Davy Knot
Davy
Tying a small fly to tippet with a quick, compact knot. NetKnots recommends it for flies in sizes 18 to 22.
Finished structure
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the Davy Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
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.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeA tag long enough to go around the standing line and tuck back, with the fly sliding freely on the tippet.
If it goes wrongThreading 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.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the Davy Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
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.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeA 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 wrongSnugging 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.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the Davy Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 03
Bring the tag back through that loop, passing it between the overhand knot and the hook eye.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeThe 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 wrongTucking 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.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the Davy Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
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.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeA small, tight knot sitting on the eye, with the tag held underneath it against the eye and a short trimmed end.
If it goes wrongPulling 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.
Davy Knot — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
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
- !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
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
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 failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.
Not ideal for
- ×Large flies under heavy tippet (prefer Double Davy or Orvis)
- ×Braid terminals