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Diagram

Davy Knot

Davy

Tying a small fly to tippet with a quick, compact knot. NetKnots recommends it for flies in sizes 18 to 22.

Terminal · Beginner · Monofilament / Fluorocarbon · 4 steps

ApplicationsHow to tie it
Davy Knot, finishedDavy Knot, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

  1. Push 8 to 10 cm of tippet through the hook eye and let the fly hangThe tippet passes once through the hook eye with a long tag beyond it and the fly hanging on the standing line.
    Move 1 of 1Push 8 to 10 cm of tippet through the hook eye and let the fly hangYou should now see: A tag long enough to go around the standing line and tuck back, fly sliding freely.

    Step 01

    Push 8 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) of tippet through the hook eye and let the fly hang on the standing line.

    You should now see

    A tag long enough to go around the standing line and tuck back, with the fly sliding freely on the tippet.

    If it goes wrong

    Threading only a short stub through the eye. The tag runs out partway through the tuck at step 3 and the knot cannot be finished.

    Fix: Pull more tippet through the eye before you start. If the tag has already run out, take the knot apart and begin again.

    Why: The finished Davy uses very little tippet, but the tag still needs room to go around the standing line and tuck back while your fingers hold it.

  2. Tie a loose overhand in the tag around the standing line, just ahead of the eyeThe tag comes up out of the eye, goes down in front of the standing line and back up behind it, then out over its own leg: a loose overhand round the standing line, with a small open loop between it and the eye.
    Move 1 of 1Tie a loose overhand in the tag around the standing line, just ahead of the eyeYou should now see: A loose overhand sits ahead of the eye, with a small open loop between it and the eye.

    Step 02

    Take the tag around the standing line and back through the loop it makes, forming a loose overhand knot just ahead of the hook eye.

    You should now see

    A loose overhand in the tippet a short way above the eye, with a small open loop of tippet between the overhand and the eye.

    If it goes wrong

    Snugging the overhand down now, or letting the tag cross over itself, so the loop above the eye closes and there is no room left for the tuck.

    Fix: Ease the overhand open with a fingertip until the loop between it and the eye is clear. If the tag has crossed, undo it and make the turn again.

    Why: This first turn is a half hitch around the standing line. It only holds the shape for the tuck and is tightened at step 4.

  3. Tuck the tag back through that loop, between the overhand and the hook eyeThe tag carries on round behind the top of the overhand, goes under its own first leg into the small loop between the overhand and the eye, comes forward through it, and crosses over that leg beside the eye.
    Move 1 of 1Tuck the tag back through that loop, between the overhand and the hook eyeYou should now see: The tag comes out between the overhand and the eye, not on the far side of the overhand.

    Step 03

    Bring the tag back through that loop, passing it between the overhand knot and the hook eye.

    You should now see

    The tag comes out between the overhand and the eye. The tippet now runs through the eye, around the standing line and back under itself.

    If it goes wrong

    Tucking the tag on the far side of the overhand instead of between the overhand and the eye. It draws down into a slip knot that pulls apart under load.

    Fix: Pull the tag back out and retrace it before you tighten anything. A knot that has been seated with the wrong tuck has to be cut off.

    Why: The tuck on the eye side traps the tag under the knot. Tucked on the other side, nothing holds the tag once the standing line takes load.

  4. Pull the tag first, then the standing line, and trim the tag closeThe same overhand-and-tuck structure is drawn down into a compact knot against the hook eye, the trimmed tag coming out between the knot and the eye.
    Move 1 of 1Pull the tag first, then the standing line, and trim the tag closeYou should now see: A small tight knot sitting on the eye, the trimmed tag coming out between it and the eye.

    Step 04

    Pull the tag first to draw the knot up, then pull the standing line to set it against the eye. Trim the tag close.

    You should now see

    A small, tight knot sitting on the eye, with the tag held underneath it against the eye and a short trimmed end.

    If it goes wrong

    Pulling the standing line before the tag. The knot seats half-formed, or the tag slides away from the knot toward the middle of the eye.

    Fix: If the knot has not closed fully or the tag has moved off the eye, cut it off and tie it again. It takes very little tippet to retie.

    Why: Animated Knots notes that the tag has to lie against the eye under the knot. If it slides toward the centre of the eye, the knot holds much less well.

HTH · Reference layout

Davy Knot — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout

Davy Knot — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout
Hook the Horizon reference plate
Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

Fly / tippet family

Fine tippet at the eye, or fly-line to leader with a tube or nail.

  • !Hitch path around the eye instead of through it
  • !Single pass where two were the job
  • !Gap at the tube or nail on a fly-line join
Fails when
  • !Tag tucked on the far side of the overhand, making a slip knot that pulls apart
  • !Tag slid away from the knot toward the middle of the eye
  • !Tippet too fine for the hook wire, so a load spreads the loop and releases the tag
  • !Standing line pulled before the tag, so the knot seats half-formed
Geometry

  • Wrong hitch path — an overhand that slips

    Opens on the first tug-test

    Davy is a single hitch around the standing tippet, not a wrap stack · step 02

  • Hitch not slid to the eye

    Opens under load, especially on an oversized fly

    The seat against the eye is the lock; step up to Double Davy if it will not hold · step 03

  • Tag trimmed before the hitch locked

    Unlocks as soon as the tag is cut

    Over-trimming before the seat is the usual Davy pull-out · step 04

If you saw this

  • Hitch opens under load

    Check

    • ?Hitch tight against eye

    Then

    • →Retie
    • →Step up to Double Davy

  • Finished check failed — Open hitch that walks on the eye

    Check

    • ?Compact half-hitch structure at the eye
    • ?Tag exits in the intended direction
    • ?Knot stays small after seating

    Then

    • →Retie. A walking Davy slips free under tippet-class loads.

  • Wrong hitch path — an overhand that slips

    Check

    • ?Opens on the first tug-test
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Hitch not slid to the eye

    Check

    • ?Opens under load, especially on an oversized fly
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Tag trimmed before the hitch locked

    Check

    • ?Unlocks as soon as the tag is cut
    • ?Inspect step 04

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same family

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

This failed — start Diagnose

Why this knot

What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.

Best for
Fly hooksQuick to tie
Not ideal for
  • Large flies under heavy tippet (prefer Double Davy or Orvis)
  • Braid terminals
Common mistakes
  • Threading only a short stub of tippet through the eye
  • Pulling the overhand tight before the tuck, which closes the loop above the eye
  • Tucking the tag on the far side of the overhand instead of between it and the eye
  • Pulling the standing line before the tag
Alternatives
  • Double Davy KnotBeginner

    Davy with an extra security pass for larger flies or slightly heavier tippet

  • Orvis KnotBeginner

    Ties tippet to a hook or fly with a small knot built on a figure eight

  • Pitzen KnotIntermediate

    Tying a hook, lure or fly to line or tippet

Related knots