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What is your go to leader knot?


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Hey all,

So what leader knots are you using? I thought mine was an Improved Albright but after some reading into it, it is the Alberto Knot. While i've not really had any issues with knot strength, having the leader tag end pointing forwards thru the guides really chits me.

So what are you using?

Quick pic of one I just tied. 8lb fluro to 15lb braid.

 

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11 minutes ago, Softy said:

I do 99% of my fishing from the kayak.. how would i go with that tool?

When i was yakking i'd have 3 rods and reels all pre-made some with the double uni or the FG depending what species i'm chasing on the day.Always try not to be in a position in having to tie knots just change to another pre made outfit.

Now i'm in a boat and take 4-5 pre made rods/reels

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I'm not one to get into cool knots just for the sake of it - So I resisted the FG for along time - I was like -  my knots are fine and they are easy to tie, so why bother with a fancy one that takes 2 minutes

But the FG is all I tie these days- if your Braid is stronger than your leader - you can tie it the night before and it will last all day - because the line always breaks at the uni I tie to the lure or the hook.

It wasnt until I started chasing Mulloway landbased that I needed the strongest and almost as importantly - easiest to cast - knot available.

I needed to pump out long casts with light lures to reach some of my spots

So the FG is the knot for that

Then I started tying it on my bream outfits and realised it cut windknots and guide wraps down to almost nonexistent.

On the odd occasion I've gone back to my old 5 turn surgeon - or even worse - the uni to uni - I immediately realise the mistake I've made - I can hear those little sh1ts slapping through the guides and I'm just waiting for the associated problems that come with that -

I dont usually have to wait too long😉

There's some people that tie FG's because they are the "cool new kid on the block" but the reason they are the cool new kid, is in the name - They are that "Effing Good"😉

They are definitely some fishing scenarios where you can get away with chunky knots - but very few of those could not be improved by the use of an FG

 

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FG knot, I’m pretty much 100% braid & use a leader on everything from 6lb to 150lb. I find the FG to be the smallest knot & you don’t hear it clicking through your guides which means it’s not catching on them & risking damage to them or impacting on your casts especially on very light gear. It simply gives you a smooth flowing cast

Cheers

Yorky

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FG knot for me using the Knott Assist 2.0 if I’m doing it at home

if I break a leader while wading (like last trip that cost me my favourite lure you can not buy any more) then I revert to the double uni

prefer the FG how it is smooth and does not catch on guides but too lazy to tie while out fishing

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A mate of mine was using his custom bream rod for the first time and it was performing like an absolute mule. Guide wraps and wind knots all over the place. At first he thought it would just take some getting used to. But after a couple of hours, he thought there was something seriously wrong with it.

One look at the micro guides and the double uni, was all it took to diagnose the problem. I tied him an FG and suddenly this worthless piece of crap was performing like a dream.

So with the new trend of Micro guides on light weight rods - FG's really get to show why they are worth the effort.

I've blamed reels- rods - braid and poor casting technique for alot of my wind knots and guide wraps in the past - turns out it was just the leader knots I was using.
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I occasionally fish with a boat load of baitos - so when we chase pinkies on lures - I  supply all the outfits - rig all their lures and retie all the snags and wind knots they get.

Baby sitting full grown men and attending to their every need is not something I'm used to or enjoy😉

When you have novices using gear they arent used to, in a crowded boat - problems like windknots are much more likely to happen.

I remember being lazy and just retying one of their terminal windknots with a double uni, so I could get back to fishing. The time I saved tying that knot wasnt worth it - every second cast something would go wrong. - It got to the point where I swapped rods - then I started having problems.

So I cut and retied with an FG and suddenly the world is good again.

I could go on......😉 but long story short - FG's might take a while to master - but that time and effort in the lounge room - will save you time and frustration out on the water. (especially when using rods with small guides)



 

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At present happy with the results I get with the Improved Albright (alias Alberto) for strength and glide through the guides. Certainly much better than the Surgeons knot (3 turn) I was using. I tie my braid/leaders at home and carry 2-3 spare spools (1 is straight through fluro) which helps as much as possible to negate tying on the run. Regards HBt.

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Might have a go at the FG Knot after. It is mainly to use on my bait caster set up for Callop/cod if i ever get one. :lol:

I found my current knot takes a bit of a beating due to the weight/size of the lures/spinners i throw.  I actually had one undo last weekend after a million casts and of course i had a spinner bait on so it sunk, if it was a lure i would have floated and i could have got it back. It's not so bad on my Bream set up as they gear i throw is much lighter.

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FG knot initially, revert to an improved Albright if conditions don't allow re-tieing a good, reliable FG. 

 

Honestly the only time I'll find out that my Albright isn't as good as an FG, is when I hook a snag and end up having to lock up. Even massive rays and things, I've tied an Albright and they've held without issue. FG just casts better and is a better connection for when you've got to really lean into something. 

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2 hours ago, Softy said:

Just had a go but seems my teeth ain't good enough to hold the braid for long periods, so will have to scrap that idea. Not going to waste money on a tool, I'll just stick with what i know and inspect the knot from time to time and retie if needed.

If you tie a little knot in the braid - and put that behind your teeth - it takes far less jaw pressure to hold the line in your mouth

Heres a vid of how I do the wraps - you can tie 4 with very little fatigue compared to some other methods I've tried
 

 

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7 hours ago, Softy said:

Cheers for the video dude might give that way a go. Little bit different to what i've been watching. The knot in the braid for holding it in your mouth is a good trick. 👍

Yeah you can avoid the teeth altogether by tying a loop and looping that over you first guide or tie it to the bail arm like this fella
 

 

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When I was up the river on the weekend I got one of the guys tie a FG on one of my rods while I watched. Being able to see it first hand makes a difference. Just tried it myself and it actually bloody worked first go. Probably not perfect but I'll see how it goes! 15lb braid I think to 20lb mono.

 

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Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 

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Since getting a tinny, I’ve gone and beefed up my tackle in the hope of one day hooking up on a decent kingfish. Darren at Sportsfishing Scene recommended I learn how to tie the FG knot. While I’ve only tied it a few times now, I’m already finding it much easier to do.  I even tied it whilst bobbing around in the swell the other week 😀

 

This is the video I found easiest to follow.

 

 

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