How to Tie the Fly-Fishing Line on the Leader

The leader is a essential ingredient of a complete fly-fishing set up, designed to connect the thick, brightly-colored fly line to the practically invisible tippet to which the fly is tied. A number of knots can be used to tie the fly line to the leader. The most typical of these is the nail knot. Early variations of this knot used an real nail in the tying process, but these days a length of hollow tube or straw can make the knot less difficult to tie.

Tying the Nail Knot

Hold the tube and the end of your fly line in your still left hand so that about two inches of line adhere out to the right. Lay the leader in opposition to the tube and fly line in the reverse course, so that several inches of leader adhere out to the left. Use your right hand to wrap the leader around both the straw and fly line from still left to right, creating about six complete turns. Then, go the end of the leader through the tube from right to remaining. Gently remove the tube, and then wet the knot ahead of pulling it tight and trimming the excess line.

Other Choices

Another alternative for connecting the fly line to the leader is known as an Albright Knot. Much more frequently used for tying backing to fly line, this knot is slightly less complicated to tie than the nail knot, but produces a considerably less smooth finish that could result in resistance during casting.

 

Related: How To Fly Fish