KNOTS: The Improved Clinch and The Davy Knot

    In the constant "Knot Wars" that go on among fly anglers, there seems to be two knots in particular that come up:

- The Improved Clinch Knot
- The Davy Knot

The  Improved Clinch Knot

The Davy Knot

    The first one, The Improved Clinch Knot, is the hoary old dog of the knot world, now decades old and still going strong. The second, The Davy Knot, is the newcomer and pretender to the throne.

    But, as it turns out, there are a couple flaws with both the cute little Davy, and the Improved Clinch knots.

1. Both are binding-type knots, meaning they draw ever tighter
to the eye.

2. The Davy is no stronger than the Improved Clinch... and most others.

Tighter Not Always Better
    “Why is a knot that binds tight to the eye a problem?” you may ask. You old-time wet fly anglers will already know the answer, but let’s explain it for the benefit of all:

    The problem with a binding knot is it kills movement of the fly. 

    Now, in some cases, you may want a fly that doesn’t move at the eye. 

    For example, tying a Clouser Minnow this way gives it more of a gliding effect than a jigging up-and-down appearance.

But much of the time, experts tell us, we want a fly that wiggles freely at the eye - and that means a loop attachment of some kind.

    And both of these knots suck at that, as we normally tie them.

Do You Davy?

    So what about that nifty lil’ Davy Knot?
    Several of my fishing friends fell in love with it last season and I’ve tried it at their urging.
    "A guy named Davy Wooton came up with it, out of competition fishing, so it must be good," they insisted.

    Well, I confess that at the time I didn't know much about Mr. Wooten, but I've always thought the words, "competition," and "fishing," don't belong in the same sentence. So I was skeptical... and I tried it anyway.
    I will admit the Davy Knot seems strong enough for most uses, and it is easy and quick to tie. I can see why people gravitate to that. 

    But there is a fly in the ointment, as it were, one I suspected from the first:

    It seems that in actual testing of tippet and knots, the Davy Knot is only so-so. Interestingly, the Improved Clinch comes in about third best.

Reality Sets In
    Upon hearing this, all you Davy fans will probably get a knot in your knickers. 

    But, in consideration, the test I refer to is one of the most exhaustive on the subject you're likely to find…. and I’ve read several. Nevertheless, I’m 100% certain some of you will dispute its results (especially if you love the Davy). 

    I’ll leave that to you.
    Here is a convenient link to that test. 

TIPPET SHOOTOUT

The Problem - and A Solution You May Not Like
    Alright, now where were we?
    Oh yes... if the Improved Clinch is possibly the better knot in tippet - as we actually use it - but it’s a binding knot that kills fly movement... well, we have a conundrum don’t we?

    They say that if you ponder a problem long enough, a solution will present itself. Well, one day I had a light-bulb moment while examining an Improved Clinch knot.

    “What if I just don’t pull it so friggin tight?” I muttered. 

    In modern terms, we might call that, “thinking outside the box.” 
Back when I did it, well... I didn't know there was a box. But the light bulb came on, anyway.

    So after some trial and error, I hit on what is just a variation of tying the regular Improved Clinch.

DISCLAIMER: the solution I employ is unorthodox. It may not be your cup of tea, so call this fair warning.

    What I do is tie a normal IC knot, lubricate it, then smoothly draw it down - but with the edge of my thumbnail between the knot and the hook eye.

    What this does is tighten the knot, but it leaves a teensy bit of looseness in the loop that passes through the eye. Once it’s drawn down, I’ll use my thumbnail again to push the knot windings back tight into EACH OTHER.

    This adds just a tiny bit more looseness into the attachment point.

It’s not a loop, as we might think of it, but it gives the same effect.

    If a good fish connects, however, the knot will cinch down and draw up that small amount of slack we added to get the loop effect.

In other words, it’s an interactive knot! How about that?
And should I want a binding knot from the start, I can just draw the Improved Clinch down tight to the eye.

    I've been doing it this way for years now, and in that time, I’ve had one failure of the knot itself as a result of this method.

And that happened because I got sloppy and only put 3 turns around that particular knot.

    I fish warm water, mostly for panfish and bass. I’ve never tried this on Golden Dorado, monster steelhead in Michigan, or bonefish on the flats. I can’t even recommend it for those things, and I won’t. There are probably knots way better for those situations, and others like them.
    But for the average guy out trouting on the weekend, or bluegill fishing on the fly, I can say this method works. And I like it better than trying to tie one of the "proper" loop knots 

    Most of you will immediately recognize that this method is not super quick, nor dead simple. You may switch out flies a lot, for whatever reason, and may reject it as tedious.

    In that case, don’t use it. Stick with a Davy Knot, or whatever you’re doing.

    Others among you will balk at the idea of a knot that isn’t pulled tighter than a drum head. That's understandable, too.

    From centuries of human experience, we’ve concluded that knots are supposed to be tight. 

    - We are taught to do it to shoelaces, or we might break our necks.

    - We tie knots tight to secure cargo in a truck bed.

    - Mean dogs most DEFINITELY get tight knots, and so on. 

  

    Tying knots tightly is both practical, and cultural. To deliberately tie one any way but T-I-G-H-T goes against the grain.
So, if that bothers you, don’t do it.

Keep doing whatever you do.

    Remember, this is what I do. Your mileage may vary.

    There are a dozen knots you could tie, and most suffice, most of the time. Some stand the test of time, others come along all fresh and sassy, catching our attention.

    But what none of them do is tug at our souls. 

    For that there’s fishing.

    So find the knot you like, and get out there.

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Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

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