School of FlyFishing
Indoor Course: "Knots"
Glossary of Terms
This glossary is a compilation of terms used in the Knots School of FlyFishing Indoor Course. To review a more comprehensive glossary of many of the terms used throughout all 10 Indoor Courses, go to our School Library; it contains the glossary, a section on recommended books on fly fishing, and some search components.
In association with
| Albright Knot | knot used to tie to vastly different sizes or types of leader/line materials together; e.g., to tie wire to line or leader |
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| "Arbor Knot" | the knot used to tie backing to the fly reel |  |
| backing | a thin, braided material, usually 20-30 lbs. test braided "dacron" or "micron", that is put first on a fly reel using the "Arbor Knot" to "back" the fly line to which it is attached |  |
| "Blood Knot" | a knot used to connect/tie together sections of leader; usually with different diameters of material as a means to taper the leader from butt to tippet (alternate: "Surgeon Knot") |
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| butt end | that end of any line (backing, fly line, leader, etc.) that is attached first to any connecting part (as opposed the "tag end", or "tippet" when referring to leaders, which is the trailing/opposite end of the same material) | |
| "Clinch Knot" | the primary knot used to tie the leader to the fly |  |
| "Dropper Knot" | a knot used to provide a loop off of the leader or fly line to which can be attached an additional fly or weight |
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| "Duncan Loop Knot" | a knot used to provide a small, open loop in the leader tippet at the point where it is tied to the fly; to enhance the freedom of movement of the fly |  |
| "handshake loop" | another name for interlocking loop | |
| hook eye | the front end of a hook through which the leader is tied | |
| "Improved Clinch Knot" | an alternate way to tie the "Clinch Knot" for tying the fly to the leader tippet |  |
| interlocking loops | the connection formed by union of two lines each with a loop in the end; functional for connecting leaders, tippets, lines, etc. (also called "handshake loop") |
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| leader | the tapered section of monofilament between fly line and fly | |
| line guard | the solid horizontal "bar(s)" between the two sides of a fly reel over which the fly line passes | |
| nail | the nail used in tying the "Nail Knot" may be replaced by an item such as a needle, pencil, etc. Or, by using a plastic tube or straw, the leader tag end may be passed through such a device on its way back inside the loops/coils; | |
| "Nail Knot" | knot used to tie the leader butt (or butt section) to the fly line tip |  |
| "Nail-less Knot" | a knot used to tie the fly line backing to the butt-end of the fly line (substitute for the "Nail Knot") |  |
| "Needle Knot" | knot used to attach the leader to the fly line (alternate for the "Nail" or "Nail-less" Knots |
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| slip-on leader butt | a manufactured accessory, usually of braided material, that slips over the tip of the fly line to provide a knotless connection to a leader butt section to which leaders may be attached by knots or interlocking loops |  |
| "Surgeon Knot" | knot used to tie together leader materials, usually of different diameters; used as an easier-to-tie substitute for the "Blood Knot", especially in the finer diameter tippet sizes |  |
| tag end | the loose, short, or "end-of-the-end" of a line (as opposed to the long end or "running" opposing line that is attached or leading elsewhere) | |
| taper | refers to the principle or process of the transition of materials (rods, fly lines, leaders) from thicker to thinner, or heavier to lighter, in a manner that allows a smooth transfer of energy between components | |
| tippet | term for the tip of the leader, the end that is tied to a fly most often with a "Clinch Knot"; tippet material (monofilament) is described by a classification system that defines its diameter and correlating breaking strength |  |
| "try-line" | refers to two (or more) 36" long sections of different color & diameter limp or braided nylon students provide that are used with the School's Knots Course to practice with in tying knots used is fly fishing; diameter can be 1/8th"-3/8th" or less |  |
| "Uni Knot" | knot used to tie leader materials together; substitute for the Blood and/or Surgeon's Knots |
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