New Fly Guy – The Newfoundland/Portland/Riffle hitch knot

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Occasional contributor, Patrick Taylor, sent me a good tip that I wanted to share with you so you can see how it works this weekend right along with me.

The hitch knot goes by a number of different names — “Newfoundland hitch”, “Riffling hitch” or “Portland hitch” and was invented for salmon fishing. The purpose of the knot is to make your tippet extend from your fly in a perpendicular direction. Using a traditional knot, the tippet is attached to the eye of the hook and runs directly away from the fly. By making the line come out directly to the side, the fly kicks off a “V” pattern when fished from the side that mimics a distressed, small fish. Bang! … Or that’s what I hope

According to Patrick, using this knot on a pattern like the muddler minnow is a real killer.  The basic technique is simple. After tying this knot, you throw it at a 30-45° angle downstream and let the current in the water carry the fly to its natural conclusion. During this drift, you do not strip the fly in, use the natural action induced by the current. As the fly sinks, raise your rod tip slightly to bring it back to the surface to produce the gentle “V” wake. Do not use it on a fly that is weighted like a beadhead.

You need to be aware of where you stand in relation to your fly. The hitch needs to come off the fly pointing back towards you to work properly. The links below a few ways to tie the knot.  It’s pretty basic – just a few half hitches.

I’ll update this post next week and let you know how it works on the smallies. I’ve got a muddler and a small popper I’ll try out using this knot.

One version of the hitch knot: Instructions

Another version of the hitch knot: Instructions

Yet another: Instructions

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Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

Disclaimer and Warning:  The contents of this site reflect the opinion of the author and you, the reader, must exercise care in the use and interpretation of this information.  Fishing is a dangerous sport.  You can slip and fall on rocks and sustain severe injury.  You can drown.  You can get hooks caught in your skin, face, eyes or other sensitive places.  All sorts of bad things can happen to you when to go into the woods to visit the places documented here.  Forests, streams and lakes are wild areas and any number of bad things can happen.  You must make your own judgment in terms of acceptable behavior and risk and not rely on anything posted here.  I disclaim all liability and responsibility for any actions you take as a result of reading the articles on this site.  If you do not agree with this, you should not read anything posted on this site.

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