Every fly fisher, whether a beginner or an expert, should know about these four basic fly fishing knots and their uses. The four types are the Blood Knot, the Surgeon's Knot, the Nailless Nail Knot and the Perfection Knot. Learning how to make your own knots is a skill you can learn with practice gives you the confidence to go beyond these four basic knots to more advanced one.

The Blood Knot is an extremely strong knot where two monofilaments are tied together. This compact knot keeps the fly line perfectly straight. With practice, you can learn how to tie this know without using fly fishing tools, resulting in a valuable and strong knot.

The Surgeon's Knot, also known as the Needle Knot, is named after the type of needle used to thread the monofilament through the fly line core and is another very strong knot. A bulkier knot than the Blood Knot, it is very neat, slightly angled, and forms a powerful transition between the coated fly line and the monofilament leader.

The Nailless Nail Knot is made without a needle. However, it is less reliable than the Surgeon's knot since it is tied around the fly line. The knot can easily slip if the coating of the fly line wears off.

The Perfection Knot generates stable loops, which lets you rapidly and handily make leader changes. Perfection loops use a "Loop to Loop" connection and are made by forming two parallel loops, passing the end of the line between the loops and then putting the second loop through the first

There are other knots used by experienced fly fishers and anglers, but these four knots are the basic fly fishing knots that all fly fishermen should be familiar with and know how to tie. With more experience and skill, you can expand your fly fishing knot repertoire based upon your needs.