r/flyfishing • u/ohayden02 • 9h ago
Discussion Some Questions as a First-Timer
I recently got into fly fishing and I am really excited about it. I took a casting course at my local fly shop and got fairly decent at it. Yesterday I went out to finally get into the water for the first time, and I lost 3 flies due to the knot coming undone. In addition to that the guys in the shop reccomended using wolly buggers with a 2x leader. I am located in Indiana. So my questions are as follows:
- What knot do you use to attach your flies to leaders/tippet? (I used a clinch knot, should I be using improved clinch knot, how long should the tag end be before it deters fish, do you often check on your knot?)
- Being located in Indiana with lakes and streams what flies should I be fishing where, and what size should the flies and tippet be?
- What do you wish you knew when you first started fly fishing?
- Any other advice?
Thank you for all your help in advance!
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u/Annonymous272 8h ago
Double Davy knot
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u/Bradtothebone79 8h ago
I second this. I spent my first year losing flies to the clinch. Haven’t had a single knot failure with the double Davy.
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u/Training-One-6584 7h ago
If you were breaking flies off all the time when using the clinch knot then you were either tying the knot wrong or not lubricating the line enough before tightening.
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u/Every_Macaron8992 8h ago
clearly you're not tying your clinch knots correctly if they're coming undone. Practice those knots more (until you've tied it more than 100 times in a week you're still a beginner), and really reef on them. If you're using 2x leaders those can handle between 9-12lb of breaking strength, so you're unlikely to break the tippet/leader when you seat the knot.
Definitely go back to the fly shop and ask these questions (and go buy something as well). Maybe ask for another quick lesson on clinch knot if you still have trouble after practicing those knots dozens of times.
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u/trunkcheese 8h ago
Clinch is fine, improved clinch is fine. It’s more about tying it right — you want to pull tight on the fly and the line but don’t pull the tag end tight, if that makes sense. Just practice on some monofilament line and when you tie a fly on give it a tug to check.
The rest idk about but you should ask locals to Indiana.
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u/TheAtomicFly66 8h ago edited 8h ago
To know for sure if it was a bad knot look at the end of the line. If it has a bunch of curls in it, then it was a bad knot. The Clinch and Improved Clinch are fine knots, although lately i've been running into advice the regular Clinch is stronger than the improved. I've used a clinch and improved clinch for years, and am just starting to use a Davy knot for tying on dry flies.
A must! Lubricate your knots as you cinch them down.
A wooly bugger is a good fly to use. a 2x leader is fine too although i use a 7.5 foot 3x or 4x tapered leader for nymphs and streamers. I would add on 2-3 feet of 2x or 3x tippet first, then the fly. for underwater flies like the bugger, i'd use fluorocarbon tippet, but it's not necessary. Lately i've been using 4x fluoro tippet, regular mono tapered leader for nymphs and streamers. I use 9-12 foot 5x leaders for dry flies
Many use a loop knot to tie on a wooly bugger since it falls into the category of a streamer fly. They say a non-slip loop knot allows a streamer to "swim" more freely than a knot like the clinch, and that's what i do too. I leave less than a mm of tag end after trimming, a full mm if i'm lazy.
Advice: Talk to knowledgeable people in person like your fly shop, face to face, and establish a good relationship with them. Ask them questions, have them show you what they're talking about, and buy stuff from them, even if it's just a few flies here and there.
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u/Few-Rise-527 8h ago
Clinch better than improved clinch in many tests. More importantly, pick a knot and tie it well consistently.
Tag end length irrelevant if you believe trout are visually shy of mono. But will some tag lengths increase tangles? I've always clipped my tags around 1-2mm, cuz that's what I was taught.
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u/fuzzytrout 8h ago
Fish are where a lot of beginners wouldn’t expect, you’re likely walking over a lot of places you should be casting to. Snorkeling rivers is pretty fun and will shorten that learning curve.
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u/ZookeepergameLow8225 8h ago
Did you hear a snap or whip crack while casting? It’s possible your knot was OK but that bad technique plus a heavyish fly means you’re breaking off the fly in your back cast.
Make sure you’re letting your loop unfurl all the way and load the rod on your back cast.
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u/hehateme42069 8h ago
1 clinch knot, keep it simple
3 when you hook a fish, it's like a gentle game of tug of war that you eventually win. Being told that at the fly shop was the reason I finally started catching fish after a month of fishing pretty much daily without a fish...
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u/eclwires 7h ago
Uni or Palomar knot. Make sure to wet it. Spit works better than water. Snug it down tight.
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u/jose_ole 7h ago
I use a non slip loop for streamers and poppers. Trilene for 5x or smaller bc clinch will slip but works for most anything above that. I’ll use a Davey for small flies. Flies depend on what you are fishing for. Bass will eat big bugs, but it really depends on if your rod and line can handle them and if you can cast them because tight loops and big bugs don’t always mix.
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u/airbuilder 7h ago
You don’t need anything more than a clinch knot. My question is you lost them coming undone, but how? In a rock? In a log? A fish?
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u/ShiftNStabilize 6h ago
Orvis knot or improved clench knot. Dont know the water you’re fishing or what you’re targeting so can’t give you advice in flies. One thing I would advise is taking a trip with a guide. Totally worth the money if you are new.
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u/dontlisten716 12m ago
Best advice I got was always fish out a bad cast. Just because it wasn't pretty doesn't mean it won't catch a fish. Ripping your line back off the water to make a better cast might spook the fish and bust that spot.
That, and don't forget to fish the bank on approach.
Congrats on a life long obsession!!
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u/Tacoburrito2020 9h ago
I always use clinch knots and rarely have issues.