolelyforuseforsuper-braidlines.Thisknotwasawinnerin the popular video series Knot Wars hosted by Steve Pennaz. It’sparticularlyeffectivewhenusedastheterminalconnectionjoiningsuperbraidtoahook.

EugeneBendKnot

This knot comes tousbywayofa recommendation froma fishing-linemanufacturer,namelyBerkley.Theymakethelines,testthestrengthofthe lines,andtheyconstantly testknotstiedwiththe lines.TheEugeneBendKnotworksinmonofilamentandfluorocarbonwhenyouhavemorestiffnesstoworkwith,makingtheloopwrapseasier.

1.Pass the tagendof the tippetor leader through thehookeyeandmakealongloopabovetheline,asshownhere.

2.Wrapthelooparoundthestandinglinefourtimes.3.Bringthetagendthroughtheloopattheendofyourwraps.4.Moistenandcarefullydrawtheknottight.Clipthetagend.

BloodySimpleKnot

1.Theleaderpiecesoverlapandaretwistedtogether.2.Wrap Tag A over standing line B and loop Tag A around. Tag BwrapsaroundstandinglineA.

3.Holdthetagendsandthestandingline,moistenthewraps,andpulltotightentheknot.

ContributorBiographies

J.M.ChicoFernandezChico Fernandez was born in Cuba and moved to South Florida at ayoungage.Withhimhebroughthisloveforfishingandbeganflyfishingin Miami after meeting Flip Pallot. Chico began his career as anaccountantandbudgetdirectorforBurgerKing,butafterashorttimeheleft thecorporateworld tobecome involved in theoutdoorsand fishingfields. This included writing, teaching, and consulting on all thingssaltwater fly fishing. He has broken and held several world records,includingthelargestredfishtakenwithaflyrod,andwasthefirstanglertolandawhitemarlinonafly.Chicoisastewardofconservationandisastrong supporter of Bonefish & Tarpon Trust. He lives in Miami andteachesthejoysofsaltwaterflyfishingtoothers.

JerryGibbsThoughhe’schasedvirtuallyeverythingwith fins for thirty-fiveyearsasOutdoorLife’sfishingeditor,thesedaysJerryGibbs’sfocusisonstripedbass inMaine’sCascoBayduring theseason,whileschemingways totravel south when the fish do. Of the dozens of mistakes that can bechalkeduptoanglererror,Gibbsadmitsapersonalpetpeeveisapoorlytiedknot.“There’sreallynoexcuseforcomingupwithacurlicuelineendwhere there once was a hook—and a fish. That translates to poorworkmanship.Doesn’tmatterwhoyouare,onethingyoujustcan’tbuyisagood knot.” Following twenty-four years living, fishing, andhunting inVermont’s Northeast Kingdom, Gibbs now resides on the Maine coastwithhiswifeJudyandhisFrenchBrittany,Jack.

JimmyHoustonKnownas“America’sFavoriteFisherman,”JimmyHoustonhasappearedon television fishing shows for decades. A crowd favorite at basstournaments and at personal appearances, Jimmy represents many ofAmerica’s top outdoors-related companies. He is well known as thehardest-working fishingpro in thecountry.Sincewinning theOklahomaStateChampionshipasacollegeseniorin1966,Jimmyhasgoneontowinmorethanamilliondollarsinbasstournaments.HehasfishedmorethanadozenBASSMasterClassicsandwontheB.A.S.S.Anglerof theYeartitleinboth1976and1986.Hehasbeeninductedinmanyanglinghallsoffame,andstillfishestheFLWSeries.

PhilMonahanA former fishing guide in Alaska and Montana, Phil was an editor atOutdoorLifeandtheeditorofAmericanAnglermagazine.NowtheeditoroftheOrvisFlyFishingblog,heenjoysfishingthesmallstreamsnearhishomeinsouthernVermontandtravelingacrossthecountryreportingonfly-fishingdevelopments.

SandyMoretBorn inAtlanta in1946,Sandymoved toMiami in1972and fell in lovewiththeFloridaKeysandEverglades.HehasbeenGrandChampionoftheKeys’mostprestigiousflytournamentseighttimesandisoftenseenasaguestangleronWalker’sCayChronicles,TheReelGuys,andAndyMill’s Sportsman’s Adventures. Sandy is author of many articles onsaltwater fly fishingandhas fishedandexploredextensively throughoutthe Bahamas, Central America, the Seychelles, Christmas Island, andPalau. He also helped pioneer Russian Atlantic salmon fishing on theKola Peninsula. Sandy has served on many elected and appointedpositions for Everglades’s restoration and is a founder and advisoryboardmemberofBonefishandTarponTrust,andpastchairmanof theDonHawleyFoundation.HeandhiswifeSue live in Islamorada,wheretheyoperateFloridaKeysFlyFishingSchoolandFloridaKeysOutfitters.

