using old hands and poor eyesight I do 9 wraps each way. IN about 3 minutes. Has not failed and goes thru the eyes good.

The big advantage of the "AG" and the "J" knot over almost all the other knots is the tag end of the mono or fluoro is pointing toward the reel when the knot is completed. No hanging up of the stiff mono or fluoro on the guides while casting. The soft braid tag end is facing the lure. The AG does take longer to tie. The J knot is very quick to tie and easily tied while on the water. Never had either knot fail ever. I do not have the finished knot on the reel, but just past the level wind mechanism.

Here is the video that taught me how to tie the FG knot on my boat quickly. You can lay your rod down against a seat or a gunwale and pull the braid with your teeth for tension. I did not make this video nor do I take any credit for it but found this to be the easiest/fastest way for me.

Youtube Video on how to tie FG knot

PS, the whole video with instructions and all is 5:38. Never timed myself but pretty sure I am sub two minutes on the boat. I tied on a 6-10 foot leader so didn't have to retie very often. All that said....straight braid I still think is just fine in East Texas olive green/brown water!!!

That is what the Ultrex and spot lock are for,,,,to give you plenty of time to tie an FG knot and still be on your spot. HAHAHA
Hopefully by then the fish haven't moved.

thats fantastic I may switch to that

For all the FG knot lovers.

So I'll give my opinion and experience and you can take it for what is worth.

I dont understand why fluoro is still used on spools. I understand completely that many still do use it on the spool including just about every single pro but I really cannot figure out why. In my opinion braid is simply superior in every aspect. Casting distance alone is reason enough to make the switch. When you can get 30 to 40 extra feet out of a cast using braid over fluoro then why would you not?
Sensitivity is about the same braid vs fluoro with maybe braid with a slight advantage.
Capacity on the spool braid simply shines. You can blast a 100 foot cast and still have the spool basically full. This allows for quicker retrieve at the end of a cast. Again....why would you not?
When it comes to memory it's a no brainer. Fluoro to me was like trying to cast wire with it fluffing up every cast into a mess. I know some people dont have this issue but I tried every brand with every reel setting and the problem was never solved. Braid is a joy to cast. Compact baits can be sent into Jupiter effortlessly. Braid does have a tendency to dig in on itself and cause casting inconsistencies if not careful. Backlashes can be an issue as well if you allow the spool to over spin but this is the case with all lines.
Knots can and will ruin your entire spool of braid but a single nick or kink in your fluoro will do the same and knots can be minimized by monitoring your casting form. Braid is prone to snap during shock but most of the time when this happens you may lose 10 to 20 feet of line and the mass spool capacity of braid makes this a non issue. Shock your spool of fluoro however and your whole spool is basically ruined. Fluoro shatters when shocked. It may not break but its structural integrity is compromised. I know many disagree and that is fine.
Abrasion resistance fluoro may have a slight advantage depending on the environment but this can also be solved by simply using a longer leader of fluoro or mono with your braid. Simple no brainer.
Cost wise both braid and fluoro are expensive to say the least but here braid wins again because having to respool is pretty rare with braid as opposed to fluoro. I buy 1500 feet of 50lb and 1500 feet of 20lb Maxcuatro as this not only fills my entire arsenal it allows me to maintain practically forever because I only respool if I get a new reel or lose too much braid from an existing reel. It's expensive for sure but a purchase that isn't required repeatedly.


The one area that straight fuoro beats braid is the fact that braid with a leader requires an extra connection knot that is simply another point of possible failure. This aspect I will admit is a problem. A full solution to this issue I have yet to find but I have gotten the failures at the connection knot down to the point of them basically being nonexistent. The way I have done this is buy first using the FG Knot, second wetting the knot with Knotsense after completion and hitting it with UV light to harden, and third I retie pretty much religiously.

Advantage of the FG knot. Obviously it's much more streamline which makes the beating of the knot much less. Before the FG I use to use the Alberto which is a great knot, however, the Alberto has just enough mass that during every cast it does slam into the guides. I use micro guides on all my rigs but this doesnt really matter. The knot will hit regular guides as well. This issue isn't about casting distance or efficiency. Even though the Alberto slams the guides you still get basically a perfect cast every time. The problem is the fact that fluoro shatters like I mentioned before. When repeatedly hitting the guides the fuoro loses its structural integrity and breaks inside of the Alberto knot and it all comes undone. I know....I know...this never happens to me is going to be the reply but it happened to me a jillion times. Just my experience. Also, the Alberto creates a hinge point at its edge where it smashes down onto the fuoro. Again...many will disagree and fair enough.The FG knot MUST be tied perfectly or you might as well stick with the Alberto the FG WILL fail if not tied perfectly. If tied perfectly you basically have achieved an ALOMST flawless connection between braid and fuoro. I will use a FG knot that I feel confident that I tied correctly pretty much all day unless I notice an issue with the knot.

Knotsense. I mentioned above that I use this product and I recommend it highly. Knotsense is basically an epoxy that hardens under UV light. I use this both for extra protection of the knot and to help keep the finalized overhand knots and the end of the FG in place. I dont add a glob and harden it. I wet the knot and rub the epoxy into the knot itself before exposing it to UV.

Retying like I mentioned above I do before each trip unless the knot wasn't used the trip before. Each FG will get one day of use and its cut off. Fresh FGs with fresh fluoro is just another piece of mind that helps with confidence in your gear.

The only time I use straight braid is at night. Even in stained or murky water I use a leader. Just for my piece of mind. Probably doesnt matter but even if I does a little then it's worth it to me. At night there is really no need.

One quick thing about stretch. Careful with braid because it basically has none. Even with the superline hooks of today you have to lay off the hook set a little. While the superline hooks won't bend out they will flex a little especially if using straight braid. When a hook flexes it tears a gash instead of piercing a hole. This allows the hook to more easily wiggle free during the fight. Dont even bother using standard hooks with braid unless you are ultra disciplined on the hook set. A regular wire hook will bend all the way straight and then pop right back into its original position so you miss the fish and reel in your hook looking fine while wondering what happened.

Well said Mossyback!

Copoly leaders: P-line CXX and Maxima Ultragreen
Connection knot: Improved Alberto + tab of superglue

Never had the connection knot fail using the above. The hook to line knot will fail first

If you fish rocks often braid is not that favorable. Rocks will cut it like scissors. I moved to 100% braid for a bit but then back to 100% InvizX. I buy the 1000yd spools in 12, 15 and 20lb as needed.