Whether you chase the thrill of fighting big sailfish or tuna or spend your weekends muscling monster bass on your local lake, you’re probably already familiar with the advantages of running a leader on braided main line.
And for many applications, fluorocarbon simply can’t be beat as leader material.
The problem is that both braid and fluoro are notoriously slippery, defying most knots on their own and nearly all knots when you try to connect the two.
The solution is the FG knot, probably the best option for connecting a fluorocarbon leader to braided main line.
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Related: Best Fishing Knots
Fluorocarbon and braid are relatively new materials in the world of knots. And while all knots hold well in hemp rope, the slicker the material, the more clever the knot design needs to be to create bite without concentrating pressure.
In the angling world, most knots are designed around nylon monofilament, which provides plenty of friction against itself. Mono holds most knots like a miser holds hundred-dollar bills, but the same can’t be said for fluorocarbon and braid.
Fluorocarbon and braid are slick and hard, respectively, creating two very different knot problems that add up the same thing: a knot that holds well in mono will rarely do so in fluorocarbon or braid. And joining the two is even worse as they work against each other--the braid is as slick as a seasoned politician, and the fluoro is as hard as granite. The result is that they won’t bite each other or themselves, and strong knots just slide apart.
Often, the solution is a modification that creates more points of contact, increasing friction and spreading the load to prevent failure. But the very best options are knots designed around fluorocarbon and braid, and that’s just what the FG is.
The FG knot works by wrapping the braided main line around the fluorocarbon leader, creating a continuous point of contact for an inch or so. That adds up to more friction than either material can shrug off, and you end up with a knot that simply can’t slip loose no matter how much weight is applied--the line will give before the knot does!
But be warned! The FG Knot can only be used for braid to fluoro leader connections. Using any other combination of lines will result in knot failure!
A properly tied FG knot is as slim and strong as they come. Each of those passes with the fluorocarbon coils the braid around it, creating constant contact that is locked down with a few hitch knots.
It’s ridiculously strong, and test after test demonstrates that your line will surrender before this connection does!
But this knot can fail, and these are the most likely culprits: