The ALBRIGHT vs The ALBERTO vs The FG KNOT [Strength Contest]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on March 17, 2020
It’s “FISHING KNOT OFF” Time!
After posting our first braid to leader fishing knot contest in which the FG knot was the surprise winner, many readers have asked for us to test out more of their favorites…
And the two most commonly requested knots were hands down where as follows:
- “Albright Knot“
- “Alberto Knot“
These two knots are actually very similar so I was curious to see which one was the strongest of the two…
I was even more curious to see how that stronger one did against the FG knot (our current reigning braid to leader champion)
So this post is going to cover exactly that… first, we’ll put the Albright knot against the Alberto knot.
And then we’ll put the winner up of that “Knot Off” against the reigning champion, the FG knot.
Albright Knot vs. Alberto Knot
These two knots are extremely similar. Both of them start and end the exact same way, but the style of line wraps in the middle section of these knots are what separates them.
And for this contest, our core focus is to determine which style provides the strongest connection.
So we’re going to make sure to use the same amount of wraps for each one in order to see which one is best.
Note: All tests are using the same spools of fishing line (10 lb PowerPro to 30 lb Ande fluorocarbon).
How to Tie the Albright Knot
The Albright knot is known for its ability to connect two lines of different sizes including braid to fluorocarbon.
In most tutorials, the Albright knot is taught using 10 wraps but I increased it to 14 in order to match the total of 14 wraps from the Alberto knot.
Here’s a video showing exactly how to tie the Albright knot:
How to Tie the Alberto Knot
The Alberto knot is becoming an extremely popular knot for connecting braided line to a fluorocarbon leader. Its popularity is due to this knot’s ability to be tied to pretty much any type of line with varying differences in diameters.
And as you’ll see below, the Alberto knot is very similar to the Albright knot given that its beginning and end are identical.
However, the line wraps in the middle are what make this knot unique. Its premise is that making 7 wraps out, and then 7 wraps back will create a continually squeezing system similar to a Chinese finger trap.
Here’s a video showing how to tie the Alberto knot:
Strength Test – Albright vs Alberto
To test the breaking strengths of these two knots, I tied each of them to a single strand of line and then applied steady pressure until the weaker of the two broke (and I did this a total of 5 times to have a decent sample of results).
Given that the similarities of these two knots, I was assuming that they would be fairly close and this test confirmed that assumption… here’s how it went.
- Albright knot pulled out @ 7.2 lbs of tension
- Albright knot broke @ 11.3 lbs of tension
- Albright knot broke @ 9.4 lbs of tension
- Alberto knot broke @ 15.6 lbs of tension
- Alberto knot broke @ 9.2 lbs of tension
In case you want to see how the test was performed, here’s a quick video showing the breaks.
Conclusion – Albright vs. Alberto
Given that these two knots are pretty much identical in terms of tying time and their knot size, the strength factor between these two knots should decide which one is best for braid to fluorocarbon.
And the Alberto knot proved to have the higher average breaking strength in this knot test.
ROUND 2
FG Knot vs. Alberto Knot
Since the FG knot was the winner in our previous braid to fluorocarbon leader knot contests, we now need to check to see if this very popular Alberto knot can unseat the reigning champ.
So I used the exact same test consisting of 5 bouts between these two knots tied on a single strand of line using the exact same spools for consistency.
Here’s how it went:
- Alberto knot broke @ 10.4 lbs
- Alberto knot broke @ 14.6 lbs
- Alberto knot broke @ 13.9 lbs
- Alberto knot broke @ 9.3 lbs
- Alberto knot broke @ 8.7 lbs
This video shows the breaks.
Conclusion
The unique line twists of the Alberto knot proved to increase the breaking strength of the traditional Albright knot when using a light braided line to connect to a heavier fluorocarbon leader.
However, the FG knot proved to have a higher breaking strength once again for this very important connection.
So my earlier recommendation of the FG knot still stands…
The FG knot has once again proven to be the strongest direct braid to fluoro connection while having the added bonus of being the slimmest of them all since the leader line never doubles over.
Although the FG knot takes slightly longer to tie, it has proven to be well over 30% stronger than the Alberto knot when used to connect 10 lb PowerPro braid to 30 lb Ande fluorocarbon so that added strength is well worth the added tying time.
