How to Tie a Dropper Tag With the Figure of 8 Knot 

Not trying to be disrespectful but the problem with this knot and the double surgeon’s knot for tags is that they both have the tag coming off at an angle to the main line and the tag wraps around the line easily and doesn’t present the fly out in space the way it can fully. This will cost you fish via too much twisted line close to the fly and distraction to the fish taking the fly. Yes this knot is stronger than the surgeon’s knot but that is only part of the issue. Presentation of the fly is the most important thing. If you are familiar with the Davy knot it is the solution to this issue. It is the smallest knot and it is equal or stronger to the considered strongest knots for attaching lines to flies and line to tippet rings or micro swivels etc, AND they end up exactly perpendicular to the main line for a much better presentation with much less chance of twisting around the central line. There are 3 ways to use this method. 1) tippet ring- use the Davy knot to tie the tippet ring to the end of your line, then use the Davy knot to tie on the tag line and the line to the bottom fly (and Davy knot to each of the flies). (The Davy knot is way easier to tie than the clinch knots and much stronger, and much smaller on the eye of the hook etc) (If tied properly you will never go back to a clinch knot ever!) I fish the San Juan river quality waters an average of 100 days a year and I have landed three 15 plus pound browns on the Davy knot that had I been using a clinch or improved clinch, they would have broken off at the knot for sure! 2) The second and best method for tagging is using a micro swivel in place of the tippet ring in example 1. Tie the main line to the top of the swivel and the tag and line to the bottom fly to the bottom of the swivel. Not only will the tag present at a 90 degree to the main line but it will not twist around the main line (due to the swivel action) and will be presented to the fish downstream and out in space where it is easy to get to without distraction to the fish. If you haven’t tried the micro swivel you are missing out! 3)-third method is if you don’t have a swivel or tippet ring, tie a Davy knot above your existing double surgeon’s knot for the tag and slide it down to the surgeon knot and tighten it up to the main line there. It can be slid up the line but will not go down obviously past the knot. I sometimes (if I don’t have swivel etc) slide the tag up higher on the line for more spacing between my 2 flies but if a fish takes it it will slide down to the knot and set the hook quite well. This distance is never more than 6 inches up otherwise it will take too long to set the hook. Usually I just leave it down on the surgeon knot. Bottom line is I use this method only if I don’t have any swivels (first choice) or tippet rings on my person. Otherwise it is very effective. All of these methods are much superior in my opinion to tags that come off the main line at an angle. Keep in mind that I almost exclusively nymph fish where I am looking to go deep in faster water down into deeper holes where the bigger monster trophy fish are laying in wait for the food to come to them. Low and slow is my motto. Just so you know I am not a pro or guide but I certainly could be a guide if my legs and back weren’t so screwed up, but I am no hack for sure! My mentor and fishing buddy for years was the coach of the Canadian fly fishing team at one time and had 7 fishing world records to his name. I just shut up and listened to him if he ever talked fishing. I learned all I could from him and I know personally most of the guides (worth a darn) on the San Juan and they would attest to the fact that I can hang with the best of them! This video struck a chord with me and felt compelled to offer an alternative to what was presented here. I mean no disrespect to the person who did it, just wanted to give people an interesting perspective and alternative. Hopefully it helps someone. Take care and thanks for this video with the purpose of helping individuals with valid problem resolution

Thanks again for all your educational tips, I’ve been with you since the beginning and have learned a lot….One additional useful tactic I’ve used for a statistically better outcome is making the loop just a little bigger and putting the tips of thumb and forefinger through it while twisting. Then like soft forceps I can pinch the tags quickly and pull them through. Helps me a lot when it’s cold, in low light, etc. rather than trying to jam a thumb into a hole that’s too small.

I'm glad you found it. It's a killer knot

Thanks much. Because of you, i changed to a 16/20 to fly. Its natural now. Im also going to give this a go. Happy New Year to you and yours 🎉🎏

Fully agree with a single Davy for small flies - a very small and secure knot. I haven’t ever used a clinch knot, but certainly used a Double Davy on tippet rings and larger flies. The extra turn does not make the knot massive and adds just a little more security. Your mentor will of course told you, that droppers must be ‘fixed’, in fly fishing competitions where a designated fly line and leader are used. Sliding droppers were a fundamental part of Polish style fishing, but even they had to adapt for competitions! Outside of competitions, anything goes!😉

Good knot, great explanation! I use my hemostats instead of my finger most times, same result. Tight lines and fair winds.

