How to do the spoon knot?

The spoon knot is probably the most classic knot for tying a fly. It is relatively simple to make and reliable, but tightening it (which must be strong) heats up the wire and can cause subsequent breakage on small diameter wires. The last loop of the complete version described below is not always very easy to do with certain yarns: in this case the simplified version (without step 4) may suffice or its improvement in the form of 'Joan's clinch knot ' that I prefer.

Making the knot

1. Thread the tip nylon through the eyelet of the fly
2. Make 3 to 5 turns with the end of the line around the leader
3. Pass the overhand knot through the loop near the eyelet.
4. Optional: Pass the yarn back through the loop you just made. This makes the node very reliable.
5. Wet the knot and hold it against the fly's eyelet. Pull hard on the leader in order to tighten the turns around the leader, against the eyelet and the knot.
6. Cut the excess nylon. Wetting the windings avoids overheating the wire during tightening, which reduces the resistance of the wire and therefore of the knot. It is preferable to limit the number of windings on small diameter wires, especially if you notice breakage.