The FG knot
The FG knot joins braid to a leader. It is the slimmest, strongest braid-to-leader join in common use, which is why jiggers and popper anglers rely on it. The braid weaves over and under the leader so it bites in, then half hitches lock it. It runs cleanly through the rod rings and holds heavy leaders under a hard fight.
Keep the braid under firm, steady tension, around your free hand, a rod-tip clip or your teeth, so it stays straight. With the braid taut, you are going to weave the leader onto it, so set yourself up to hold that tension the whole way through. The leader is the heavier line you will wrap onto the braid.
Pass the leader over the taut braid, then under it, then over, then under, building neat alternating wraps that snake along the braid. This over-and-under weave is what makes the knot grip, so keep the wraps tight against each other and do not let them cross. This is the step people get wrong, so take it slowly.
Keep weaving until you have a row of wraps about 1.5 to 2 cm long, roughly 18 to 20 over-and-under turns for normal lines, fewer for very heavy leader. The longer the weave, the more grip, so do not skimp here. Pinch the finished wraps firmly so they cannot unravel before you lock them.
With the braid tag end, tie a half hitch around both the braid and the leader, just past the wraps, and pull it snug. Add five or six more half hitches the same way, alternating which side they sit, to lock the weave in place so it cannot slip back.
Wet the knot. Holding the braid main line and the leader, pull them apart firmly in opposite directions. This is the pull that beds the weave down onto the leader and gives the knot its strength, so pull hard and take any slack out of it. Trim the leader tag close.
Tie three or four more half hitches with the braid tag around the braid main line alone, to finish the tag off cleanly so it cannot catch in the rings. Pull each tight, then trim the braid tag close. Check the finished knot is slim and the weave has bedded in.
Six steps. Each one is a panel in the diagram above. Keep the braid under tension throughout, and wet it before you pull it tight.
What it ties
Braid to a leader, and nothing else. It joins your braided main line to a length of fluorocarbon or mono leader, so you fish the thin, no-stretch braid back to the reel and the tougher, less visible leader down at the business end. The braid weaves over and under the leader along its length, so the join is thin enough to run through the rod rings on the cast and strong enough to take a hard-fighting fish. That is exactly what saltwater jigging and popping ask of a join, which is why it is the knot for those rigs. It works in braid to fluorocarbon and braid to mono alike.
When to use it
Use the FG knot when you need a thin, strong join between braid and a heavy leader, and you do not mind that it takes a little practice. That is jigging and popper or stickbait work, where the leader is heavy, the fight is hard and the knot has to slip through the rod rings every cast. It is the join I would tie for those rigs. It is the trickiest knot here to learn, so practise it at home on the kitchen table before the trip, not on the deck in a swell. If you want a quicker braid-to-leader join and can live with a slightly bulkier knot, a double uni or an Albright will get you fishing, but for a slim join under heavy load the FG is hard to beat.
Strength and tips
Tied well the FG is one of the strongest braid-to-leader joins there is, and one of the slimmest, which is the whole reason to learn it. The strength comes from two things. First, the over-and-under weave, kept tight and long enough, around 18 to 20 turns; a loose or short weave is where it fails. Second, the hard final pull that beds the weave down onto the leader, so do not be gentle on that step. Wet it before you seat it, because a dry knot can nip and weaken under that pull. Lock the weave with enough half hitches that it cannot creep back, and finish the braid tag off so nothing catches in the rod rings. It is fiddly the first few times, so practise it at home before the trip. It works in braid to fluorocarbon and braid to mono alike.
1Wet it
Wet every knot before you pull it tight. A dry knot drags against itself as it closes and the friction heat weakens the line.
2Seat it slowly
Draw it down slowly and evenly, then trim the tag end close, leaving a stub of a millimetre or two so it cannot slip back through.
3Test it
Pull the finished knot firmly against your hand or the rod before you fish it. Better it fails now than on the take.
Rigs that use it
The FG knot joins the braid to the leader on the saltwater rigs that fight hard fish on heavy leaders. It is the braid-to-leader join on the jigging rig, where a slim knot has to run through the rod rings and hold a fish that pulls straight down. And it is the join on the popper and stickbait rig, where the leader is heavy and the cast is long, so the knot has to be thin enough to clear the rings every time.
FG knot questions
Because it is the slimmest and one of the strongest braid-to-leader joins there is. A thin knot runs cleanly through the rod rings on the cast and holds a hard-fighting fish on a heavy leader, which is exactly what jigging and popping need. An easier knot like a double uni works, but it sits bulkier and can catch in the rings.
Build the over-and-under weave to about 1.5 to 2 cm, roughly 18 to 20 turns for normal lines, fewer for very heavy leader. The weave is what grips the leader, so do not make it too short. Then lock it with five or six half hitches and pull braid and leader apart hard to seat it.
Yes. Wet every knot with water or saliva before you pull it tight. A dry knot generates friction heat as it cinches, which weakens the line and can cost you the fish. Wet it, then pull the braid and leader apart firmly to bed the weave down, and trim the tags close.