How many people here actually take the time to create their own leader rigs for use during fishing?

I've decided I wanted to create my own leaders to save a few bucks, and also know that my rigs are customized to my taste, as well as having the leader be longer than those you find at Benny's or at your local bait/tackle shop.

So, my question is, if you create your own leaders, tell us about your methods. What kind of knots do you use? What kind of hooks are you fond of, and how long a leader do you use as well as what kind of line you use? Wire? Braid? Fluoro? Mono?

20 & 30 lb flouro for lures (10-14lb main).
50 # for bait and bluefish infested waters (20# mono or 30 lb braid main).

50# with a Palomar to a swivel. Circle hooks.

20 & 30# with a double uni and direct or a small snap.

50lb clear for rough/rocky
30lb clear for beaches..
50lb PowerPro main line...

For plugging 2-3 feet
Flouro 20# or 30#
Spro or similar quality swivel
Snap... used to use duo locks, but BM convinced me to try those breakaways,, I'm Sold
Trilene knot, or improved clinch, tho I'm preferring the trilene lately

If lots of blues around, I switch to wire leader.

plugs: 4' of 40 lb Flouro tied to a sampo ball bearing swivel (imporved clinch). sometimes also tie 1' to same swivel with fly or cocahoe for teaser.

eels: 6' of 40 lb Four tied to a sampo(i.c.)


bluefish feeding frenzy's: store bought stainless steel 6" wire

Karl: What is a breakaway snap?

What kind of fluoro are you guys using?

I bought 30yds of Berkeley Vanish fluoro and it's much stiffer to tie into knots, I'm thinking maybe I made a mistake and should try another brand of fluoro for better tying onto hooks and swivel...

For bass I make a couple kind of rigs. The "straight" rig about 3 feet long with a barrel swivel and hook. A high low with 3 dropper loops about 3 or 4 inches and a barrel swivel and then a other high low with droppers and a foot long leader coming off of each dropper. The 3 way I make with just one dropper and a 18 or so inch leader. I use improved clinch knots on everything I tie. Depending on where I fish I'll make rigs out of anything between 20 and 100 pound test.

My cod/tautog/seabass rigs are a simple high low tied with 2 droppers and a 12 inch leader off the droppers.

Fluke rigs are a dropper about 8-10 inches long with the hook about 18-20 inches back and a 2-3 ounce sinker.

scup rigs are made with 3 droppers about 6 inches long

I like kerbed mustad J hooks for bass , and clear Ande line for leaders/rigs.

Don't forget to wet your knots.

For blues, I use 40-60 pound black plastic coated wire about 3 feet long, a barrel swivel, same tinned kerbed mustad hooks and some crimps. I don't use crimping plyers, I use wire cutters to put 3 or 4 good "crimps" on the crimps. Just don't crimp the crimps so hard you cut into them with the cutters. Also, big blues cant bite through hundred pound test Ande to easily. I've caught some nice sized blues while fishing with bait. 100 pound test Ande leaders will catch bass and blues.

I can't remember the last time I bought a rig.

Seagar

and I am with Karl. Go to wire for blues and boni's.

wire for bonis is ss coated. almost invisible

if it is bluefish I am sometimes rig no leader at all. Pretty much go home :laughs:

I like to use 40# Seaguar Floro @ 20"-24" I'll tie A snelled knot to a Gamagatsu 5/0 Live bait hook.
My Main line is Clear 30# Triline Big Game.
I'll tie 25-30 & keep them in a Hook binder,there always there & ready to use:D

B T W striprman Nice Avitar
:cool:

when i'm plugging a rocky area like newport and narragansett i 'double up' my leader. I take the line, fold it in half, then twist one end. That makes the line twist on itself. Once i get the twists down the length of the leader i tie on a spro swivel and a coastlock snap. I use palomar knots mostly.

i think that most of the guys make their own. this way you can get exactly what you want, and high quality to boot. seagar, sampo, spro, gamagatsu,....

Yup. Jugs, keep your knots simplified. Use clear mono and fluro. 30 lbs segaur is good for falmouth. as for canal, go for something heavy. palmoar, improved clinch, or trieline is a way to go. forget about snelling. they waste your time. use any hook size and type as you please.

zacs... breakaway:


http://69.93.108.13/StriperTalk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14785&perpage=15&highlight=breakaway%20snaps&pagenumber=2

Someone with experience should write a detailed how-to on leader rigging and shock leader rigging for the HOWTO/FAQS section of this site regarding all teh details/art of rigging this for various types of terrian.

