Fly tying can be a challenging process. It is like trying to thread the eye of a needle sometimes. I think I have come up with the fastest, and simplest way to tie your fly onto your line so you can spend more time with your fly on the water, rather than fiddling with it in your hands.
First, you want to make sure your line is nice and straight. A straighter line is easier to work with.
Next, you take your fly in one hand and your line in the other and thread the line through the eye of the fly hook. Pull as much length through the eye so you feel comfortable tying it. (It might seem like you’ll be wasting a lot of fly line by doing this, but I have found a remedy for that.)
You then start twisting your fly so you get 4-6 twists in your line. This keeps the knot big enough that it won’t come undone, but small enough that you’re not wasting time or fly line. Make sure you leave a gap between your first twist and the eye of the fly hook.
Next, you’ll thread the end of your line through the gap you left between the fly hook and the first twist in your knot. Put the end of your fly line against the body of the fly with just a little bit of the line coming through the gap. Pull the reel side of your fly line tight while holding the fly and the end of your fly line tightly.
The knot should tighten into place and you’ll only have a small amount of fly line to trim off at the end. This knot is very tight, and I have very rarely had it break on me. I have had my fly stuck on tree branches, bushes, and all sorts of other foliage, but the knot holds strong. This knot is essential for fly fishing. It is quick, easy, and very efficient. Most fly-fishermen use the same knot when tying on their flies, but many pull the end of the knot and the reel side of the knot without holding onto the fly itself. This knot will come loose more often than if you were to hold the end of the line against the fly. The way the knot is tied also affects how the fly floats on the water. It is very important to have your fly presented in the best possible way when it is floating on the water, and the knot greatly affects how it is portrayed to a fish.
This knot is called a clinch knot and it is one of the essential knots that every fly fisherman should know. It is the one you will use most often. Like anything, mastering this knot takes practice. It can be a very easy process to master. Other tips for making this easier to tie is to get your fly line wet before you start your knot. It makes the line slide into place a little bit easier. Practice on bigger flies first. Larger flies have bigger eye holes on the hooks and that makes it easier to thread.
Good luck! You’ll be out on the water in no time!
Fly Fisherman's Guide to the Galaxy 