How to Utilize Your Tag Line

When you add new tippet with a double surgeon’s or blood knot, whether you’re tying onto your leader, the end of your fly line, or tippet that’s already on, the knot leaves two little strands sticking out. One points up the rod toward your reel. The other points down toward where you’re about to tie on your fly. Most of us clip both and move on. Don’t be so quick.

That extra strand is called a tag line, and it’s one of the most useful tricks in fly fishing. Leave yourself a few extra inches when you tie the knot, so one tag has some real length to it. Clip the other tag flush with the line so it won’t snag, and keep the long one free-standing.

Now you have a second place to tie something on. A dry fly, a hopper, a nymph, a split shot. Because the tag hangs off the main line instead of in a straight chain, each fly moves freely without the other dragging it down as much, and vice versa. It gives you a more natural drift and more options on the water.

Here’s where it gets fun:

1. Double hoppers
2. Double midges
3. Hopper dropper
4. A dropper with a split shot
5. A string of tags: stack four or five knots and run three or four flies plus a split shot

Take a few minutes on the bank to tie these up, and you’ll be covering the water column in ways a single fly never could.

A Word on Cleaning Up

Every knot you tie leaves something behind: the clipped tags, old tippet, the bird’s nest you finally gave up on. Ironically, those of us who love fly fishing the most, myself included, often don’t realize how much line we leave on the bank and in the water. That monofilament doesn’t go away. It wraps around birds, turtles and fish for years.

So when you’re tying on in the middle of a stream or on the tailgate, keep track of every loose end. Stash your scraps in a pocket or a line keeper and pack them out. Take care of the water that takes care of you.