Jug;

I know there's A how too knot tying web page on another site,but i don't know if IM allowed too devulge other Striper web sites.on this one.:confused:

Let me know......If IM not allowed just send me a PM.

I don't see why it would be prohibited. Post away, and if someone objects, them just PM me the information.

As long as it's not advertising or spamming, it's cool, I believe.

Thanks Karl. I always tie direct to plugs. Nothing worse then tying on a new plug at night in the waves. I will try these breakaway clips.
_z_

am I the only guy that uses a UNI knot on this page.

When making leaders I also use Palomar and dropper loops.

When no swivel is used, such as for a shock leader, I go blood knot or double uni.

same as most for floro and mono. I find the ande floro is very stiff and hard to knot as well. but it does vanish. so I take my time and wet my knots. I also use super-glue from time to time since I cannot find zap-a-gap recently. I forgot where I bought it last.

And gami hooks, spro swivels - only the best. I haven't caught any big yet, but I will be damned that my leader is going to cause me to miss the big girl when she comes my way.

instead of tying a seperate dropper loop you can just leave the tag end extra long and tie to that.

Ok here it is, just click on the knot you want to understand better & it should give you full details on "HOW TO"

http://www.stripersurf.com/andeknots.html

http://www.stripersurf.com/highlowrig.html

I hope this is what yur lookin for Jugs.


Notaro, don't think that your wasting time on snell knots you ought to try it.......it might just help you catch that first keeper you've been dreaming about:laughs:

5.0 - I never snell. When you are recommending snelling hooks, I assume you are talking about circle hooks? or at least turned back eyes on the hook?

I do not see the advantage of snelling a 5/0 Gami octopus for example.

Please explain!

-IWK

First off,IM only recomending snelling to Notaro. he feels that it's a waste of time.Try it.... then give it an Honest rating.

2ndly I snell 5/0 Live bait Gamagatsu & no the eyelets aren't bent back,like it's Brethern,Octopus seires though it would be nice, but there not.

At the begining of this thread Jugstah asked {How do you people customize your leaders & rigs}?

This knot technique has proformed very well & hasn't failed me yet,I have NEVER had a break off @ the knot.I think I was told that the line streangh is cut in half at the knot "if there is a 90 degree bend in it".

This technique works for me,& if it's works for you awesome!Glad to help.

I'll take a PIC of one when I get home from work.:happy:

Last night while fishing the Canal for a few hours, I used a leader I made myself using the Berkeley Vanish fluro and the mustad plain shank hooks using palomar knots on the hook and the improved cich knot on the swivel.... and it's about 2ft in length...

I'm liking it so far.

Question.. is the Seaguar fluoro easier to tie with knots than Berkeley? I just bought a spool of Seaguar last night from MikeCC's store and have yet to sample it. Wondering about the knot-tying ease of both lines...

Funny how coincidneces happen.

Last night, while tossing eels, I lost what felt like a very nice fish on the third run.

Knot failed between flouro and and swivell at the top of the leader. Improved Clinch.

I use the Palomar between the Flouro and the hook and this has never failed.

I know that I only made 6 "loops" on the clinch, I thought that would be enough, ususally is.

So with that, is there a better knot to use with flouro?

_z_

zacs, i've never had a uni fail in that application.(like the one on your lami)

I have read over and over that the improved cinch is not a great knot.

The uni is a much more reliable knot, I even tie an overhand knot on the tag before tightening the UNI.

Now I have never caught large fish, by saltwater standards. But I have caught a #^&#^&#^&#^& load of large Fresh-water fish using relatively light line.

Big walleye, lakers, etc in Lake Champlain. I also went to Lake Ontario and the rivers and caught salmon up to 40#, fresh silver kings. and some enormous football browns. and even massive runs by mid-teens, up near 20# steelheads.

I have never....ever had a UNI fail on me. I have had improved cinch slip and slide and even lost fish. Palomar I have also ever lost fish on. I also often tie an over hand knot on the tag of the Palomar to help prevent slipping.