I guess I'll switch to that one, is soooo simple! Thanks so much? And I guess it can be even simpler using g a forceps carefully, without squeezing the mono.

love it ..agree blood knot double triple surgeon no need,, I been using the orvis knot and this as well for lower tag end dropperwith lighter x tippet from the tag main line stronger x.. very easy to tie strong .. great video demo

Another rainy day here in central PA so going to practice this right now. Just started Euro nymphing a month ago. Thanks for an easy to follow video Also just subscribed!

Very nice presentation. In addition, if you tie a simple knot before cutting the bone, you will prevent it from getting caught in the garbage.

Insert forceps into the loop to twist it two and a half times around and then grasp the two lines and pull them back through the loop,being careful not to damage them with an overly-strong grip, and using the very end of the forceps jaws where they are not textured.

Thanks Devin, will try this. I haven't had any problems with triple surgeons breaking generally, however I have suspected for a while that certain tippets seem to prefer or behave differently with certain knots, whether they are different brands or materials, or even different diameters within the same brand....... anyway I'll give it a go, thanks for sharing!

Excellent!

Thanks TFF! I'll try it this evening.

This looks like an effective knot that's super simple and quick. My one question/concern is that since the dropper is on the leader line, every time you need to change that fly, you're cutting the leader shorter. Any concerns?

Reporting back. This working for me. Thank you! I see that callus on your middle finger from 16/20. I need to go fishing more, i dont have one yet, still a bit ouchy😂🎏

So easy. Thank you for sharing

Figure of 8 is one of the strongest and most versatile knots one can use. It works for fly fishing, climbing, towing. It gets stronger the tighter is gets but in larger ropes and even webbing can still be removed.

If that is a figure eight knot--my aunt Bessie is a giraffe! There is a similarity, however--and it looks effective.

I could be mistaken but i think this is a Seaguar knot not the Orvis Tippet knot. The Orvis Tippet knot, the tippet end loops twice around one of the loop legs. The Seaguar knot is typically used to connect fluorocarbon lines.

Awesome!!! Great tip!!

I prefer this knot and use the tag as a dropper, its quicker and easier than a Surgeons knot. If you cut both tags off would that be a way to quickly join a broken leader? Tight lines 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Thanks Devin. Any chance this knot will also prevent the dropper from wrapping around the tippet going to the anchor fly?

Thanks for that, I'll give it a try. Wanted to ask you about Slovakia fishing. I'll be visiting Slovakia in late summer and wanted to know what you thought f fly fishing there? Any recommendations on guides? Thanks.

Great video on figure 8 knot! I find that you can make the loop as large as you want to fit big fingers through the loop, as your tip on holding the loop tight with your left hand and pulling the knot tight with your right hand both closes the loop and reduces the length of tippet end you are cutting. So you are also not wasting tippet material. Terrific hint! BTW, how long do you leave your dropper tag? I find that more than 4-5 inches gets me into difficulty with wrapping around the tippet at times. Any thoughts or advice. Norm

Thanks for this gonna practice and try it out

While there is some similarity, I disagree that this is the same as the Orvis tippet knot. They are much different. Also, wouldn't you prefer to have an "up" tag versus a "down" tag? The up tag helps to keep the dropper away from the main line. My opinion is you cut the wrong side of the tag. Anyway, I have learned a lot from you friend...thanks for the content

Is it 2 or 3 turns? Video shows 3 but you’re counting 2. I’ve tried it both ways and 2 appears to be correct. I’ve been using the knot for a while now and unfortunately I’ve had a number of break-offs on big fish, including another last night. Just wondering if I’m doing something wrong. Thanks for any guidance. Love your stuff.

Devin, while on the subject of figure 8’s…if you need a stopper to hold split shot and don’t have a handy tag knot to keep it from slipping, did I see you say somewhere that a simple figure 8 in a single piece of leader or tippet can do this without weakening the line (too much)? I know an overhand knot is a no-no for this. Thx!

does making three turns add to the strenght of the knot ?

