Another Braid To FC Knot Question....??

[Crow Horse]

I've been practicing the FG knot with the aid of the Diaichi Knot Assist 2.0 tool and can do it fairly quickly with surprisingly good results.  I plan to use the FG knot to start out on the water and in the event that I need to retie I'll want to use an easier knot. I've tried several different knots and they seem quite strong but I'm concerned with how long they'll last going through the guides before being compromised. Typically I'll spend 7-8 hours on the water non stop casting so I'm guessing that connection will weaken at some point. I might be overthinking this but this is how I roll.

 

I suppose my question is, what braid to FC knot is the most durable?

[MeatHead1313]

I've got no idea which is the most durable, but I've been using the Shin Fukae knot for a couple years with no issues so far. Easy to tie on the water in my kayak, and a small knot that passes through the guides easily. I fish inshore for redfish, flounder and speckled trout more than bass fish, but so far haven't had a knot fail while fishing.   

 

[softwateronly]

FG, modified albright, and blood knots are my 3 connections knots that I'm confident in and can recommend.

 

scott

 

 

[wvhunt]

My uni to uni would break last year before my terminal knot so I'm thinking about tying Shin's knot myself this spring.

[Jig Man]

I haven’t used Shin’s knot but I have used many knots and the fg is the only one that hasn’t broken at the knot.  

[PaulVE64]

FG knot is the best once you've tied it well and its reliable.

I have my way, it's a bit different but I can tie it on the water in a few minutes.

[Bankc]

I tie on extra long leaders so I don't have to retie on the water.  I've used a double uni a few times, but these days, if the need arises, I just bite the bullet and tie on another FG.  

 

Though, as with any knot, it's less important which knot you choose, and more important how well you can tie that knot.  Tying a poor knot, no matter which knot you choose, won't hold as well as a typically weaker knot, tied better.  So my advice is to go with the one which you are most comfortable with.  

[MassYak85]

I played around with the FG knot for about a year. It does what it advertises and is very strong and slim. My issue with it was the finishing knot never sat right with me. I saw it move around or come undone too much to have confidence in the knot. That's just me though. I mainly use the Alberto knot for most of my braid to leader applications, and the blood knot for heavier lines (65lb braid, 20-30lb leader for swimbaits). 

[JN94]

FG is the best and not difficult to tie once you learn how. It does require some time upfront to sit down and learn it though. But is 100% the best and all I tie now. Also not difficult to tie on the water like some say

[Crow Horse]

Out of an abundance of caution, I plan to retie using the FG knot prior to every trip. The Shin's knot is easy to tie in the event that I need to retie while on the water. For me, the Daiichi tool is a godsend and makes the FG knot easy for me. I'll try to learn tying it without the aid of the tool but I'm not sure that my arthritic fingers are up to the task. Won't know till I try and I have plenty of time to practice.

 

If I don't succeed, I can always have the tool stuffed in my PFD.

[Functional]

I tried a few knots for the exact reason you asked this question. Faster to tie on the water than the FG. What I quickly learned was a few break offs at the leader knot and the amount of times it took to retie to be confident in another know...I might as well have just took my time with the FG on the water. Add up all those reties for others and you'll be ahead with the FG. 

[LrgmouthShad]

Another vote to stick with the FG. If you are fishing around heavy cover, ensure you monitor the tag ends of the knot throughout your day of fishing. Ensure you tighten the knot fully before use and leave sufficient tag end length. Do not cut them too short. The tag ends should be just short enough to comfortably go through the guides. 

 

A proper FG will outlast most knots you tie to your lure. It is close to 100%.

[Drawdown]

No problems with tag ends in a spinning reel?

[Pogues2300]

I use fg knot for multiple outings. Retie it in my kayak on the water no problem. 

[Crow Horse]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Do not cut them too short. The tag ends should be just short enough to comfortably go through the guides. 

Interesting. I've seen several variants of the FG knot. All were basically the same with only slight variations. I would think that burying the tag ends would be preferable, but I certainly could be wrong.I'm a newbie with this knot but this is how I've done it:

 

10 wraps each side

lock wraps with 1 half hitch

6 alternating half hitches

cut FC tag end then 4 more alternating half hitches - covers FC tag end

finish with a Rizzuto finish (braid tag end gets buried)

 

Do I have it right? (apologies for the crappy photo)

 

[LrgmouthShad]

30 minutes ago, Drawdown said:

No problems with tag ends in a spinning reel?

I never allow the knot to go onto the spool. Just shy

[JackstrawIII]

Properly tied FG won’t wear out. Never had one fail before I needed to replace the leader anyways. 

[LrgmouthShad]

6 minutes ago, Crow Horse said:

10 wraps each side

lock wraps with 1 half hitch

I do that and then that’s it. I watched a salt strong video on it. 

 

4 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

Properly tied FG won’t wear out

Fraying is a risk to any knot and any line. FG is no exception. 

[JackstrawIII]

1 minute ago, LrgmouthShad said:

6 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

Properly tied FG won’t wear out

Fraying is a risk to any knot and any line. FG is no exception. 

True, but my point was that (in my experience) the FG wears down much slower than the leader material itself due to abrasion, re-tying knots, etc. 

[LrgmouthShad]

4 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

True, but my point was that (in my experience) the FG wears down much slower than the leader material itself due to abrasion, re-tying knots, etc. 

Okay. Good looks, good looks.

 

I cannot say whether I agree or disagree but nice.

[ChrisD46]

Double Uni is not the slimmest knot - but it holds well and is FAST and EASY to tie ! Using #10 lb. braid to #8 lb. FC leader - the knot is slim enough for me with a finesse spinning set up . 

[wvhunt]

Everyone has opinions and I couldn’t argue either way, but I’ve read that the FG works best with braid and larger diameter leaders , but not so well with 4, 6, or 8 lb leaders since it needs larger leader size to dig into.  I’m assuming you guys haven’t found that to be so?  That’s one reason that I thought the Alberto or Shin knot might be better for my uses.

[Drawdown]

On 1/2/2024 at 7:19 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

I never allow the knot to go onto the spool. Just shy

I wondered, because others were talking about making a super long leader, which to me means they’re letting it go into the reel.

[Bankc]

17 hours ago, Drawdown said:

I wondered, because others were talking about making a super long leader, which to me means they’re letting it go into the reel.

Yeah, my FG knot frequently goes into the spool on both my spinning and casting reels.  It's not an issue for me.  

 

But I don't leave my tag ends all that long.  Maybe 1/8".  If I'm concerned about it coming undone, I'll melt the tip to give it a stop.  But that's a rare occurrence.  If you tie it tight and set it good, you don't need a lot of tag end.  But the longer tag end does buy you some insurance against not tying the knot as tight.  So If I'm confident in how I tied the knot and how it looks, I'll leave less of a tag end on it.  If I'm less confident, I'll leave a little extra.  I do the same thing with all knots.