braid to flurocarbon

[jfaracing]

larry what method would you use to join 80 lb spectrum to 100 lb fluro to create a wind on leader

Thanks

[dahlberg]

Hi JF
First thing is you need hollow braid of the dia that will accommodate your leader.
slice fluoro to a point and slide it up into the braid a foot and a half to two feet. It's not a bad idea to "rough up" the surface of the fluoro.
Pull it tight like a chinese finger trap, wrap it tightly with waxed floss or similar, first wrapping it over itself then using a series of several dozen half hitches and ending with the way as you'd finish wrapping a rod guide. (or a 6-8 times thru half hitch)
Some people like to hit it with a little super glue as well.
I like to fix the braid end tight to something, connect the other end to a ratchet strap and pull the whole thing really tight and do my wrapping while it's in a highly stretched mode. That way, after you relax the tension the wraps are even tighter because the fluoro expands slightly when it's "unstretched".
best,
L

[jfaracing]

what do i do if my reels are already spooled with non hollow core spectrum ?
without having respool?

[dahlberg]

HI J
You make a "stand alone", standard type wind-on.
It involves making a loop splice in a piece of hollow core about 3' long (dacron is fine), and going through the procedure I described earlier.
You also make a loop in your spectra (bimini is what I use), which you connect in a loop to loop fashion with the wind-on.
Good luck!
best,
L

[rwalkerdds]

Larry, can you use back to back uni-knots to join heavy mono to braid? I have used it very successfully with lighter mono to braid or braid to braid connections. I have never tried it with this heavy of mono or fluoro but I plan to. Your method sounds cool but a lot of work, especially if the leader or braid break near the splice on the water.
thanks,
rich

[Grandpa21]

[quote="jfaracing"]larry what method would you use to join 80 lb spectrum to 100 lb fluro to create a wind on leader

Thanks[/quote]

Jfaracing,

If you do not have hollow core one option you may want to look into is using an equivalent or higher test Dacron using the method similar to the one seen here. http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=151374. I've found there's no need to have any special needles or "grabbers" but a piece of hard wire bent in half and twisted around itself to form a "needle eye". Then like Larry said just use a Bimini loop to loop to connect the two. I'm a glue user on the braid wraps, and like to use the zap-a-gap in the pink bottle. I find it soaks in good and does not crack when flexed like the green bottle does.

I generally use a Page Ranking or "PR" knot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u99KSrXdpu4) as my initial mono/fluro to braid connection and then have my wind on leaders as backup. These are generally more involved to tie and not something easily done on a rocking boat (hence the wind on backups) but with a little practice they are a really great knotless connection that winds on well to conventional or spinning reels. You do need to get a PR or weighted bobbin to do this though. I just molded a small lead egg sinker into a cylinder and put it in the center of a regular bobbin spool and it works fine.

Just my $0.20.

Good luck,

Ryan