Someone rate my first FG knot attempt.

[Rocky998]

Please rate my first FG knot. It took so long to learn and I'm still not that good at it, but I think I got it done successfully. 

Got a few cuts too from the line loll

[Team9nine]

Looks backwards to me. Did you wrap the mono/fluoro around the braid instead of the reverse? Doesn’t look right at all, but others will be along shortly and see what they say. Maybe I’m just seeing things…. Lol

[Rocky998]

Just now, Team9nine said:

Looks backwards to me. Did you wrap the mono/fluoro around the braid instead of the reverse? Doesn’t look right at all, but others will be along shortly and see what they say. Maybe I’m just seeing things…. Lol

I mean I tested it by pulling it with gloves on and it held very well. I think the braid is digging into the mono, although at first I thought the same lol

[casts_by_fly]

Yeah looks backwards to me also.  The leader should have any twists in it as part of the knot. 

[LrgmouthShad]

For anyone looking for a good vid on the FG, this is it. Tension is key

 

[Rocky998]

55 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

For anyone looking for a good vid on the FG, this is it. Tension is key

 

This is a really good video as well!

I've watched a fee others that were also really good.

It's obvious though that I messed up somehow.

The knot I have now IS holding though and is very strong. So I'll keep this for now, but next time I do it I'm trying other methods

 

Thank you!

[PaulVE64]

I've tied alot of FG knots but none of them looked like that.

Youtube vid is the way to go. I dont use the technique in that video but if you're getting tension on the lines it will work.

[Rocky998]

5 minutes ago, PaulVE64 said:

I've tied alot of FG knots but none of them looked like that.

Youtube vid is the way to go. I dont use the technique in that video but if you're getting tension on the lines it will work.

Yeahhh, lol. I realize I messed up somewhere... It looks so simple in all the videos, and then I go to do it and it becomes so complicated.

 

I guess I'll just keep doing it!

[PaulVE64]

Here is the best one I've seen for the line sizes I use.

 

[Jig Man]

I started using it last winter.  I was having trouble getting consistency in my knots.  I decided to make a kit just for the fg.  So I bought the knot tool and put the kit together.  As I practiced tying it I was not keeping things in the proper sequence so I made a list of the exact steps needed to do an fg knot the right way.

 

 I’m not saying make a kit but you might benefit from creating a list of the proper steps so you can be sure to repeat them in order.

[Rocky998]

1 minute ago, Jig Man said:

I started using it last winter.  I was having trouble getting consistency in my knots.  I decided to make a kit just for the fg.  So I bought the knot tool and put the kit together.  As I practiced tying it I was not keeping things in the proper sequence so I made a list of the exact steps needed to do an fg knot the right way.

 

 I’m not saying make a kit but you might benefit from creating a list of the proper steps so you can be sure to repeat them in order.

Complicated but efficient!

[Rocky998]

15 hours ago, PaulVE64 said:

I've tied alot of FG knots but none of them looked like that.

Youtube vid is the way to go. I dont use the technique in that video but if you're getting tension on the lines it will work.

 

16 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

Yeah looks backwards to me also.  The leader should have any twists in it as part of the knot. 

 

17 hours ago, Team9nine said:

Looks backwards to me. Did you wrap the mono/fluoro around the braid instead of the reverse? Doesn’t look right at all, but others will be along shortly and see what they say. Maybe I’m just seeing things…. Lol

Do you guys think it'll still hold up well? I mean I did put gloves on and pulled as hard as I could a few times and it didn't budge...

[Functional]

Here was my go to video. using the rod tip to adjust and hold tension really is key.

 

Agreed with everyone else that FG is done backwards. I'd cut it and try again. 

 

 

[Bankc]

36 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Do you guys think it'll still hold up well? I mean I did put gloves on and pulled as hard as I could a few times and it didn't budge...

Hard to say.  It might.  But it might slip after it gets wet and worked around a bit.  Who can say?

 

I'd take this opportunity to try again.  The more you do it, the easier it'll get.  Personally, I find the FG to be a really easy knot to tie.  It's a bit time consuming perhaps.  But it's basically just one thing, repeated over and over, and then a second thing, repeated over and over.  Neither of which are hard to remember or do.  The logistics of keeping everything tight are a bit difficult until you get a system down.  But once you've figured that out, it's not so bad.  So while I wouldn't call the FG knot easy to learn, I would say it's easy to tie once you get figured out...  assuming you have the time and space to do it.   

[Rockhopper]

I have always just used a blood knot or a simple double surgeon's knot taken from my years of fly fishing and tying tippet to leader or leader to fly line.  Both are super easy, super strong, and very low profile.  No need to over complicate things.

[Tennessee Boy]

58 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Do you guys think it'll still hold up well? I mean I did put gloves on and pulled as hard as I could a few times and it didn't budge...

Personally,  I wouldn't fish it.  My opinion is a backward FG knot is not an FG knot because it doesn't utilize the braid digging into the leader.   Every knot breaks in a different way.  That's what determines the break strength.  Your knot might have a reasonably good break strength or it might not.  Why chance it?  

[Rocky998]

1 hour ago, Functional said:

Here was my go to video. using the rod tip to adjust and hold tension really is key.

 

Agreed with everyone else that FG is done backwards. I'd cut it and try again. 