FlipPallotFlip was born and raised in South Florida. An avid outdoorsman, Flipbeganhiscareerasabankerfor“waytolong,”hesays.Afterfindingthecouragetoleavethecorporateworld,Flipbeganhissecondcareerasafishing and hunting guide. After twelve years, Flip moved to televisionproducingandsharinghislife’sfishingtravelsforustoenjoy.Heisbestknown forWalker’sCayChronicles,whichaired forsixteenseasonsonESPN,andhe’sa founderofHell’sBayBoatworks.Hiskeensense forstorytelling and bringing to life the best part of fishing adventures hascontinued with teaching instructional classes and writing books on flyfishing. Flip currently lives inMims,Florida, and films shows forFord’sFishingFrontiersontheOutdoorChannel.

PeterCorbinPeterCorbinisprimarilyknownforpaintingfly-fishinganduplandhuntingscenes—subjects that mirror his passions. He gives life to sportinglandscapes, merging natural wonders and the drama of memorablemoments in sporting life, rendered in pleasing color palettes. His vividsporting-artscenesconveyasenseofplace,mood,andatmosphere inthelightreflectedoffthewaterorthetransmittedlightthroughthecloudsor trees, revealing influencesof theHudsonRiverSchool.His greatestinfluences are A. B. Frost, Ogden Pleissner, andWinslow Homer. Hegrewupinahomefilledwithflyrods,shotguns,Labradorretrievers,andsportingart.Inspiredbyhisexperiencesasalifelonganglerandhunter,he has traveled from the American West, British Columbia, SouthAmerica,Europe,NewZealand,Africa,andthetropicsrecordingportraitcommissions for his clients’ love of the outdoors and the places theycherish.HelivesinupstateNewYork.

TerryGibsonTerry Gibson, of Jensen Beach, Florida, has fished in southeasternwaters since the late 1970s, and has dived in and surfed on them foralmost as long. As a journalist, Gibson has reported on fishery andcoastal-management issues in most coastal US states and more thantwentycountries.TerryalsoservedineditorialpositionsatSaltwaterFlyFishingmagazine,FloridaSportsman,andas fishingeditor forOutdoorLife.In2006,theFloridaWildlifeFederationawardedhimtheBurk“Biff”LamptonConservationWriteroftheYearaward.Heservesasafishingconsultanttonationalconservationgroups.

TomKeerAward-winning outdoor writer Tom Keer has published thousands offreelanceworksinprintmagazines,newspapers,digitalpublications,andblogs.Hehaswonmorethanthirtyawardsforhisfeatures,columns,andblogs from the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), theProfessionalOutdoorMediaAssociation(POMA),andtheNewEnglandOutdoorWritersofAmerica(NEOWA).Heisamemberoftheboardforboth OWAA and NEOWA. More recently, Tom has edited magazinessuchasUSATodayHuntandFish.HeistheauthorofTheFlyFisher’sGuide to theNewEnglandCoast. He liveswith his family andEnglishsettersonCapeCod,Massachusetts.

StevePennazAresidentof Independence,Minnesota,Stevehasspent thirtyyears inthe sportfishing industry where he has inspired, educated, andentertained millions of people through print, social media, and theairwaves. Steve got his start in 1988 as the executive director of theNorthAmericanFishingClub.Heservedmore than fifteenyearsasaneditor for theNorthAmericanFishermanmagazine, served as a boardmember of conservation groups such as Wildlife Forever, and is afreelance writer contributing to some of the most prestigious outdoor-industry magazines, including In-Fisherman, Bassmaster, andOutdoorLife,aswellanaward-winningtelevisionhost.InMarch2017,StevewasinductedintoTheFreshWaterFishingHallofFame,theheadquartersforeducation,recognition,andpromotionoffreshwatersportfishingbasedinHayward,Wisconsin.

AuthorBiography

JosephB.HealyservedaseditorialdirectorofSaltwaterFlyFishingandAmerican Angler, and was editor-in-chief of Fly Tyer. He also wasassociatepublisherofFlyRod&Reelandvicepresident/editor-in-chiefofVermontMagazine.HeliveswithhisfamilyinNorthernVermont.