The TAG end over hand is like a belt and suspenders. If you want to add a 3rd layer of safety, you can also add a drop of zap-a-gap or superglue to futher help from slipping knots.


I still have a question about snelling a hook, I sort of agree with Notaro. I tend to stick with strong, easy to tied knots that I can do standing waste deep in water in the dark. It does seem that a snell is a very strong and reliable knot, but seems involved tieing. So I would never practice the knot enough for me to have confidence in it. So if I cannot find a real advantage of a snell, I am not likely to use it.

thanks everyone - this is a great thread.

5/0, I used to snell my hooks for the offset. I do snell them sometimes. I use palmoar all the time to cut down the time if I rig at the last minute. I don't use a livebait hook for eeling, but a gami 5/0-6/0 octopus hook. I like to snell. I alternate the knot styles, 5/0.


IWAP- Snelling is easy. Insert the end of the leader into the eye of the hook and brign it to the eye, use ur holding thumb to hold the end and use the end to make a five or six loop around the hook. then you pull the end of the leader out (carefuly not to let the loop go out above the top of the hook). then you pull the leader that is inside of the eye outcarefuly. u will see the loops start to go together and tighten up. then pull both end of the leader hard. always wet it before pulling it hard. then you are all set.

snelling is hard to you at first, but it is actually easy.

Ok heres the hook w/ knot
and heres the binder I tie these in Advance.....pre season. I don't recomed to tie a snell waist deep in water in the dark.

Works for me & the world still goes round & round:spin:

Hook Binder

You still hav'nt converted me yet5/0. But you know I stick with what works for me. When I use leaders I like long about 50in on beaches (leaves room for teaser) I use palomar and clinch knot.30-40lb Flouro

I am a boat guy, but here it goes anyway. I use Seagur and vanish. I use all kinds off different sizes depending what and were i am fishing.

Bass, I use 17# Flor with small 2/0 Gam hooks for sand eel rigs.
Bass, 17# Flor and a 5/0 to 7/0 gam. octpus for eels and other chunk bait.

17# Flro also goes for slugo's and other plastic stuff I use.

Fluke 30# flor and a SS Wide gap hook 3/0

All hooks are snelled over winter, if I have to tye a hook in the boat it is a uni knot, All rods are loaded with 65 # Spider Wire Stealth
Did you note that all leaders are Flouro!! This makes a huge diference!!

5/0, isn't that a CD wallet? How many rigs do you carry for your trip?

No, don't be fooled that is not a CD wallet "But good Idea though".That is a hook binder, I got it @ the Fishing show many Moons ago.
Like i first posted, I tie all of my leaders Pre-season,That way when I get cut off by a blue or I get broken off or for what ever happens @ 02:00 I can grab one.... or two or better yet grab as many as I need.I really don't feel like wasteing my time, nor check my knot tieing 101 dexterity in the middle of the Frickin darkness!!!!!
Times a wastin & there's are fish to be caught!:smash:

Like I also stated before; it works for me & thats what matters.


T. you are a brave Dog!!!!!!!!:cool:
You & I have fished hard & much together, and you just tie on to your Mono......& you have many LARGE under your belt.You got some serious KAHOONIES my Brother:D :D :D :D

macojoe I hear you there on the Floro.it's the only way togo tight lines & screamin drags to you.

Just spent a hour this evening with my leaders project.

Palomar knot on the swivel end with 18in of leader to the oshaughnessy hook with a uni-knot snell on it, the head of the hook is bent slightly.

I used seaguar 50lb fluro.

It should be interesting this weekend!

If anyone's got any more tricks to different types of rigs such as the fluke leader rigs and etc, do share :)

My fluke leader for the boat is gami octopus circle 7/0, snell the first hook 12 inches above the below the end of the leader. then snell the below leader and tied to a swivel or a three way swivel. the fluro leader is 40 lbs or yo-zuri hybrid 30 lbs test leader. you will catch a big fluke on that.

as for the shore, i havent surfcast for the flukes. i cant tell.

CD wallets work great for leaders.

I pick up free CD Wallets at give aways. Like at a country fair, sometimes banks or radio stations give them away.

Or worst case scenario, pick them up for a couple of bucks at building 19 or job lots or Christmas Trees shop. they are cheaper than leader wallets and work just as well.

-IWK

17# Fluoro?? :eek:
Crazy boat fisherman :laughs: