Leader knot too ugly to go thru rod guides well

[livemusic]

I am happy to report that I successfully tied an FG knot first time I tried it. Bad news is, even though I tied the two extra hitch knots at the end, the snag end and hitch knots make too big of a bump and reeling the FC leader up into the rod is bumpy. It casts okay, but it has to be bad on that knot to take those rod guide bumps for each cast. This is a Cashion 7'6" MHF rod for frogs/flipping and the guides are really small. Do your knots go through easy? Anyone have a good knot to tie? I found the FG knot easy enough to tie, disappointed in this problem.

This is 4' of 25lb Red Label FC tied to 60lb FX2 braid.

[Oklahoma Mike]

I can't help you with getting the knot through your guides, but I will say that I lost a leader on a very nice fish last week that was tied with an FG knot. Probably operator error, but it has me gun shy now, and I would recommend that you test that connection as best you can before getting it out on the water. 

[roadwarrior]

Use a shorter leader that extends just beyond the tip-top.

 

[FloridaFishinFool]

Leaders are notorious for losing fish. Been there, done that.

So for years now I use straight braid with no leader. I never use a leader when bass fishing. Don't need it, and I surely do not miss it!

Give it a try and this problem will be solved!

[TxHawgs]

I have the FG knot on my spinning rod. It's a long leader so it goes through all the guides and onto spool. I forget how many overhand knots I tied at the end but definitely not more than two. I cut it as close as possible with sharp scissors and then put a dab of super glue on that end and squeezed it flat. It is by far the smallest knot. 20lb braid to 14 or 16lb sniper forget. I landed an 8.2lb last Thursday in a tournament and several others. So far so good and will continue to use.

[roadwarrior]

47 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Leaders are notorious for losing fish. Been there, done that.

So for years now I use straight braid with no leader. I never use a leader when bass fishing. Don't need it, and I surely do not miss it!

Give it a try and this problem will be solved!

It's more than visibility.  Fluorocarbon or copolymer have must better abrasion resistance and for me, fishing on the Tennessee River,  I NEED to be able to break-off once in awhile.

 

[Further North]

1 hour ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Leaders are notorious for losing fish. Been there, done that.

So for years now I use straight braid with no leader. I never use a leader when bass fishing. Don't need it, and I surely do not miss it!

Give it a try and this problem will be solved!

 

34 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

It's more than visibility.  Fluorocarbon or copolymer have must better abrasion resistance and for me, fishing on the Tennessee River,  I NEED to be able to break-off once in awhile.

 

Much more than visibility here in NW WI.  We have a lot of the abrasion issues road warrior brings up as well as pike and musky that will shred strait braid before you can fishing yelling "Fish on!".

We have plenty of sharp rock edged here...but when I go to Canada in the summer that factor increases two or three times...my direct ties to braid were getting beat up quickly...and the number of pike and musky increase about tenfold.

Back to the original post - any chance you can post a picture of that FG knot livemusic?  I had that problem a lot when I started with the FG too...I found one thing that helps is matching line diameters more closely...not always possible, but I tend to go heavy on my braid on the theory that I get the benefit of greater strength at the same (or slightly less) diameter...it works for me.

The "...trim close and add a dab of super glue..." method works too, as does Loon Outdoors UV Knot Sense.  https://loonoutdoors.com/product/uv-knot-sense/ ...another product I learned about through fly fishing.

[0119]

I don't like that fg knot, too complicated for my redneck brain. Try an old fly fisherman's trick. Go to a old time hardware store, the depot won't have it. Get a bottle of Plio Bond Glue. Put a dollop on the knot and roll it around covering the knot well enough to cover the tag ends. Knead it to a football shape and let it dry. It will glide thru any rods guides.

[1simplemann]

Livemusic, Sounds like your flipping in heavy cover. If you are, try going without the leader. Straight braid. That heavy knot is making your knot too big. If your not fishing heavy cover then try downsizing the braid. I generally fish 15lb braid which actually breaks close to 30lb. Depending on where and what I'm fishing for I use anywhere from 8 lb to 30 lb fluro leader tied with Alberto knot or improved albright. They cast just fine through my spinning gear. the smaller the better though. Typically I'm throwing 10lb or 20 lb. I can tie the FG but it takes me too long on the water so i use a slightly bigger but simpler knot to tie.  

[aquaholik]

Here's 10lb J braid to 25lb Fluro leader. You should tie 6-8 alternating half hitches on the braid and fluro AFTER glove tightening the first half hitch that locks the knot in. After 6-8 alternating half hitches, trim the fluro leader completely flush. It will not slip, and even if it did slip a mm or two, you've got more than that with 6-8 alternating half hitches.
Now this will create a sharp angle when you reel line in back thru the first guide. To ease that transition, build a "ramp" by more half hitches on just the braid itself. This will double the thickness of the braid and serve as a ramp to ease the knot back thru the first guide.

 

When you glove tightened the first half hitches, your braid will actually change color. Green to dark green, Nanofil to translucent.

 

[Further North]

Nice job on that FG!  About one in 3 of mine look that good.

[aquaholik]

That 10lb J braid FG knot to 25lb fluro leader is seriously strong. If it snags on the bottom, the 25lb fluro will break 9 out of 10 times. That is because the strength at the FG connection is 22-23 lbs, while the strength at the terminal end of the 25lb fluro depends on whether I tie a super strong Palomar knot or a much weaker loop knot.

[rippin-lips]

Try the Albright special. It's quick to tie and strong. It'll pass through the guides on a Cashion. I use #30 braid for a mainline and tie leaders of #6-20.

#12 + it's 6-8 wraps

#12 - it's 8-10 wraps

[IAY]

Learn how to do the FG knot well, and melt the end of the fluorocarbon to create a little cap thing for the braid to hold on to even better. I do not fish too many braid set ups, but I did try them out last season for big swimbaits, and had countless backlashes from the random knots it could form + force of 2.5 oz  + lures and the FG knot has held through every single one of those bad backlashes.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Without being dressed, any knot will be noticeable to some degree. If it's tied well I don't worry about the guides hurting it. If its actually hanging up that's another story. 

[Florida Cracker2]

I may be an old-school guy because I don't like any knot going through my eyes. Only leaders I use are short enough where I don't go past my tip eye to cast. And on the hand tied knots...I use a double clinch knot because they hold. If I am bass fishing with braid...I don't use any leader at all. But that is just me.

[MickD]

If the FG is too big, all others will also be too big.  If you're not tying it well, that's a different story.  One thing for the glue proponents to watch out for is putting the glue on instead of tying the knot properly.  The knot actually "sinks" the braid into the FC so there is a mechanical lock.  If the knot isn't tightened properly there will be no mechanical lock and not even glue will save it.  

One technique with the FG has me worried, that is the very aggressive hard bait jerking technique.  The only two FG's I had fail did it with this technique, and I'm going to pay special attention to the locking half hitches.  If they come loose, the braid can loosen and the mechanical interlock will be lost.  With soft baits and cranks, I've not had an FG failure and they seem to last "forever," not getting damaged by the guides like double unis do.

[S Hovanec]

Sounds like that rod isn't the proper tool for what you want to achieve.  Use a rod with the smallest guides that will pass your connections.

[Airman4754]

6 hours ago, rippin-lips said:

Try the Albright special. It's quick to tie and strong. It'll pass through the guides on a Cashion. I use #30 braid for a mainline and tie leaders of #6-20.

#12 + it's 6-8 wraps

#12 - it's 8-10 wraps

This is what I use. I wrap the braid around the fluoro. I've never had it fail on me. I use this for crank baits, jigs, and swim baits along with my spinning gear. I fish mostly micro guides and have zero casting issues. 

[ww2farmer]

13 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Leaders are notorious for losing fish. Been there, done that.

 

Then you're  doing it wrong................ I have had zero issues with the braid to leader knot hauling big ..........for WNY 5-6lb+ bass........and many many 6-10+ lb pike, which make largemouth seem like a lifeless slab of old carpet........out of the thickest  junk and cover.

OP...............google the "alberto knot"............it's the only leader knot I use, and it comes through all but the smallest micro guides very well.

[tbone1993]

Alberto knot solved all of my issues. I hated feeling other knots going through my guides because they were too big. The alberto is pretty streamlined and when snagged in rocks the line only broke off in the spot that was marred and not at the knot itself. I have found that tying a leader long enough for pitching means that its never truly in the guides, only when I make a long cast.