The Nail knot is arguably one of the most famous ( or infamous) knots in the world of fishing. Per its namesake, the nail knot was initially tied with an actual nail. Over the years, the nail has been replaced with a modified and designed into a convenient, compact, and versatile tool, making it much…
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knots
Alaska West Loop Knot
It sure seems like there are as many knots as the number of fish species we use them for. Every once in a while, we run into a particular knot that is simple, super easy to tie, and is very effective. This knot is one of them, and we’re here to show you how to…
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Know Your Knots
Featured photo credit Heather Hodson In fly fishing especially, it pays to know your knots. Knots are quite often overlooked in the grand scheme of things. All the attention is paid to the perfect flies, the sleek fly rod, the fancy reel, and the smooth fly line, and the leader… What about the knot? It’s…
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How Many Turns Do You Use On Your Non-Slip Loop Knot?
The non-slip loop knot has been helping anglers stay connected to fish for decades. This knot is ideal when trying to add some extra movement to your fly as the loop allows the fly to swing more freely in the water. Often when I see knot diagrams it shows a good breakdown of this relatively…
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Timeless Tips, Test Your Knots!
Always be sure to synch your knots completely down before testing them with a good tug. In fly fishing, there are already countless variables outside of our control. Gear failure is something you can control. Losing a fish because of a bad knot is something that is avoidable. After every knot you tie, give it…
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Timeless Tips // Snell Your Bead Hooks
If you want to catch a lot of fish in Alaska, bead fishing is a great way to achieve that goal. Fishing beads was developed in the streams of Bristol Bay as a cheap yet effective way to imitate salmon eggs. Over the years, small improvements have been made to the bead fishing game to…
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Timeless Tips Tuesday // Tying the San Diego Knot
Here is a stronger alternative to the improved clinch knot. Very similar, but the wraps on a San Diego Knot are around a double line as opposed to the single line of a clinch knot. When learning to tie this knot, it helped me to think about it as an upside-down clinch. The knot can…
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Gear Hack: Attach a Split Ring To Your Fishing Pliers
It’s been a while since we’ve presented you with a super cheap, embarrassingly simple, yet remarkably helpful gear hack. So, today we right that wrong. Years ago, your fearless editor attached his favorite pair of fishing pliers to a standard bungee lanyard with a sturdy, yet super simple, split key ring. That’s right, the same…
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Popper Fishing for Silvers – Tie Direct
It’s silver season in our neck of the woods, and when it comes to fly fishing for silver salmon, there’s no way we like targeting them more than on the surface! To elicit top-water coho takes, the majority of our guides prefer foam, deer hair, or hard-bodied poppers over more traditional ‘pollywog’ or skater style…
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The Finer Points of Tying Blood Knots from Hatch Outdoors
When it comes to tying leaders or attaching tippet, the blood knot is one of the most widely used knots in fly fishing. That being said, we find many anglers (even experienced ones) are intimidated by the blood knot, and to that we say; don’t be! Like any skill worth learning, knot tying takes practice…
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