Mastering nodes.
Never lose another fish.
A badly tied knot is a lost fish. The 5 knots presented here cover 95% of on-water situations—from hook to reel. Each knot is explained step-by-step with practical details not found elsewhere.
Clinch knot
The most used knot in fly fishing. Quick to tie, reliable on all hooks. 3 to 4 turns depending on the tippet diameter.
Use — Tippet
Level — Beginner
Nœud de chirurgien
Surgeon's knot — quick to tie on the water, strong for junctions of different diameters.
Use — tippet
Level — Beginner
Perfection loop
The perfect loop at the end of a leader — allows for quick tippet changes via a loop-to-loop connection.
Use — Leader terminal loop
Level — Intermediate
Nail knot
The silk-leader connection knot par excellence. Discrete, smooth, it easily passes through the guides. Made with a tube or a needle.
Use — Silk
Level — Intermediate
Arbor knot
The knot used to attach the backing to the reel arbor. Simple, fast, impossible to untie under tension.
Use — Backing → reel
Level — Beginner
On fine tippet (4X, 5X, 6X) or fluorocarbon leader 5 lb and less, limit yourself to a maximum of 3 turns for the clinch knot. Too many turns creates excessive friction when tightening, which weakens the line—and you lose the fish of a lifetime.
François — Axon field adviceA well-tied knot means 30 seconds of preparation that are worth hours of fishing. A poorly tied knot means silence after the fish jumps.
François — Founder, Axon Fly FishingNeed a tippet suited to your conditions? Axon offers leaders calibrated for every situation.
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