FG Knot

[Volvo]

How many onboard ust the FG Knot due to its slimline finish and how many have had it come adrift hooked up on a good Fish ??.. Love this knot but a few times now have had it come adrift during battle with a beasty!!.. Twenty odd loops and a good tight pull after completing with the app hale hitches to finish too.
Most times hangs on and wandering if the leader im using may have anything to do with it !!??..

[Lovey80]

Never had one let go under load. For me if they let go it’s during the tying when I pull tight. If it binds with the leader they usually last a long time. I use them for my wind-ons.

[552Evo]

Yes Ive been using the FG now for a while, it hasn’t let me down.
I’ve found the leader wears before the knot gets too old anyway. But you get that with gummies.
I’ve never found a concise answer whether the FG is suitable for mono to mono ?
I’ve only ever used it for braid to mono but I have a setup with mono that I haven’t used in a while.


Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.

[Dignity]

I have had it let go but it is usually one I've done in a hurry and wasn't 100% happy with it, just retie them now. I only do 15 twists and found that works, I do recall one of the reasons given for the the FG to fail is too many twists, go figure.

[tunaticer]

The trick with the FG is to snug it tight immediately after the first half hitch.
If you do several half hitches it does not snug tight.

[scottar]

Same as Tunaticer - do the wraps and then basically just about try and break the knot using a towel to protect the hand from the braid. Then half hitches and personally I then finish with a 10 turn binding finish. Can't say I have ever had one come undone - have actually been surprised at just how much stick can be applied ( have totally collapsed the clip on a couple of ball bearing clip swivels that were above line class ) and can't ever recall the FG being the knot that let go when breaking off a snag - always seems to be the Uni to the clip swivel or the trace itself.

[FINICKY]

I've used the FG knott now for a few years. 100% reliable. Best success rate I've had.
Big Angry Fish have a great tutorial on YouTube.


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[Cape Crusader]

G'day
Never had a failure of an FG knot. The diameter of the leader needs to be a lot bigger (at least twice imo) than the braid as knots like this rely on the smaller line biting into the larger one.
I tie mine with the rod in a rod holder and the braid tied to a vice (in the shed) with some tension and the knot is then tied constantly under tension with the rod tip flexing. Pretty quick and I just go about 25-30mm with the wraps. I reckon that, lack of tension, lack of size difference or a leader that is to hard are likely factors for failures.
Cheers
Rod

[Funchy]

How many onboard ust the FG Knot due to its slimline finish and how many have had it come adrift hooked up on a good Fish ??.. Love this knot but a few times now have had it come adrift during battle with a beasty!!.. Twenty odd loops and a good tight pull after completing with the app hale hitches to finish too.
Most times hangs on and wandering if the leader im using may have anything to do with it !!??..

Have never had one fail when I have tied it right.

[Volvo]

Kind thanks to all the replies and yes, braid to leader.
I am tending to think it may be the leader I am using??.
Mostly overall have been more than impressed with this knot but few times now it's let go on me and could be for all of the abovementioned reasons.
Yes I do finish it off with ample tension and approx eight half hitches mainly to stop the leader tag from comming into contact with the rod guides.
Guess I will just have to be a tad more carefully and go back to a softer leader??.

[jackson4300]

I've used the FG knott now for a few years. 100% reliable. Best success rate I've had.
Big Angry Fish have a great tutorial on YouTube.


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Thats the version I use as well, easy and quick to do and never had an issue with it so far.

[Volvo]

Thats the version I use as well, easy and quick to do and never had an issue with it so far.
Tharts an okay way of doing it if your using heavy duty mono leader , and in my opinion slow version.
There is a quicker way but take too long to explain it , as far as this old ducky is concerned anyway lol..
I have leader comming up from being held down bottom of foot sole , braid from the rod tip as previousely mentioned and weave in n out of thumb n forefinger .
All over in no time flat ..

[Cape Crusader]

Tharts an okay way of doing it if your using heavy duty mono leader , and in my opinion slow version.
There is a quicker way but take too long to explain it , as far as this old ducky is concerned anyway lol..
I have leader comming up from being held down bottom of foot sole , braid from the rod tip as previousely mentioned and weave in n out of thumb n forefinger .
All over in no time flat ..

Agree totally. Sounds similar method to mine which I adopted by a simpler version than BAF but still used the mouth. I've seen youtube video called 'simplified fg' but still they make it a little hard using their mouths, ok if you want to tie one in a yak or something I guess
Cheers
Rod

[Moonlighter]

I have never had one let go on me once tied and locked.

I used to tie it differently using the GT knot method, but have changed to the IGFA method as I reckon its quicker and easier, once ypu get used to tying it that way.