Note: Different line brands/sizes could alter results, so I recommend testing these knots out to see which one is best for the lines that you prefer to use (just make sure to anchor the lines down well and wear glasses to protect your eyes from flying line parts).
If you have a knot that you’d like me to test out, please either leave a comment below or send us an email and we’ll be happy to check it out.
Go To Our Knot Testing Homepage [Full Knot Rankings]
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STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
I have never tied braid to mono/flor and have the mono/flor be a higher pound test than the braid. Why would you do that.
The reason for using a lighter line as the mainline with a stronger line at the business end is so that you can get maximized casting performance and feel of strikes with the thinnest line possible as the mainline while having the section that is most likely to rub up against sharp objects (last ~2 ft of line) ready to handle the extra abuse it’s likely to be exposed to. Here’s a lesson showing the full setup in case interested: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/how-to-tie-a-fishing-leader-for-snook-redfish-seatrout/
What a wide range of results.. have any idea why the wide variance…
It’s surprisingly tough to get a consistent result when tying a knot… these test help reveal which ones can be most consistently strong.
nice. thanks
Hey Luke
I had the same issues with the frayed ends on my FG knots as glib man. I fixed the issue by finishing the FG with a Rizzuto finish. It just seemed to build up the end to a smoother finish. I tie the FG on all my rods prior to my fishing trip. If I need to retie on the boat I tie a crazy Alberto knot. Just works for me. I am learning to tie an FG using a loop at the end of the braid and rapping it around the reel handel creating the needed tension on the braid. Set the rod on the deck (Handel facing up) or in the rod holder and you have both hands free to tie the FG knot. Once you complete all the raps you just pull the loop off the Handel and finish it off with the Rizzuto.
I tried the fg and while it does hold well at first, I found that it alway got beat up going through guides and eventually frayed the braid tag end. I tried everything to stop that from doing that after which the knot begins to loosen up. (super glue, zap a gap, fly line knot sealer). Nothing worked. I get the feeling this knot would be best for applications where it’s not steady distance casting lures all day long. THose who claim they can quickly retie it while they’re fishing…bs.
Hi liked your videos but I will like you to compare the fg with the double uni knot
The FG knot beat the double uni by roughly the same margin.
Modify Alberto? Another factor is knots coming apart. I have trouble with the braid coming loose and the knot fails. This is not due to the knot design. Have you tested the Alberto with several overhand knots of the braid tag end? I usually tie light braid to 8# flouro
I have not tried the alberto with any overhand knots on the braid’s tag. When testing the alberto, the traditional way of tying it always resulted in the line breaking so I’m not sure why you’re experiencing issues with the line pulling out… perhaps it’s due to the lines that you’re using. Which lines (brand and strength) are you using when you’ve had those issues with the alberto knot?
I switched to the Alberto on my heavy outfits because I couldn’t get the FG coils on the braid to bite into the heavy mono top shot. Using 65lbs Ande or heavier the knot would slide down the mono. The mainline and tag end of the braid on the Alberto lock the coils on the mono.
Interesting. I use that same Ande leader line and the thicker leader seems to make the FG knot easier to get the FG coils to dig into the outer layer of the mono. But what I’m using the heavier lines, I still am using a braid that’s weaker (and MUCH thinner) than the leader line… if using a 60 lb leader, I rarely go higher than 30 lbs for my braid mainline. What sized braid are you using when having issues with the 65 lb ande?
I had a similar result with FGs at first. The key to success is keeping tight wraps, and then clinching down tightly on the mainline and tag end of the braid when you place the first half hitch locks. You need bars or heavy gloves to be able to get enough pressure.
you might have to correct the text.. you list all 5 tests as ALBERTO KNOT no mention of the FG knot
The tests consisted of head-to-head matchups where both knots are tied on the same line which is then pulled until the weaker one broke… in the test where the Alberto knot was going agains the FG knot, the FG won 100% of the tests so it didn’t get shown in the lists that showed the strength at which the losing knot broke.
I personally use the Improved Alberto Knot when tying Fluorocarbon Leader to PE line (preferred over conventional braid). The “improved” Alberto Knot is nearly identical to the standard Alberto Knot except the last step in tying it is to wrap the tag end of the braid around the side of the Fluorocarbon loop 3 times before pulling the knot tight. I’ve experienced failures of the Alberto Knot but never the Improved Alberto Knot plus it flows through very small guides without any problems. Maybe I’ll have to try the FG Knot and compare the two.