Blood Knot

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BLOOD KNOT

The past few weeks, I have been using the ole fly rod again and one of my friends from the early 1960s, Acy Wall, deceased referred to my fly rod as a “buggy whopper.”  He did enjoy seeing that fly line cast into the air with a popping bug on the end of the leader gracefully drop onto a pond's still surface leaving only a few circular patterns of ripples with the ensuing loud noise from the strike of a hungry Bream or Largemouth bass that took hold of it no doubt thinking it was going to be a delicious tasty snack but instead felt a little sting or bite from the lure and immediately tried to shake it loose!

Back then,  I used a straight piece of monofilament line for a leader and attached it to the end of the fly line using a small metal eyelet that had a pointed shaft end about 1/2 inch long with small barbs along the length that kept the eyelet from being pulled loose from the fly line.  Most fly lines are braided and have a hollow center core and the eyelet is simply inserted into the core of the fly line.  It worked ok but the eyelet would soon damage the fly line since it was stiff and would act like a miniature hinge and the line would eventually start to fray and break if you didn’t cut the eyelet out and re-use it or use a new eyelet.  The metal eyelet was later replaced by using a barrel or nail knot for attachment of the leader to the fly line and now replaced by a heat shrink braided leader loop which is pretty much standard:

The above leader loop splice is already showing wear at one end of the heat shrink tubing which is acting like a hinge.  The ideal situation is not to have the end of the fly line or the leader to fold or hinge but transfer the energy of the line all the way through to the end of the leader in a smooth graceful arch.  In fly fishing, you are casting the heavier fly line which has the leader attached and then the lure, whereas in other fishing types such as bass or bait fishing; you are casting the heavier lure and/or bait with the aid of weights attached to the line if needed.  

It was later in the 1970s that I started making my own hand tied tapered leaders using a common knot called the blood knot which works extremely well when tying two lines together that are about the same diameter.  Tapered monofilament leaders usually taper down in two thousands (.002) of an inch in diameter increments starting off with the butt section being .023 inches in diameter and to give a perspective to what .002 difference is; a human hair averages a little less than .001 inch in diameter, some smaller and some larger depending on your race.  A few pixs below:

The ole Brown and Sharpe caliper was purchased sometime in the early 1970s when I manufactured musical parts and accessories and has seen a lot of usage.  The close-up pix reveals plenty of dust particles from my wood working shop and it needs a cleaning badly........hint, hint!

I have tied the tapered leader for decades off an on and usually make several up at a time and keep them in a small plastic bag with the description of how it was tied in one of my fly fishing vest pockets.  I have on occasion purchased tapered knotless leaders but they do not work as well in my humble opinion.  Their advantage is that moss and algae will not adhere to them like it does on a tapered knotted leader knots but you have more control over changing the tippet which is the end of the leader that has your artificial flies, nymphs or popping bugs attached.  Also, the size of the lure you are using pretty much determines what the diameter of the tippet you are using.

A couple weeks ago,  I got out my Climax brand leader tying kit which replaced a kit manufactured by Orvis that the monofilament leader material had dry rotted after a couple or more decades even though stored in a cool dark place and quickly found out how the date on my birth certificate seems to have an inverse proportional relationship to ones dexterity along with other issues as the ability to even see a line that is .008 thousands of an inch or less in diameter.  I still remembered how to tie the blood knot but getting the small diameter monofilament to rotate around each other and then thread the two ends back through a small opening was a bit challenging.  After a couple of the leaders were tied, my dexterity started to come back very slowly at a snails pace and it seemed like all my fingers were thumbs…..grin if you must. 

Pix of what the blood knot looks like with the ends not trimmed yet.  The Macro close-up picture is deceptive in relationship to its actual since the line to the right is only .011 thousands of an inch in thickness.  This particular leader starts off with a butt diameter of .023 inches, .021, .019, .017, .015, .013 and .011 for a total length of 9.5 feet which works great for small streams.  Sometimes I will use a leader that is around 12 feet in length if I have plenty of room for a back cast.

Currently I have a piece of monofilament .023 inches in diameter 18.5 inches in length attached to the end of my fly line using a nail knot knot with a small loop terminating at the other end for attachment of the leader.  I use the following diameters and lengths:  .021-22", .019-20", .017-18", .015-16", .013-14", .011-12" and tippet is .008-20".  This leader is classified as an extra light bass.  The current monofilament leader kits feature line that is much stronger than what is used in this old Climax Leader Kit due to advancements in line manufacturing.  According to the spool info, ,008 equals 7 lb. test.   



There are plenty of YouTube videos that show you how to tie the blood knot and I will insert or hyperlink to them.  The only instructions available in the 1970s were drawings showing you step by step how to tie them.  One of my all time favorite books written by Joe Brooks, deceased gave excellent instructions of his favorite hand tied leaders and he was a traditionalist and purists all the way never getting away from his usage of split bamboo fly rods which were being replaced with the more modern graphite and carbon fiber rods.  He was old school for sure which can be a good thing as well in our ever changing and dynamic world.  Pix below of a page from his book titled, The Complete Book Of Fly Fishing.    I purchased the book in 1976 on 07-04-76 at Pipestem Park, WVA while our family was on vacation.  I loaned this book to one of my cousins and it took over 15 years to get it returned of which was badly worn and appeared to have some moisture damage.

My leader tying was a success and will keep a few of them in my fly fishing vest ready for the next time on the creek, pond, lake or river.

Time aka Years has a way of slipping up on all of us and we have to adapt to the new changes brought about by Mother Nature and time.   I am certainly thankful and grateful for each and every day that the Lord allows.  Each day brings on subtle new challenges and sometimes a humongous change but God certainly is good to us and will see us through these challenges.

I am guilty of taking many things for granted in my youth but maturity has a way of letting one become more acutely aware and appreciate what we can do for ourselves even with the limitations that we currently posses.

While tying new leaders that took extra effort that once was done like second nature, the seed was planted for this short story.  While typing my short stories as with each day that God allows us,  I do try and inject some humor along this Road of Life and grin as much as possible and strive to focus on some spiritual lesson or awakening and give God, the praise, glory and honor.

To quote my recently departed friend Bill Escott, “Yesterday is History, Today is a Gift and Tomorrow is a Mystery.”

My personal favorite quote: "Two Of The Great Ships That Ever Sailed:  Friendship and Fellowship."

Web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-26-13.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Open this link of Bible Verses About Salvation, King James Version Bible (KJV).

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"   JOHN 3:16 KJV 

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