I Was Wrong About the GT Knot—Here’s the Right Way to Tie It

Originally posted on Fishing on SI | By Kurt Mazurek | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 6:00 AM ET

Being wrong is acceptable, but staying wrong is totally unacceptable. -Jack D. Schwager

About a year ago I published a story declaring the FG knot my new go-to for tying braided mainline to fluorocarbon leaders. But recently, I realized the drawing I provided was wrong, or at the very least, misleading. So, here’s a quick update with corrected illustrations and step-by-step instructions, for anyone who was confused and frustrated by the old version.

Why I Still Trust the GT Knot

Now that I’ve tied this knot many times and never had it fail, I remain fully convinced that it’s the best balance of ease-of-tying, strength and relative size.

It’s easy to learn and fast to tie, even in windy or rainy conditions.
It’s strong! The video below along with my own personal testing made me a believer.
It’s small and slick enough to come through rod guides easily.

I will admit it is some percent less slick than an FG knot, but it is infinitely easier to tie.

The Correction: Updated GT Knot Steps

Create a loop in the leader then wrap the tag end around the line two times
Pass the tag end through the loop
Pull the leader, cinching these loops down slowly, until a small figure-8 appears, then pass the braided main line in and out of the figure-8.
Pull the leader in opposite directions to cinch the figure-8 tight onto the main line
Hold the main line and the leader together and form a loop. Then wrap the main line six times around both lines of the loop
Pull the main line tag end to cinch the knot tight
Pull the leader and the main line in opposite directions to cinch the knots together, then trim the tags.

For Those Who Still Love the FG Knot

And if you’re one of those FG knot devotees who can actually tie it consistently and reliably in less than five minutes, hats off to you. I don’t know how you do it, but good for you. But the GT knot gives me all the strength, with most of the small size, with half the frustration. That’s a trade I’ll make any day.

The GT Knot Source That Sold Me

Here is the YouTube video that convinced me to try the GT. Check it out and decide for yourself. Again, I’ve been using the GT knot all year and it has performed flawlessly.

Fishing Is All About Learning and Adapting

After a year of tying and evaluation, I’m standing by the GT knot. And hopefully now that I’ve presented the correct steps you can give it a fair shot for yourself. Fishing is all about testing, improving, and learning, and sometimes getting something wrong. And as long as you don’t stay wrong, you learn.