The Late Lefty Kreh standing streamside holding a fly rod

I’ve spent a lot of time practicing the FG Knot. I like the way it looks, the way it goes through guides and when prepared properly I have immense faith in its strength. However, I also know that it’s an absolute bear to tie in a bucking boat in the wind, and when tied poorly it does not have the same holding power. I’ve also experimented with the Crazy Alberto Knot, which I believe is substantially easier to tie (although not quite “easy”), even if it doesn’t look quite as clean.

Recently, though, I was introduced to a braid-to-leader knot that’s remarkably quick and easy to tie under just about any conditions. It was popularized by the late fly rod virtuoso and innovator Lefty Kreh, and while he’s not as well known outside of the fly fishing community that doesn’t mean conventional tackle bass anglers and saltwater anglers can’t employ it just as well. I’ve been using it intermittently in low-pressure situations for a few months, and so far I’ve been pleased. I can tie it perfectly in a matter of seconds and it hasn’t cost me any fish.

Here are some short videos (the shortest being 29 seconds) that demonstrate how to tie it:

In The Riffle – Tim Rajeff

Rich Zaleski

Fish North Georgia

Obviously, all of this information can be found on the web, but there’s also an entire book of Lefty’s knots, available at Amazon for $0 on the Kindle and less than ten bucks in hardcover.