On this How 2 Tuesday I test whether super glue makes the FG knot stronger, weaker, or no different at all. The FG knot is already one of the strongest braid to leader connections in fishing, so I tied three FG knots with no glue and three with a dot of widely available Krazy Glue, all in identical line, and pulled every one to failure. The no glue knots averaged 102.4 percent of line strength and the glued knots averaged 104.8 percent, about a 2 percent gain.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
You can, but you do not have to. When I tied three FG knots in 40 pound Daiwa J Fluoro to 20 pound Daiwa J Braid with no glue, they averaged 102.4 percent of the line strength, meaning the knot was already stronger than the line itself. With a dot of Krazy Glue super glue the same knot averaged 104.8 percent. That is roughly a 2 percent gain. The FG knot is so strong already that glue is a small bonus, not a requirement.
In my test it did, but only slightly. The no glue FG knots broke at 20.26, 20.91, and 20.26 pounds. The glued FG knots broke at 19.70, 22.60, and 20.57 pounds. That works out to about a 2 percent improvement in favor of the super glue. The FG knot tops out above 100 percent of line strength either way, so the glue is not solving a weakness. It is squeezing out a small extra margin.
I used standard Krazy Glue super glue, not a special marine product. I chose it on purpose because it is widely available and you can buy it almost anywhere. The point of the test was to see whether the everyday super glue most anglers already have in a drawer makes a real difference on a knot you trust with a good fish.
Extremely strong. In this test the plain FG knot averaged 102.4 percent of the line strength, which means the line broke before the knot did. That is why so many anglers consider the FG knot one of the strongest braid to leader connections you can tie. When a knot tests above 100 percent, you are getting the full rated strength of your line at the connection.
That is a judgment call. For me, on the water, I probably will not glue the FG knot because I do not like gluing my fingers together and it is one more step when I am trying to get a line back in the water. At home at my workbench, where I have time and clean hands, putting a dot of super glue on for an extra 2 percent is reasonable. Decide based on how and where you tie.
I tied every FG knot in this test the same way, connecting 40 pound Daiwa J Fluoro leader to 20 pound Daiwa J Braid. Keeping the line, the diameters, and the number of wraps identical across all six knots is what makes the comparison fair, so the only variable that changes is whether a dot of super glue is added.
This week on How 2 Tuesday I am busting myths. The week before, I tested a clinch knot with and without super glue to see if glue made it stronger, weaker, or made no difference at all. The FG knot is the next one I had to know about, because it is the knot so many of us trust for braid to leader. If glue can make an already great knot even better, that is worth a few minutes of testing. Press play to hear how I set the whole thing up.
Before I could judge the glue, I needed a clean baseline. I tied three FG knots in 40 pound Daiwa J Fluoro to 20 pound Daiwa J Braid and pulled each one to failure. They broke at 20.26, 20.91, and 20.26 pounds, an average of 102.4 percent of the line strength. In other words, the knot held and the line gave out first. That is exactly what I want from an FG knot, and it set the bar for whether super glue could add anything at all. I walk through the numbers in the episode.
Then I tied the same FG knots, same line, same wraps, and added a single dot of Krazy Glue super glue to each. Those broke at 19.70, 22.60, and 20.57 pounds for an average of 104.8 percent. That is about a 2 percent improvement in favor of the glue. It is real, but it is small, because the FG knot is already stronger than the line. I lay out what that 2 percent means for your fishing in the audio.
Here is my honest take. Out on the water I probably will not reach for super glue, because I do not like gluing my fingers together and it is one more step when I am trying to get back to fishing. At home at my workbench, with time and clean hands, I might put a little dot on for that extra 2 percent. I want to know what you would do, and I ask for it directly in the episode.
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.
Tom Rowland is a lifelong saltwater fishing guide, tournament angler, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. He spent decades guiding in the Florida Keys and has fished from the Keys to the Seychelles, and he created How 2 Tuesday to break down one practical fishing skill at a time. From knots and casting to gear and tactics, he tests what actually works on the water so anglers can fish with more confidence.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.