The right knots, properly executed, ensure that your line, leader, tippet, and fly are securely connected, enabling you to present flies effectively and land fish reliably. This guide details how to tie appropriate knots for every essential connection in fly fishing—plus a few bonuses—explaining their uses, advantages, and step-by-step instructions for tying them.

The Arbor Knot

Before you hit the water, you need to set up your equipment. The Arbor Knot is used for attaching your backing (the braided line that goes on your reel underneath the fly line) to your reel. While most fly shops will put your backing on for you when you purchase a reel and fly line, you should know how to do it yourself.

How to Tie the Arbor Knot:

1. Remove the spool from your reel.
2. Pass the tag end of the backing around the spool.
3. Tie an overhand knot around the standing part of the backing line.
4. Tie a second overhand knot in the tag end, just an inch or two away from the first knot.
5. Pull the standing part to slide the first knot tight against the arbor, securing the second knot against it.

Triple Surgeon’s Loop

Most modern fly lines come with welded loops on each end. Before you can attach a fly line with a welded loops to your backing using a Loop to Loop Connection Knot (explained below), you need to tie a loop knot at the end of your backing. While there are various ways to do this, the simplest is a Triple Surgeon’s Loop.

How to Tie the Triple Surgeon’s Loop:

1. Take 18 inches of backing and fold it over itself into a loop.
2. Tie and overhand knot in that loop, making sure you maintain a big enough loop to easily pass your fist through, but don’t tighten yet.
3. Triple the overhand knot (passing the loop through the overhand knot three times) maintaining a large loop at the end.
4. Slowly pull the knot tight, again making sure you maintain a loop at the end large enough to easily pass your fist through.

The Perfection Loop

Since fly lines today usually come with welded loops at both ends, you need to have loops in both your backing (explained above) and your leader, so that you can utilize Loop to Loop Connection knots (explained below). Most commercial leaders come with pre-tied loops, but if you find one that doesn’t or choose to build your own leader, you’ll need to tie a Perfection Loop in the thick end of the leader.

How to Tie the Perfection Loop:

1. Form a small loop at the end of the line.
2. Make a second loop in front of the first, holding the tag end.
3. Pass the tag end between the two loops.
4. Pull the first loop through the second and tighten by pulling on the standing line.

The Loop to Loop Connection Knot

This very simple knot is the standard way of connecting your backing to your fly line (assuming the fly line has welded loops and you’ve already tied a loop in your backing, explained above) and your fly line to your leader. (Again, most contemporary fly lines come with loops on both ends, and most commercial leaders come with a loop pre tied onto them for this reason).

How to Tie the Loop to Loop Connection Knot (backing to fly line):

1. Take the loop of the backing and pass it through the loop at the back end of the fly line.
2. Pass the entire reel through the loop of the backing.
3. Slowly pull the reel and backing until two loops cinch against each other.

The Albright Knot

The Albright Knot is my preferred knot for attaching backing to fly lines that don’t have welded loops on the back end. If your fly line has a welded loop, use the knots above. The Albright is great for any situation when you have to splice lines of drastically different diameter, or connect lines of different material (such as backing to fly line).

How to Tie the Albright Knot:

1. Form a loop in the thicker line (e.g., fly line).
2. Pass the tag end of the thinner line (e.g., backing) through the loop.
3. Wrap the thinner line around both strands of the loop and itself 10-12 times.
4. Thread the tag end back through the loop and pull tight.

The Blood Knot

Once you’ve got your backing tied onto your reel, your fly line tied onto your backing, and your leader attached to your fly line, you need to attach tippet to the end of your leader. While the blood knot takes a little bit of practice to execute perfectly, it creates a strong, straight, elegant connection. This knot will serve you well as a fly angler, because you will need to tie a lot of tippet knots.

How to Tie the Blood Knot:

1. Overlap the ends of the two lines.
2. Wrap one end around the other line five times and pass it through the gap between the two lines.
3. Repeat the process with the other end in the opposite direction.
4. Pull the standing ends to tighten. This knot will fall apart if you pull the tag ends, and you’ll have to start over. Always tighten by pulling on the main lines, not the tags.

The Double Surgeon's Knot

While I prefer the Blood Knot for attaching leader to tippet, the Double Surgeon’s also creates a strong connection when splicing tippet, and some people find it easier to tie. The Double Surgeon’s also works better for connecting tippet of significantly different diameter.

How to Tie the Double Surgeon's Knot:

1. Lay the two lines parallel, overlapping by several inches.
2. Form a circle (an overhand knot) with both lines then pass the tag end of the leader and the entire length of the tippet through the loop twice.
3. Pull all four ends to tighten.

The Clinch Knot

When I was a kid, we just called this the Fisherman’s Knot. The Clinch Knot, and its slightly modified version, the Improved Clinch Knot, are probably the most widely used knots for securing fly to tippet. People argue about which is stronger, but when tied properly, they both work well.

How to Tie the Clinch Knot:

1. Thread the tag end of the tippet through the eye of the fly.
2. Wrap the tag end around the standing line five to seven times.
3. Pass the tag end through the loop next to the eye.
4. Pull tight.

How to Tie the Improved Clinch Knot:

1. Follow the first three steps of the Clinch Knot.
2. Before tightening, pass the tag end through the large D-loop created in step three.
3. Pull tight.

The Orvis Knot

The Orvis Knot is also used for attaching flies to leaders. While less popular than the Clinch, it’s just as strong (if not stronger) and ties a much smaller knot, which can be helpful when fishing with very small flies or targeting especially picky fish.

How to Tie the Orvis Knot:

1. Pass the tag end of the tippet through the eye of the fly.
2. Wrap the tag end around the standing line twice.
3. Pass the tag end through the loop next to the eye.
4. Bring the tag end through the large D-loop created in the previous step twice.
5. Pull tight.

The Loop Knot

The Loop Knot, also known as the Non-Slip Mono Loop, doesn’t cinch down against the hook eye but instead leaves a small loop, allowing the fly more action and natural movement. It’s an essential knot for fishing streamers or large dry flies and a go-to knot for saltwater and carp fly fishing.

How to Tie the Non-Slip Loop Knot:

1. Make an overhand knot in the tippet, leaving about 10 inches of tag end.
2. Pass the tag end through the eye of the fly.
3. Thread the tag end through the overhand knot.
4. Wrap the tag end around the standing line 4-5 times.
5. Pass the tag end back through the overhand knot and tighten.

General Fly Fishing Knot Tips

Practice: Consistent practice is essential for mastering any knot. Spend time tying knots at home to build muscle memory.

Moisten: Always moisten the knot before tightening to reduce friction and prevent weakening the line. Most people use saliva but some prefer chap stick.

Tighten Slowly: Pull the knot tight gradually and evenly to ensure all coils and loops seat properly.

Trim Tags: Use sharp nippers or scissors to trim tag ends close to the knot to avoid catching on vegetation or debris.

If you enjoy learning and tying knots, you can spend a lifetime experimenting with different connections, but you don’t need to memorize dozens of knots to be a successful fly angler. Learn the knots above and you’ll be covered for just about anyfly fishing situation you may encounter.