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Common Indicator Knot
Half Hitch Indicator Knot
Materials to use in the Indicator Knots
Backing to reel knot

Common Indicator Knot

This is the common indicator knot used to attach indicators to tippet or leaders. It very easy to tie. It's a granny knot except you make a loop instead as shown in the picture. Put your indicator material through the loop, pull tight and trim your indicator to the required size and away you go.

It's easy to open up the knot to move the indicator

NB. I find this knot breaks fairly readily so it's best not to use it on finer tippet and to give it a pull test every so often to check it's strength.

I personally prefer this indicator knot as it does break quite as readily:

Half Hitch Indicator Knot

Form a half hitch in the appropriate spot on your leader / tippet and place your indicator material in the loop, pull tight. Then make another loop in your leader / tippet and thread it over the indicator and pull tight. This will lock the indicator in place. If you don't use the extra loop you'll find the indicator slips. Trim to size and you are ready to go.

To remove this indicator separate the indicator fibers by pulling them apart at one end of the indicator to open up the knot.

Materials to use in the Indicator Knots

One of the best is just some natural sheep wool, it comes per greased, being white in color it looks like surface foam and stand out quite when on the water surface.

A good alternative is the a packet of mixed Egg Yarn. The different colours are useful in different situations. Treat it with some

Water Shed Fly Floatant so you don't have to continually add Fly Floatant to it and you'll be in business.

Backing to reel knot

This knot needs to be tied so that it tightens as you wind in. If it's tied on to the spool the wrong way it will tend to slip as you start to wind the backing onto the reel

It's really just a Granny Knot that acts as a slip knot with a second granny knot in the end of the line to act as a locking knot. I have always found it hard to trust this knot so I tie it twice then add the locking knot and it holds just fine