Secrets to Tying Good Fishing Knots, with Robert Ketley

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

James Hathaway

Bass, Fishing, Bonefish, Wilderness, Flyfishing, Trout, How To, Steelhead, Bluegill, Fly, Orvis, Sports, Salmon, Panfish, Education, Rosenbauer

4.8 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 23 September 2024

⏱️ 79 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I have long enjoyed Robert Ketley's [31:06] column in California Fly Fisher magazine because he often delves deeply into aspects of fly fishing that we don't pay much attention to. And he's a tireless researcher. So when I noticed a deep dive he did on fly-fishing knots using a microscope I knew I had to get him on the podcast. You won't learn about which knot is best, but you will learn about why knots hold and why they break, how to tie a knot properly, and what happens when a knot gives way.

In the Fly Box this week, we have some unusually good questions, including:

Will the 10-foot 7-weight Helios D rod offer me enough tippet protection when using 5X for steelhead?
My local wild trout stream has almost dried up this year. Where do the fish go, and how long until this stream can recover?
When wading deep, when I pick up the line and cast I notice I make waves in the water. How can I eliminate this?
When swinging wet flies in a tight stream I need to use a roll cast, but how do I make another roll cast after my flies complete their swing?
I see fish on the bottom of a spring creek but I can't catch them using my tight line technique. What do you think I am doing wrong?
I was scolded by an outfitter when I changed direction when fighting a big fish. He said it will wear a hole in their mouth and they will get off. Was I doing it wrong?
Can I go from a 4X leader with a tippet ring to a 7X tippet? Will not having tapered sections in there be bad?
I don't have much finger dexterity and have trouble saving my tippet scraps. Do you have any suggestions?
A listener reminds us that in lakes in Maine that are listed as fly fishing only, it is illegal to troll a fly.
When trolling a fly from my canoe, how can I get my fly deeper?
Which be the best Helios rod for fishing the Henry's Fork?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi and
0:15.0	my guest this is your host Tom Rosenbauer and my guest this week is Robert Catley.
0:18.0	I've long admired Robert's writing in California Flyfisher magazine. He really gets into some very scientific
0:31.9	and detailed examination of some of the things we do in fly fishing.
0:38.0	And I'd say he gets geeky in a nice way.
0:42.0	I mean that as a compliment. And one of the things Robert did recently was
0:47.1	really examine how we tie knots, why knots break, where they break, do they slip, all these things and he examined
0:56.6	him with a microscope and he did a lot of post-mortem of the knots after they broke and I think that what he learned is going to help all of us in tying better knots.
1:09.2	Now, a full warning, if you want Robert to tell you which knot is best, he's not going to do that, but he is going to tell you how to tie the best knots using your favorite knot. So it's some really interesting stuff as usual.
1:25.8	So I think you'll enjoy this and I think you'll see some improvement
1:30.6	in your own knots after listening to this
1:33.4	podcast at least I hope so but before we talk to Robert let's do the flybox
1:38.1	which is where you ask me questions or offer some tips and I try to answer them or I try to try to find the answer to your question.
1:47.0	And if you would like to ask me a question or pass along a tip to other listeners you can reach me at podcast at orvis.com I don't
1:59.3	answer them all some of them I answer personally some of them I read on air some of them I answer personally, some of them I read on air, some of them I just delete.
2:05.2	So anyway, but I do read them all. And we've got some especially good, I think especially good questions this week.
2:14.6	So now let's go to the podcast and let's start with an email from John.
2:20.4	Just want to start up by thinking, it's by saying thanks for the podcast and all Orvis does, I'll get right to it.
2:25.8	My question is about the new Helios Rods.
2:28.2	I currently have one of the new Helios series in 905F. It's an amazing all-around trout workhorse from fishing indicator rigs
2:37.1	to throwing light drives far and accurately. I love the F series of rods because tipper Protection is one of my top priorities.
2:44.9	I'm currently looking into getting a higher end rod for Great Lake Steelhead Fishing,
	...

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