The keys with this knot, whichever way you tie it, are

1. When you pull the braid up onto the mono before locking the knot it needs to be TIGHT on the mono. If its not pulled up tight it will slip when you try to pull it tight when finished.

2. Then once its locked, you have to give it the death grip and try your hardest to pull it apart, this makes the braid bite into the mono and will not let go, then finish with the half hitches.

If yours are ever coming undone it will be because of one of those reasons.

I generally use a dab of super glue gel on it at the end, not for knot strength, just to keep the tag end of the braid sitting down flat so it doesnt rub on guides or get loose.

I have used this method to join 6lb braid to 8 lb leader and 50lb braid to 40, 50 and 80lb leader, and most weights inbetween. If you tie it right it never comes undone. If you dont tie it right, in my experience it pulls thru when you give it the dealth grip.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oohOoOOmbNk

[Cape Crusader]

I think that's right moonlighter, not pulling hard on the knot to pull everything tight before cutting the excess leader can allow the knot to just unravel and sounds like the most likely reason for the original posters issues
Cheers
Rod

[Volvo]

I think that's right moonlighter, not pulling hard on the knot to pull everything tight before cutting the excess leader can allow the knot to just unravel and sounds like the most likely reason for the original posters issues
Cheers
Rod

Reading through all of the above posts it sounds quite likely ey :)..Will have to stress the knot a tad more before applying the bait and dropping overboard lol.

[dan12345]

one thing that i have not noticed anyone mention is that the number of wraps made at the start of this knot. I have tested this knot numerous times on the line testing machine in our fishing club. To many wraps can also weaken the knot in a sense-yes to many is bad not better, to many wraps dont allow the braid to pull down tight.the criss cross pattern tightens closest to the end being pulled but doesn't tighten the wraps as tight at the far end ,if to many have been made-hope that makes sense. what can happen is now the knot seams good but after a bit of stretch back and forth the wraps that were not fully tight at the start begin to send the slack down the line causing the knot to let go.-

[Dignity]

one thing that i have not noticed anyone mention is that the number of wraps made at the start of this knot. I have tested this knot numerous times on the line testing machine in our fishing club. To many wraps can also weaken the knot in a sense-yes to many is bad not better, to many wraps dont allow the braid to pull down tight.the criss cross pattern tightens closest to the end being pulled but doesn't tighten the wraps as tight at the far end ,if to many have been made-hope that makes sense. what can happen is now the knot seams good but after a bit of stretch back and forth the wraps that were not fully tight at the start begin to send the slack down the line causing the knot to let go.-

Mentioned in post #4, I found more than 15 wraps in 6lb to 12 braid range used to cause some failures. Don't use it in anything offshore much so can't comment.

[dan12345]

Mentioned in post #4, I found more than 15 wraps in 6lb to 12 braid range used to cause some failures. Don't use it in anything offshore much so can't comment.

your right it was mentioned-guess i just elaborated a bit of why excess wraps causes failure- for braid from 4lb to 20lb i use 8-10 wraps and haven't had any problems so far. i fish 20lb braid to 20lb leader offshore for plastics fishing with 10 wraps and no problems. for heaver i have gone to 12 wraps with no problems as of yet.
cheers

[Cape Crusader]

G'day
I don't count the wraps just look at the distance and hadn't thought about problems with excess wraps. I have done many that I suspect have had an excessive number but I reckon I've had no problems as my method puts tension on every wrap as it's made. Bit lucky I guess
Cheers
Rod

[Moonlighter]

In light line, what you should do, is do 6 of the wraps, pull the knot up, then do the other six and pull up both, this way the knot stays tight over the full length of the wrapping.

In fact I have done 18 wraps in very light line this way, pulling it up tight each 6 wraps, for several years now. No failures at all.

if you watch this video of the way I used to tie this knot, you will see that they stop halfway to pull the braid up by working it up and down until it pulls tight on the leader. This is what i am talking about.

(the method in this video approaches the knot by tying the braid around the mono, the other (now my preferred way) is to tie the mono around the braid, and I find that method quicke4 and easier to tie. Either method ends up producing the same knot, just done a different way.)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4R3_znSAPz8

[ozscott]

Took me a long time to move away from an improved Albright with locks on each end however very glad I did. The FG is awesome and is the most slippery knot through small end guides. I hold main line in my teeth.

Cheers

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[alleycat]

I use 3kg braid for flathead fishing with 12lb leader and find it best if I do 22 wraps, in the boat I wrap the braid around a hair pin several times and then slip it onto the end of my shorts and then put the rod tip away from me till the braid is tight, the fg knot is a bugger to do on a slack line.