Great knot. Is it equally strong with all types of leader material?

Heading to NC next month to hunt for large trout. Will definitely use this method. By the way. Where did you get that nipper?

How does this compare to using a blood knot? I like how the blood knot keeps my dropper out away from the main line. Thanks!

Excellent thank you!

it's a lot easier to tie this knot if you use hemostats. Just replace your finger with the hemostats to wind the loop, then let them slide through to grab the tippet and pull back through the loop. This works even better when using 7x.

Great video! Once your tag end becomes too short (say a number of nymph changes) how do you like to go about adding a new tag?

But after the first initial tie..Say the yellow breaks off after use and gets too short? What knot are you using to attach another piece of tippet ? And when you do tie on another piece are you tying it right above the knot that's left? If so do you think having a built up knot so close to the flies that it may scare fish? Apreciate everything you do.Thank you in advance

Hello!🎏 Wasnt there like a part two of this ?🤔 Describing directional pulls? Can someone link me pls. Ty

Could a guy leave the upper yellow tippet section long and use that as the tag end for the top nymph? If that was done the upper nymph would dangle further away from the main leader.

Sorry, one more question: what’s the difference if you use the existing line for the tag or the tied on tippet? Presumably you’re going to tie the point fly on one of the line ends facing downward. You pointed out that it was important to use the existing line tag for your dropper. I’d deduce the added line end will have to hold the point fly? This throws me for a loop, pun intended.

Have you tried this dropper on your tippet line for euro nymphing with a couple of beaded nymphs?

Cool. I don't understand why adding the dropper tag, or adding the longer tippet piece would matter.

Sorry for such a basic question. What is a dropper tag? Word Dropper suggests somethings on the surface. If so, I usually tie a clinch on the dry hook and the point goes on the other end of this piece of tippet. Learning alot here!

I bet you can tie this with forceps!

Where are you located? I noticed you have an 801 prefix number, and some of those rivers look a little Utahish.

Has anyone tested the strength of this figure of 8 knot against just using a tippet ring to hang the dropper off (using say, a standard clinch knot)? I have always had inconsistent results with double and triple surgeons knots, so I moved to using a tippet ring. One of the advantages of a tippet ring is that it is super easy to replace the dropper when it gets too short. Any other advantages of using a figure of 8 over a tippet ring?

How is this different than the Seaguar knot? Is it just that this is two twists and Seaguar is 3?

I'm going to try this knot. What kind of lengths are you recommending on the dropper post vs to your point fly( fly on the tippet)

A figure 8 knot is commonly used in climbing with dynamic ( stretchy ) rope to form a loop. Has anybody tried it to replace a double surgeons knot?

LOL why's it gotta take a year for this :) :) dang it ! The trip surgeon is fine for smaller fish... but larger fish on fine tippet. UGH! ..... anyway... THANK YOU !

I always called this the Orvis tippet knot and did it by wrapping the loop around my hemostat twice grabbing the two tags and pulling them through. I like your method better. The hemostat was a pain in the butt.

I learned that knot as the Lefty Kreh tippet knot. Been using it for several years. So easy and fast to tie.

You can also use this knot when you tie on your tippet to the leader; just loop the end of the tippet round and tie the tippet to itself. Cut it so you leave one short length as a dropper and the rest for your point fly.

Wow! Love this knot! It's easy, fast and uncomplicated! I like it much better than tying a triple surgeon's knot! What a discovery! Thanks, Devin!

Very interesting. I have used a figure eight in a pinch on the river when I broke a nail knot and wanted to quickly attach a new leader. It is used all the time in climbing. Never thought to use it this way. Will give it a try!

I also had issues with droppers breaking at the surgeon knot.. I like this kno video but, you should include some text about how big that upright loop needs to be in order to get one's finger and thumb in the loop...

Great video! I switched to the Orvis tippet knot about 6 months ago after I noticed too many break-offs with a triple surgeons knot. I have a digital scale and tested the surgeons knot on 5x tippet and to my surprise it was breaking at around 50% tippet strength. The Orvis tippet knot is much stronger at about 80% breaking strength. I highly recommend getting a digital scale and testing your knots -- you'll learn a lot. Also I like your way of tying this and will try --- looks much faster than my method.

