Harvey Dry Fly Knot

George Harvey Dry Fly Knot

Developed by legendary fly fishing instructor George Harvey, the Harvey dry fly knot is one of the best dry fly knots to use when tying a fly with an up or down-turned eye to your leader or tippet.

While it is one of the most ideal fly fishing knots to use with hooks that have up or down-turned eyes in order to pull the fly in a straight line, it's not recommended for use on flies or hooks with straight eyes because it will prevent them from retaining motion in the water.

The biggest benefit of using the George Harvey dry fly knot is that you don’t have to pass an open loop over a bulky fly pattern during the tying process (for example, as you would when tying other fishing knots, such as the Turle Knot).

Harvey Dry Fly Knot Instructions

You can follow these easy step-by-step instructions to learn how to tie this dry fly knot:

1. Insert the tag end of your leader or tippet through the hook eye and bring it back toward the standing line.
2. While holding the standing line and tag end just in front of the fly, make a small loop around the standing line, make another of the same size, and then hold the two loops together.
3. Run the tag end of the line through the two loops twice (in other words, make two complete wraps around them).
4. Hold the bend of the hook in one hand and pull on the standing line with the other to cinch down the knot. If you've tied the know correctly, the two loops will slide back and pop over the hook eye, leaving a straight connection between the leader or tippet and the fly.
5. Trim the tag end. Check to see that the knot is resting on the head of the fly.

That's all you have to do to tie the Harvey dry fly knot!

The next time you're stuck in side on a rainy day, practice tying the strongest fly fishing knots, like the George Harvey dry fly knot, and you'll be surprised how quickly you'll learn to tie them with confidence.