CyberAngler

I have found, fishing over 200 days per year for the last 8 years, that wind-on leaders are by far the safest and most effective way to fish regardless of tackle class (as long as you are trolling). They are not as hard to make, as some would believe. All you need is a medium size (the longer the better) rigging needle, Dacron (the same line class you are using for the leader or one grade higher), mono (at least 100lbs regardless of line class). Step 1: cut a piece of Dacron at least six feet and no longer than eight feet. Run either bitter end of the Dacron through the eye of the rigging needle and secure the line to the needle using dental floss using half hitches. Take the rigging needle and insert it into the Dacron 12 inches BELOW the end that has the rigging needle. Thread the needle through the Dacron until you have a loop of about 1 inch in diameter. Once there exit with the rigging needle and cut the connection. Pull on the loop and the former connection will disappear into the Dacron. Take the other bitter end that has not been used and we will need to thread the mono into the Dacron, this is known as the "Chinese finger cuff method". Take the mono leader and cut the end cleanly with a pair of scissors or fingernail clippers. Take a cigarette lighter and melt the end of the mono for a second forming the end into a little ball that tapers backward against the leader (DO NOT HEAT FOR TOO LONG AS THE MONO WILL MELT AND BURN THE OLD FINGERS). This will create a little round "head" that will allow the leader to pass through the Dacron with little trouble. Insert the little head of the leader into the bitter end of the Dacron (opposite the loop). Don’t worry if it frays for the first inch. Thread the mono through the Dacron until the mono reaches the connection that formed the loop. The last thing to do is secure the mono/Dacron connection with two drops of superglue and smooth the whole thing down by using a piece of dental floss to secure the mono to Dacron connection. If you have problems e-mail me through my website at http://www.fishingtci.com and I'll walk you through it step by step. It will help you catch more fish and more importantly may save your life offshore. Captain Geoff [email protected]