How to tie the Eugene Bend Knot
06 Jun 2025
0 Comments
How to Tie the Eugene Bend Knot?
Use case: tippet to fly
The Eugene Bend and I didn’t exactly start off on the right foot. First time I tried it, I was sitting on the tailgate of my truck, rain dripping down my neck, trying to salvage what was left of my leader after an argument with a stubborn branch. You know those days—when the fish are rising but your gear’s conspiring against you. I’d heard about this knot from some forum or maybe a podcast, one of those things you half-remember when desperation kicks in.
It’s one of those knots that looks simple until your fingers get involved. You take your two lines—let’s say you’re connecting a fresh piece of tippet to your chewed-up leader—and overlap them just enough to give yourself some working room. Not too much, or you’ll waste line; not too little, or you’ll be cussing like a sailor when the wraps slip. I learned that the hard way, obviously.
The trick is in the twist. You make a loop with one line, then wrap the other around it three, maybe four times? I’ve never been great at counting under pressure. The first few tries, I either overdid it and ended up with a clunky mess or underdid it and watched my fly sail away like it was fleeing my incompetence. But when you get it right, there’s this moment where the knot just *snugs* into place, like it’s decided to trust you.
I remember the first fish I landed with it—a feisty little brown trout that had no business testing my knots but did anyway. The Eugene held, and I stood there in the river, grinning like an idiot, half-surprised it actually worked. That’s the thing about knots, though. You can read all the instructions, watch all the videos, but until you’ve tied one in the wild, with cold fingers and fading light, you don’t really *know* it.
Now I keep it in my back pocket for those moments when the blood knot feels too fussy or the surgeon’s loop just won’t cooperate. It’s not the prettiest knot, and it’s definitely not the one I’d brag about at a fly-tying meetup. But it’s reliable, and on the water, that’s worth more than elegance.
Funny how the knots you end up relying on aren’t always the ones you expect. The Eugene’s like that—quiet, unassuming, just there when you need it. And honestly, isn’t that the best kind of knot to know?
Named after its creator, Eugene Sunday, this knot is highly regarded for its simplicity to tie and its strength. It's characterized by a double loop that provides excellent holding power.
Step 1
Form a loop with the lines parallel
Put the line through the eye of the fly, and form a loop.
Step 2
Wrap the parallel lines around the line
Keep the last part of the line parallel to each other, and wrap these parallel lines around the long end of the line three times. Keep a small loop at the last wrap.
Step 3
Put the tag end through the loop
Take the tag end that's still at the start of the knot and put it through the small loop that was formed at the last wrap in the previous step.
Step 4
Pull the tag end
Pull on the tag end first to tighten the knot onto the line.
Step 5
Pull the line to tighten it
Pull on the line to slide the knot against the eye of the fly. Cut off any excess line.
Tags:
