Blood Knot Vs. Surgeon Knot for Fly Fishing

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

There are two common knots used in fly fishing to make tapered leaders. One is the blood knot and the other is the surgeon. Each knot has its own advantages. ​

The Advantages of the Blood Knot

There are two reasons fly fishers use a blood knot for tapered leaders. 
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1. A blood knot is smoother. Because of the way the blood knot lays it becomes more flush with the line. The line is straighter making it more flexible with less drag on the water. 
2. Blood knots are stronger. Each end has 5-7 loops around the knot making it more stable and less likely to come undone.

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The one disadvantage for some is that the blood knot can be difficult to tie, especially in cold conditions or with the loss of dexterity in the fingers. Loss of dexterity is one of the main reasons we invented the blood knot tool. 

The Advantages of the Surgeon’s Knot

The surgeon’s knot is often used in place of a blood knot for tapered leaders. The advantage of using the surgeon’s knot is that for many it’s easier to tie. 

Although the surgeon knot does well in place of the blood knot there are few reasons we think it’s inferior to use. 
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1. The surgeon’s knot is often bulkier. It looks like a regular knot in a fishing line. It doesn’t lay as smooth on the line as a blood knot does. The disadvantage of that is it can drag on the water more, catching debris like grass and weeds. 
2. Surgeon’s knot end up kinking the line more than a blood knot, in our experience. Could be that we are just bad at tying the surgeon’s knot.

Honestly, either knot works for its intended purpose. We just think the blood knot has more advantages, plus our tool makes blood knots easier to tie. So there would be no reason not to use the blood knot.

If you need help with tying your blood knot let the Angler’s Ace Blood Knot tool help you. Check out our store for different colors or our instructions page to see how it works.

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