FG knot for tying on leaders?

[ronaultmtd]

Was out in the workshop and noticed my Dad’s old Wright and McGill 8’ two piece 9 wt fiberglas rod with an old Martin auto reel...the floating fly line is ancient but has not been used in 25 years...back in the cold spring fed creeks, bronzeback bass (smallmouths) were the best fighters...Dad used a floating black rubber spider with white rubber legs mostly or a yellow popper...he used about 6 feet of 8# Trielene mono as his leader...cannot remember how he attached the leader to the line...thinking about getting it out this spring and using it for bluegill...why wouldn’t a FG knot be a good way to tie a mono leader on the floating fly line? It works well on the braid to floro/mono...

[Mark]

Ron,

I must be having a brain freeze at the moment because I don't know what a FG knot is.

A common knot for attaching a leader to fly line is a nail knot:

http://www.animatedknots.com/nailknot/

However, most modern lines come with a loop. Then you make a loop to loop connection for the leader to the flyline. I haven't tied a nail knot in years.

Before the loops came pre-tied on lines, I used leader loops:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/253002521030

They work fine. Just make sure you get the right size for your line. I used to shrink the plastic sleeve connection of the leader loop to the line on a hot incandescent lightbulb -- another relic of the past.

Anyway, good luck with your dad's fly rod. I'm sure you'll have fun.

[On the fly]

Ron,
Ft knot is good for braid since it is small diameter. I think if you used it to tie leader to fly line it would be bulky and difficult. As Mark said the nail knot is prefered but with modern fly lines integrated loops are more the norm. The other opinion is to tie a piece of 25lb mono on to the end of the fly line, come out out 4-6” and tie a perfection loop on the end of the mono. This would be considered a connector loop and can be used the same way an integrated loop is used.

[Cluelessandfly]

Nail knots are indeed good. I am not knot inclined....Therefore I use a nail knot tool. it is ever so helpful, but ultimately I try to buy lines with welded loops. You can make your own with some heat shrink wire tubing, scissors, heat. there are soem videos on this somewhere. I reinforce with tying thread wrapped around the thread and flexible UV glue.

[Mark]

It's a good thing there are many ways to connect a leader to your fly line because none of them are perfect. However, I think the factory installed loops are the best for the longevity of the line.

The trouble with nail knots is that you must nip away a little fly line every time you change leaders. That's not a big deal when you have a 150 yards of braided line on conventional tackle. But it may bother you when you have only 90 feet of quality fly line. It's a concern if you're frugal.

The other options -- leader loops and perfection loops -- eventually weaken the fly line at the point of connection. At least that has happened to me. They will dangle like a broken arm where they connect after a lot of use. So again, you'll have to nip away a little line to replace them. That hurts if you're cheap like me.

The factory loops have been far more durable for me. But purists likely feel their leaders unfold better with a hard connection to the line with a nail knot, than via a loop to loop connection.

However, the fish I chase don't care how I connect the leaders to my line. And that's the best news. They're more forgiving than we are on ourselves about this matter.

[bignose]

Both the nail knot with a heavy mono section that ends in a loop, and the Cortland loops that are like the old Chinese finger puzzles work real well.
I will then tie a surgeon's loop in the butt end of the leader to allow a quick change loop to loop connection.

As Harry mentions an FG knot tied with fly line and mono would be too bulky.

[Cluelessandfly]

never used a braided loop before, but RIO put out a nice video just last week in their email blast https://www.rioproducts.com/learn/ho...a-braided-loop