What are your go to knots?

[jr spey]

I use other knots for other types of fishing but for most fly fishing goto knots are:
Clinch, Blood, Nail, Non-Slip Mono Loop and Perfection Loop.

Just so there's no misunderstanding, all of the knots that I tie and use are for flyfishing. When I mention sailfishing, or spinner shark fishing, it's with a fly rod. I fished nothing else for 35 years. Physical limitations have me doing a bit of freshwater gear fishing again, but I don't use a single knot for gear fishing that I didn't use for years of flyfishing.

[old timer]

Have you ever thought of a blood knot this way?

It's just two clinch knots back to back.

[flafly14]

non-slip loop
triple surgeons (surgeon's going through 3 times instead of 2). *I'm presently looking for something better than this one for leader to tippet.
eugene bend

I started tying the eugene bend when I lived in Colorado because it was a knot that I could tie in the winter without having to take my inner gloves off (since you use ferceps to tie it). But I liked it so much I started using it year round. It's super quick and easy, wastes very little tippet material, and it's super strong. I think it's way better than the trilene knot that I used to tie. I use it most of the time so long as my tippet material is less than 15lb.

[karstopo]

Couple of overhands to attached backing to reel. Perfection loop in backing to welded loop or perfection loop on fly line. Perfection loop in leader butt to welded loop in fly line. Blood knots, usually 5 or 5/6 turn ones, to step down leader to tippet. Rapala loop to attach fly to tippet.

I’ve had a very few blood knots fail on fish. Those would be on me and just an poor execution issue. I’ve had every other knot type of tested under significant strain and survive except the overhand knot at the reel.

[ottosmagic13]

The knots I can tie most confidently and use most often:

Clinch knot - my go to for tippet to fly and to tippet ring
Rapala Loop - for streamers and hair frogs
Perfection Loop - For loop to loop connections
Nail knot (using a tool) - For unlooped fly lines

[bigal36]

I thought I was going to be a fan of using a perfection loop to attach nymphs to the leader as tags. Recently tried that approach, but it turned in to an epic fail.

Maybe my loops or tags were too large, but I found them spinning and twisting enough to make a bird's nest.

I like the idea of using loops to attach the nymph tags - easy on, easy off and adjustable.

May experiment with attaching the tags with a Davy knott to see if that works.

[Rip Tide]

I thought I was going to be a fan of using a perfection loop to attach nymphs to the leader as tags. Recently tried that approach, but it turned in to an epic fail.

Maybe my loops or tags were too large, but I found them spinning and twisting enough to make a bird's nest.

I like the idea of using loops to attach the nymph tags - easy on, easy off and adjustable.

May experiment with attaching the tags with a Davy knott to see if that works.

When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me to use Dropper Loops. It's not a knot that you'll see much anymore.
They're kinda permanent, but back then we would never even switch flies

[bigal36]

When I was a kid, my grandfather taught me to use Dropper Loops. It's not a knot that you'll see much anymore.
They're kinda permanent, but back then we would never even switch flies

I have fiddled with that method as well....my only hesitation is the inability to adjust them up or down.

[ottosmagic13]

I have fiddled with that method as well....my only hesitation is the inability to adjust them up or down.

I've had great success nail knotting a second piece of tippet on the main tippet to create a dropper. A uni knot works as well. You can tie so the tag points up or down, weightless nymphs seem to tangle less on the upper tag (Leader side) and weighted on the fly side tag. It stays put in casting (unless you have a super heavy fly) and can be adjusted up or down. Works best when the tag is a lower diameter (higher #x) than the main tippet.

Not my image but it gets the idea across:
fly-fishing-knots-water-knot-4-s.jpg

[boisker]

For routine fishing-
I use the penny knot (eugene bend) for hook to tippet
I either use figure 8 or triple surgeons for adding a quick dropper, normally figure of 8
Blood knot for making up leaders

The penny and figure of 8 can be done with haemostats, so you can pretty much do it in seconds even in the near dark