The FG knot versus the J knot is the second round of my braid-to-leader knot bracket, where I break each connection on a force tester to find out which is stronger, tied the way I actually fish it with 20-pound braid to 50-pound fluorocarbon. In this How 2 Tuesday, the second installment of the knot war, the FG knot, which is really a weave rather than a knot, goes up against the surprisingly strong J knot. I expected the FG to win in a blowout, but the J knot, a uni in the fluorocarbon and a clinch in the braid, hung in there. Controlling the controllable means knowing your strongest connection before you fish.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
In my test, the FG knot won, but just barely. Tying 20-pound Daiwa J-Braid to 50-pound fluorocarbon, the J knot tested around 25.81 and 25.89 pounds, while the FG knot reached 27.4 and 32.48 pounds. I fully expected the FG to win in a blowout, but the J knot was surprisingly strong and made it close. So I gave the FG the nod for this round, though the J knot earned a lot of respect on the scale.
The J knot is a combination connection: a uni knot tied in the fluorocarbon and a clinch knot tied in the braid. I double over the braid and bring it back with that clinch knot. It is a knot I have used a lot for all kinds of fishing, and it tested surprisingly high in this comparison, hanging right with the FG knot. If you want to tie it, you can find it in my knot course on Waypoint or on YouTube.
The FG knot is really a weave rather than a true knot. You weave the braid around the fluorocarbon, and the result is a slim connection that casts through the rod guides very well and tests as about the strongest braid-to-leader connection there is. The trade-off is that it takes a bit more effort and time to tie. In this test it edged the J knot, breaking as high as 32.48 pounds on 20-pound braid to 50-pound fluorocarbon.
I used 20-pound Daiwa J-Braid x8 tied to 50-pound Daiwa fluorocarbon, the same materials for every knot in the bracket so the only variable is the knot itself. That 50-pound fluorocarbon is a solid tarpon leader, and a lot of anglers go a little lighter. Keeping the line and leader consistent across the test is what makes the comparison fair and the results meaningful.
Because a good braid-to-leader connection can hold more than the braid's stated breaking strength when everything is tied well, and the FG knot is about as efficient a connection as you can tie. Hitting the high twenties and into the low thirties on 20-pound braid shows how little strength the FG knot gives up at the connection. That efficiency, plus how cleanly it casts through the guides, is why so many anglers consider it the strongest knot.
Because testing removes the guesswork. A knot bracket, March Madness style, lets me compare the popular braid-to-leader knots head to head on a scale, tied the way I actually fish them, and let the numbers decide. The FG knot beating the J knot here, and the J knot's surprising strength, are things I would never have known for sure without breaking them. Knots are one of the most controllable factors in fishing, so they are worth testing.
I went into this round assuming the FG knot would crush the J knot. It did not. The J knot, a uni in the fluorocarbon and a clinch in the braid, tested in the high twenties and refused to break, getting to 26 on one pull before I even finished. It is a knot I have used a lot, and it earned real respect on the scale. I break down exactly how it held up in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The FG knot is barely a knot at all, it is a weave of the braid around the fluorocarbon, and that is what makes it so good. It casts through the guides cleanly and tests at or near the top of every braid-to-leader connection I have tried. In this round it reached as high as 32.48 pounds. The only knock is the effort it takes to tie. I get into when that trade-off is worth it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here is how I ran the FG knot versus J knot round, and how you can set up a fair knot bracket of your own.
I unpack each of these with the details and stories in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The day after this round, the thing I keep smiling about is how the J knot refused to lose easily. I expected a blowout and got a real fight, which is exactly why I test instead of assume.
The FG knot takes this one and moves on, but the J knot proved it belongs in anyone's tackle box. Next week is the final, the Double Uni against the FG knot, for the championship of braid-to-leader knots. Who do you think wins? Tune in to the next How 2 Tuesday and we will find out on the scale.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
FG knot · J knot · Double Uni knot · Slim Beauty knot · uni knot · clinch knot · Daiwa J-Braid x8 · Daiwa fluorocarbon · NexTech force tester · Waypoint · tarpon · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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