Fisherman’s Knot
Many years ago, when gut was the leader material. anglers could connect one piece to another with a simple Fisherman’s Knot. It was simply an overhand knot in each end, and they were slid together. In todays’ world, that knot is too weak for monofilament, and cannot be used to tie two very different materials together. However, a modified version of the the knot is highly useful in connecting very dissimilar materials–such as monofilament to Dacron or gelspun backing. There are other uses, too, like connecting two pieces of mono together. Like the original Fisherman’s Knot, the ends of the two pieces are pointed in opposite directions and parallel to one another. Then, a Nailless Nail Knot is tied in each end around the other piece of material (Figure 1). Once the knots are tight, the two ends are puled tightly against each other (Figure 2) It’s a very strong knot, and as noted can have many applications in fly fishing.