Whelp, now i have to go fishing tomorrow and give this a try!!! Oh, no. What a bummer.../s

If you want to put a dropper on a long leaderdo the same thing with the loop BUT

What knot was he doing before??????

It's so interesting how different knots in different fishing styles go completely unnoticed. I have a background in spin fishing and even though the breaking strength of your mainline isn't an issue most of the time, there was much more focus on it than in fly fishing where speed and simplicity seemed to be much more important. So i felt a bit weird when using figure-8 knots, uni and palomar knots instead of the common knots in fly fishing. Thanks devin!

Easiest if you use forceps to twist the knot and grab the ends.

I learned this about 7 or 8 years ago as the Seaguar knot. Super easy and works. Forceps are a great aid.

Love it! Wish I knew this the day before yesterday…I had a challenging day with snags and snarls resulting in a few rerigs.

Sweeeet!!!

Awesome tip I can tied a lot quicker than the surgeons. Thanks.👍

That's my go-to for dropper tags as well... have known it as the Orvis Tippet Knot. Love your tying approach. Clearly easier and faster than what I was doing. Any reason to not use it in place of a surgeons knot for just adding tippet? I expect it's stronger but I'm not sure. Definitely sticking with blood knots for leader building.

That’s looks like a super clean knot. I’ll be practicing this one.

Thanks. Not a fly angler but always looking for new ideas. Currently been having fun making sabiki jigs and a new thing going around is trying a fairly large single sabiki about a meter above a metal jig so I was looking for a stronger connection and will give this a try.

Hi Devin. Nifty nipper. Don't think we see that in UK. Can you provide detail?

Thank you for posting. I have a completely different way of tying this knot. Great fun to work through the steps of both approaches and figure out how we end up with the exact same result. I have been using it for some time now, and also find it better. When I get super geeky with treating nylons for leaders and they are too soft for a blood knot, this knot does the job and, once again, surpasses the surgeon’s/water knot.

It seems like when you tie it you rotated 3 times, does anyone else see that? Curious if that is true?

I found using a plunger style hackle pliers speeds up the tying process. You have to grab the two strands as distal as possible. Thanks. I look forward to giving this dropper tag a try.

What I do to prevent breakage at the dropper knot is to not catch big fish.

Excellent video very specific detailed short instructional ty kindly

Always lubricate your knots to prevent friction which will weaken your line!

I have used this knot, but only twist it twice, not three times. It cinches down way cleaner, and I haven’t had any issues breaking off so far.

This is also referred to as a Seagaur knot. A half hitch tied to the dropper will coax it to position at a 90 degree angle.

You forgot to tell us to always lube the knot before tightening! Otherwise good video!

Nicely done thanks great tip👍

Looks great! I'll give it a try.

Daiwa Sokkou Knot Tool

Thanks for sharing! You showed this to us last January and I've been trying to remember the knot. Perfect timing!

Thoughts on using this to just add tippet say for a dry fly. Obviously keeping the tags shorter and trimming both. Looks much easier than a triple surgeons. Thanks for the tutorial! Thoughts?

When you are beginning to form the loop, do you pass the material's working end (your Right Hand) in front of or behind the material's standing end (your Left Hand). I am having trouble seeing this positioning.

Great knot tying video. I will use it this weekend. I can see why it would be stronger than a traditional surgeon’s knot. Also, love that nipper you used! Do you sell those?

Is he using this dropper tag for tying split shot unweighted nymphs like Bottom bouncing or dry dropper tag ?

Any comment or experience with a double Uni as the dropper tag? Thanks for this tutorial.

Which brand and model of nippers are you using? I like that style. Thanks

I’m a firm believer that any time you add a figure 8 to a knot, you’re doing yourself a favor. Just look at the Davey knot. I need to try your twisting method.

Great and easy why to tie a tag, thanks for the video. Cheers.

Great video. This is my goto dropper knot, but I actually use the tag facing back towards the rod because it loops away from the tippet section going to the anchor fly, helping to reduce tangles and providing more spacing. Thanks for posting this video.

Thank you

Do you put a small overhand on the tag to get the tag fly to stick out 90 degrees from the leader? I find the dropper wraps around the leader if it doesn’t have some separation from the line.