#$@%! KNOTS!

auriemma

auriemma

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Apr 6, 2011
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Well, I went out Wednesday morning by myself to a spot I know. not the best spot for fly... casting and drifting dead downstream. Tied on a new tippet, tied on a grey Dunn, put a shot on it about 1.5 ft up, put the indicator on at about 6 ft. Stepped in and roll casted out into the riffle and let it drift while paying line out.

I must have done something right because 10 seconds later I got my first strike on fly. I lift my rod tip up to set the hook and started stipping in. Then I feel my rod tip snap up and see my line sailing over my head. I reel in to find my fly gone... my clinch knot failed. Tied up another similar fly (no more Dunns) and set back to the same spot and didnt get another hit.

It was very interesting for a few seconds there... back to the drawing board.

-----------------------

On the upside, I'm going to central PA tonight with some co-workers for a fly fishing outing... friendly lessons included. Wish me luck.
 
That has happened to all of us from time to time. We have all been there. Don't worry about it. Just take your time and try to ensure the knots are tied correctly. Don't get upset and just keep fishing!
 
Was it a clinch or an improved clinch knot. The latter is a much more secure knot and only takes one more step to tie. Sorry to hear about you losing your fish.
 
after you have tied a zillion or so it never happens.lol
 
I was supposedly an improved clinch... I may have not improved it. I'll keep trying!
 
The improved isn't as strong as the regular if tied incorrectly.

Also, was the broken tippet curly or just snapped.

If snapped, you might have set the hook too hard.
If curly, your knot wasn't tightened and slipped out.
 
lol @ "I may not have improved it"

I had a salmon separate my line from my backing once.

That's when i decided it was time to learn some new knots.
 
One of the most important things Ive learned to do is take 5 seconds to double check your knots after you tie them. If my knots give its when I forget to do this. Unfortunately it is also usually when I hook into the best fish of the day too (at least in my mind).


John
 
Also, was the broken tippet curly or just snapped. If snapped, you might have set the hook too hard. If curly, your knot wasn't tightened and slipped out.
Mkern

I came back to say exactly the same thing.lol
Always wet the mono before cinching down.
If you cinch[pull tight ] dry you have weakened your knot about 50 % more-this can give you clean strike breaks that wouldn't happen normally and do resist the temptation to save money- a three foot tippet is a valuable shock absorber-especially with streamers or wets.
 
Mine do that all the time for me after I tie an improved cinch knot. The tippet material just snaps. I have a feeling it's just cheap tippet material, though. I always pull fairly hard on the lure (fly in this case) to test the knot.
 
I use the regular clinch most of the time, not the improved. Don't have much of a problem with this, but I remember when I did. Oh, I screw up a few knots, but its immediately obvious when I do and it never gets cast before being fixed. The only time I break line on fish is on the release, just grabbing the wrong spot with the hemostats or whatever.

If its slipping, it's a bad knot, just need practice. If its breaking, you're either not wetting it or you have a material problem. As was said, check whether the end is curled (slipping) or straight or frayed (broke).

Despite the fact that fluoro has better knot strength than mono, I have far less breaking problems with it. Think the stretch acts as an effective shock absorber.

Also, I tend to use big tippets. 3x-5x do the vast majority of my work, though I will go to 6x for tricos and midges.
 
I'm a regular clinch guy myself too.
 
I tye regular cinch on spinning lures and improved cinch on flies.
 
Why do you guys use the regular clinch knot?
 
For me it's easier, and smaller.

My regular clinch is very sturdy and I almost never lose fish to broken knots.
Of course this was after a couple of years loosing fish because of the pig-tail tippet because of how I poorly tied the knot.

I started doing a hard pull-test, like other mentioned, after I tied my knot; and now I just trust it.

I do use the improved version for largers flies on lighter tippets. I think it helps the know secure into place. EX a size 6 bugger on 5x.
 
Don't feel too bad Auriemma. At least you will remember to check you knots for the next week or so. I have been tying cinch or improved cinch knots for about 40 years and still can't remember to check the darn things. I lost a nice fish on Sunday that I swear united the knot.
Do any or you guys use a non-cinch to tie the fly on? I played with the Orvis knot and the Davey knot. The Orvis knot is nice, but for some reason I can never remember how to tie it when I'm on the stream. The Davey knot is very simple, but there is some trick to tying it consistently that I have not yet figured out.
Mike.

 
Depending on if you used Monofilament or Flourocarbon the clinch may or may not be the knot for you. I know for a fact that Florocarbon has a tendency to break far more often when used with standard clinch,use a improved clinch its way better but be sure to really soak the knot before cinching down for flourocarbon seems to hvae a harder time cinching than mono,also a palomar is another floolowed by a San Diego Jam knot.
One thing i think hurts a angler more than anything is bad knot execution and also not apllying enough moisture beffore you cinch.If you want you can also use plain old chapstick to lube your knots,try that i think youd be surprised.
Tight Wraps & Tight lines
Rick Wallace
 
The only time I find necessity for improved clinch knots is when I'm swinging/stripping wets, dries, streamers with smaller tippet (4-6x)...

last night, a nice hatch of small green caddis came off. I was pulling an x-caddis under water after the skate, stripping, and lost three flies right after one another. Switched to an improved clinch and problem solved.

 
If your tippet material is old it will snap and you think it was a bad knot. Tie an overhand knot and pull the tippet,if it breaks get new tippet. I use uni knots,easy to tie and reliable,imo.
Also wet the knot before you tighten it.
 
Sorry, been away for a few days. Went to Central PA with some friends for a shooting and fishing weekend. The shooting was fun (never did it before), the fishing... not so much. As predicted in other threads, it was blown out, fast running, chocolate water.
We tried a few places but no luck.

All my knot failures have been the curly end kind... so my knots are slipping, not breaking. I wet them, snug them down and pull them tight. I will have to check my method of tying again. I'll tie on a fresh tippet before I go out again, just to be sure.
 
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