 

 

Yeah, that was the method I tried using... It was so frustrating cause the loops just kept turning into the lines just twisting... I don't understand how wrapping mono around braid will equal the braid wrapping around the mono... 

43 minutes ago, Bankc said:

Hard to say.  It might.  But it might slip after it gets wet and worked around a bit.  Who can say?

 

I'd take this opportunity to try again.  The more you do it, the easier it'll get.  Personally, I find the FG to be a really easy knot to tie.  It's a bit time consuming perhaps.  But it's basically just one thing, repeated over and over, and then a second thing, repeated over and over.  Neither of which are hard to remember or do.  The logistics of keeping everything tight are a bit difficult until you get a system down.  But once you've figured that out, it's not so bad.  So while I wouldn't call the FG knot easy to learn, I would say it's easy to tie once you get figured out...  assuming you have the time and space to do it.   

 

24 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Personally,  I wouldn't fish it.  My opinion is a backward FG knot is not an FG knot because it doesn't utilize the braid digging into the leader.   Every knot breaks in a different way.  That's what determines the break strength.  Your knot might have a reasonably good break strength or it might not.  Why chance it?  

Yeah, I'm gonna try to re-tie it but I don't want to use too much of my spool of braid on my reel

[Tennessee Boy]

33 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Yeah, I'm gonna try to re-tie it but I don't want to use too much of my spool of braid on my reel

I would re-tie it.  However,  you could test it on a scale if you have one.  I would wet the knot and put a little over 1/3 of the #test of the line.  So if you have 15 lbs leader,  put about 5 pounds of weight on it with a scale.  If it passes the test,  set you drag with the same scale to around 4 pounds and you should be good to go.

[newapti5]

I just want to add that FG knots, like other knots, have fatigue. So after a couple trips, especially after a long winter off-season, you'll need to retie it.

[Rocky998]

2 hours ago, Functional said:

Here was my go to video. using the rod tip to adjust and hold tension really is key.

 

Agreed with everyone else that FG is done backwards. I'd cut it and try again. 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Bankc said:

Hard to say.  It might.  But it might slip after it gets wet and worked around a bit.  Who can say?

 

I'd take this opportunity to try again.  The more you do it, the easier it'll get.  Personally, I find the FG to be a really easy knot to tie.  It's a bit time consuming perhaps.  But it's basically just one thing, repeated over and over, and then a second thing, repeated over and over.  Neither of which are hard to remember or do.  The logistics of keeping everything tight are a bit difficult until you get a system down.  But once you've figured that out, it's not so bad.  So while I wouldn't call the FG knot easy to learn, I would say it's easy to tie once you get figured out...  assuming you have the time and space to do it.   

 

26 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I would re-tie it.  However,  you could test it on a scale if you have one.  I would wet the knot and put a little over 1/3 of the #test of the line.  So if you have 15 lbs leader,  put about 5 pounds of weight on it with a scale.  If it passes the test,  set you drag with the same scale to around 4 pounds and you should be good to go.

Alright guys! I attempted it again and got it!

There is a small bend in the knot, but u test casted it and it works great!

The brain is now actually ON the mono lol

 

[Functional]

@Rocky998 there is a sweet spot to tension. If you put too much tension I could potentially see how the knot could look like what you produced. My mono piece gets distorted and lumpy and when cinched could look like yours. At no point should the mono look anything but a straight piece, if its kinking or bending you have too much tension. 

 

EDIT:

You posted just before me! Those kinks in my experience are a sign of too much tension when wrapping. Back off a little bit, use 20-25 wraps and firmly (but not too hard) pull the two lines after 1-2 of the first half hitches to set the braid into the mono. If the mono/floro look coiled up after the pull its too much. Think of it like creating a chinese finger trap for the mono, thats essentially how it works. 

[Rocky998]

5 minutes ago, Functional said:

@Rocky998 there is a sweet spot to tension. If you put too much tension I could potentially see how the knot could look like what you produced. My mono piece gets distorted and lumpy and when cinched could look like yours. At no point should the mono look anything but a straight piece, if its kinking or bending you have too much tension. 

 

EDIT:

You posted just before me! Those kinks in my experience are a sign of too much tension when wrapping. Back off a little bit, use 20-25 wraps and firmly (but not too hard) pull the two lines after 1-2 of the first half hitches to set the braid into the mono. If the mono/floro look coiled up after the pull its too much. Think of it like creating a chinese finger trap for the mono, thats essentially how it works. 

Alright! That's great to know! I did a total of 19 wraps!

Thank you!

 

This one, I believe is much better. I can keep this one on, I think, yes?

[Functional]

I wouldnt throw any swimbaits or expensive jerkbaits on it but for a jig/trig cheap crank bait I'd give it a shot. No greater teacher than pain and suffering 😂

[Rocky998]

3 minutes ago, Functional said:

I wouldnt throw any swimbaits or expensive jerkbaits on it but for a jig/trig cheap crank bait I'd give it a shot. No greater teacher than pain and suffering 😂

Oh, so it's still not going to hold well then?

 

I'm gonna be using jigs, swim jigs, top water frogs, underspins, and chatterbaits on it

[Functional]

15 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Oh, so it's still not going to hold well then?

 

I'm gonna be using jigs, swim jigs, top water frogs, underspins, and chatterbaits on it

It may hold fine, its definitely not a "perfectly" executed FG knot though and I'd personally probably throw it if it wasnt an expensive lure JUST in case.