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Posts: 186
| I'm going to be making myself some solid wire leaders this winter (124 and 174lb) and I want to put on as little hardware as possible while still being sturdy ( all will have ball bearing swivels though, too much tumbling of baits regardless of what it is). 124 will most likely be for the smaller baits 7" and below with 3oz or so being the cutoff. I plan on making a few different weighted (1/4,3/8,1/2oz) versions for light bucktails i have trouble casting. 174 will be for everything i toss above that ( heaviest i toss is poseidon 10" and regular shallow medusa about 7-8 oz range). If i start throwing heavier baits I'll jump up to 224 probably. So I have a few questions that maybe some of you have experience with and will help out.
1. Running the leader upside down so to speak meaning, tying mainline to the bottom loop directly and attaching the swivel to lure with a split ring. This puts the weight closer to the bait for better balance and also eliminating a costly welded solid ring. Will this have any negative impact on the different baits? Does the weight being closer make lures more nose heavy in a negative way?
2. Running leader traditionally but attaching split ring directly to the bottom loop again avoiding welded solid ring. Less weight and less cost. Any negative effect at all?
3. How many locking twists for the eyes? 4 or 5 good? I've seen some that only have 2 or 3.
4. When making weighted versions ill be using lead bullet weights. Do you put anything below the weight or just wedge it on to the locking twist? I will be shrink wrapping the head to wire portion.
I'm sure more will come up but these are the questions I have for now. Thanks in advance |
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Posts: 489
Location: Northern Illinois | Concerning #2, I avoid split rings attached directly to solid wire leader loop. The split ring will work its way loose at the worst time. Use a good welded ring. The cost of the welded ring is small compared to a lure or worse yet a lure and a fish. |
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Posts: 186
| Is that because the wire will work into the opening? |
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Posts: 489
Location: Northern Illinois | Yes. |
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Posts: 186
| Good to know thanks! I have some no.5 solid rings i got from the musky shop and ill be using stealth tackle 5 and 7 split rings.
I've bought and I'm using tyrant tackle and stealth tackle leaders now that have the snaps. The snaps are ok but I figure I can make the leaders my own size and ditch the snaps for a better, lighter,smaller connection and save money that will eventually feed the addiction of more baits ( insert banging head on table emoji here) lol
Any other advice would be appreciated |
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Posts: 1264
Location: E. Tenn | You can make a heckuva lot of leaders out of a bag of wire.. I'll agree with the solid rings, but use trolling weights on the front of the leader. Your way works...it's just an option. |
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Posts: 186
| Yes you definitely can. I got 3 30ft spools and figure I should be able to get around 80 leaders out of them. 6" for bucktails and small baits, 9" for medium size and gliders, 12" for 9"/10" cranks and rubber. That would probably last me 20 years since I ain't catching nothing lmao. But seriously its nice to save money.
As far as the weights go I want to keep the weight closer to the bait for better casting distance and accuracy. I never like weight seperated messes everything up for me at least. |
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Posts: 51
| Greetings,
I found over the years that projects such as making leaders are a great way to pass winter evenings. I've been making my own leaders for decades.
I make my leaders with a variety of materials (e.g. gauge of wire, swivels, split rings, welded rings) that are put together with a variety of combinations (e.g. length). I found that I like optimizing the leader for the application at hand. I'm using more split rings to connect my lure to the leader. I do not use swivels on lures such as jerk/pull baits or glide baits.
As reported above, I also avoid using a split ring that is connected directly to a wire loop, especially a fine gauge wire. Similarly, I avoid connecting a split ring to a split ring. The wire loop or split ring will enter into another split ring and work it's way around. The welded ring also helps prevent the fish getting leverage on my lure during the fight.
I close my wire loops with 4-5 complete wraps. I then cut the tag end of the wire with a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool. I then cover the wire wraps with shrink wrap that was slid onto the shaft prior to closing the loop. I do this to avoid finger pokes and the tag end fraying my line.
Good fishing and tight lines!!
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Posts: 186
| Thanks, I'd love to make jerkbait leaders without the swivel but worry about accumulated line twist creating a weakness. Also im a bank yanker and cycle through different style baits. I try and only re-tie my line when nicks and fray occur, the weighted leaders will be the exception to that though. Having said that I will make a few without swivels just to try out. Do you make leaders for side to side baits the same length or do you add another inch or two? I ask because if a fish comes in with momentum and tail strikes i don't want bite offs.
What size shrink wrap are you using for the twist wraps?
Have you tried the upside down style? I would think especially for bucktails and top waters these would be great. Plus you would be using a solid ring that's already in place anyway. If they don't work you could always flip them around and use snaps. |
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Posts: 51
| GreetingsMy leaders for jerkbaits and gliders are in varying lengths and gauges of wire. The length of leader that I use depends on the weight and size of the bait. I avoid using a leader that would cause the lure to get "nose heavy". That is, I don't want the leader to cause the nose of the lure to drop when the lure is paused. Most of my jerkbait leaders run four to eight inches in length. I have a small diameter welded ring on each of the wire loops of the leader. One welded ring is my point for attaching my fishing line with a Bucher Power Knot. The other welded ring contains a split ring for attaching my lure. If there is line twist, it's not enough to worry me. I've been using this setup for decades and haven't had an issue yet.
I purchase my shrink wrap in the electrical department at Fleet Farm. It's their smallest diameter of shrink wrap, about 3/32 inch in diameter or something like that. I form the loop on one end of the wire shaft, and then add to pieces of shrink wrap (about 1/2 inch long) to the wire shaft before forming the second loop.
I'm not sure what is meant by "upside down style".
Good fishing and tight lines!! |
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Posts: 186
| Thanks borntofish, I've been looking at different leaders and it seems that they all have a solid ring at least instead of directly tying to leader wire and I'm sure that's for a reason so I'll be doing that as well.
As far as the upside down part i mean, traditionally a mainline is tied to the swivel leaving a snap or solid ring to connect to bait. My thinking was instead of that, flipping it upside down and tying to an end loop and connecting the swivel to bait using a split ring. Less hardware and more compact weight. But since I'm going to be making them with a ring anyway I could always just try it out and see any difference that may come from it. If I don't like it just flip it back around. Was just wondering if the weight being closer has less negative impact on action or more action for certain baits. Example, would it help a deep diver get down quicker? Does it help balance better when floating back up Would? Would it make bucktails a little more responsive? Just little quirks like that.
I'll have to get some smaller shrink tube for the twists. I think the size i have for the weights will be too big.
Thanks for your input! |
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