Author Topic: Make your own Wind-on leaders - Double Splice (Read 71157 times)

REEFMAN · « **on:** June 26, 2010, 03:59:34 PM »

How to make your own:
DOUBLE SPLICE WIND-ON LEADER

MAKE YOUR OWN WIND-ON LEADERS

Wind-on leaders have been in use in Big Game/Billfishing/Deep sea fishing for many years, but it is only recently that Shark anglers have been using them for Rock and Surf angling. Leaders larger than 1mm produce very large knots, which are near impossible to cast through the guides of a rod. Enter the wind-on, which produces a very strong, smooth join to the mainline via a Bimini Twist - Modified Cats Paw loop knot (described at the end of this tutorial).

Wind-on leaders incorporate the use of DACRON... A trade name for Polyethylene terephthalate, a thermoplastic resin of the POLYESTER family.

DACRON is a continuous woven braid with a hollow core. This braided line grips mono as it stretches - Leader material slides into the hollow core of the Dacron or Spectra and cannot be pulled out. A loop at the end of the braided line provides a means of connecting leader to main line.

Here follows a tutorial on how to make your own Wind-on leaders... this method uses the DOUBLE SPLICE method, which to my knowledge is the strongest version. Ready-made Wind-on leaders are ridiculously expensive (R65-200), so if you make them yourselves, you can do it for R10-12 and save yourself a fortune.

Hopefully this will help someone out there!

For this tutorial, we will be making a Wind-on leader for Rock and Surf/Shore angling/Boat Spinning/Jigging, using 1mm (120lb) Fluorocarbon leader and 80lb DACRON. Normally, straightforward leader material would be used. (It is usually unnecessary to use Fluorocarbon for the leader).

IMPORTANT: The tighter the fit of the leader into the DACRON, the stronger the grip of the DACRON will be.
So make sure you match up your DACRON and LEADER correctly.

Courtesy of Tournamentcable.com

Dacron 80lb

What you will need.... American Piano wire size 5, 6 or 7

So let's start...
Cut a 1 to 1,2m length of DACRON.

Now we want to thread the Leader into the Inner Splice of DACRON...

Thread the leader in as far as you can until it touches the loop knots...
Once the leader is in and the Outer Splice has been smoothed back,
place a small drop of superglue on the join of the Dacron to the nylon.

At this point, we now have to wrap the Dacron, binding it to the Leader so that the Dacron doesn't move back up the leader, which will cause it to come loose.

Below it's described using braid, but DENTAL FLOSS works much better, is neater and more flexible.

In the diagram above, the braid should start the other way around. Start the initial wraps from the leader side.

In the image below, the loose wraps of braid have started on the leader side...
Then the bobbin spinning tight wraps from the Dacron, back over the loose wraps of braid,
toward the leader.

Instead of pliobond, I just use a thin drop of Superglue, which can then be covered by Heatshrink or preferably,
Air Shrink. When using floss, the Heatshrink is unnecessary.

Now we need to connect the Wind-on leader to the mainline... this is how:

WIND-ON LEADER CONNECTION TO MAINLINE
USING THE MODIFIED CATS PAW KNOT

Cuthbad · « **Reply #1 on:** August 26, 2010, 05:47:36 PM »

great, thanks heaps mate, gonna pick up the dacron tomorrow and give it a shot!

REEFMAN · « **Reply #2 on:** August 26, 2010, 05:51:46 PM »

Hi Cuthbad...

Read your report on the Aus forum fishwrecked.com... thanks for your support! Tried to join the forum there but there was no reply from admin!?

Just glad to be of assistance to guys from different parts of the world!

We certainly do things differently in SA! It's always go BIG or Go Home!

Cuthbad · « **Reply #3 on:** August 26, 2010, 06:24:44 PM »

Cheers mate,

You guys sure have a different outlook on fishing to most of the guys down here. Sharks and rays are rarely targetted over here and the big rays are often seen as just a pest since few people target them or have the gear to land them.
Im slowly learning how to target the BIG fish with slide baits etc, just got a torium 30 with a loomis sharkey on the way so hopefully it will be an interesting summer!

Dunno why admin didnt reply, fishwrecked could use any input you have to offer and both SA and Aus fishos could probably learn a heap from each others fishing styles!

tight lines mate

Lichia amia · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2010, 12:36:59 PM »

Thanks for this one Reefz

Must have made about a dozen of them this week end. Quite addictive, once you have made one you don’t stop!!!

REEFMAN · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2010, 01:27:00 PM »

Shot Craig! For me it's any excuse to satisfy the addiction... gotta have more traces, wind-ons, reels need servicing... again... more, more, more...

Daryl · « **Reply #6 on:** September 07, 2010, 06:18:46 PM »

Hi Reefs.

I have another method that Rob Kyle showed me. Do you mind if I post it??

DD

REEFMAN · « **Reply #7 on:** September 07, 2010, 06:26:19 PM »

Why should I mind... ? It's probably the Single splice method that a lot of guys are using at the moment.

Daryl · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2010, 06:29:50 PM »

Ha Ha Ha no reply needed lol

Been using that forever.

Thanks T.

Gerrit · « **Reply #9 on:** September 07, 2010, 08:47:15 PM »

Please don't laugh, I am a offshore angler, before i got my first boat i only targeted eds.

What do you guys use it for? Does it make your leader stronger? Does it make it more abrasive?

Seems like a lot of work to me, why not only using a ticker stronger leader?

REEFMAN · « **Reply #10 on:** September 07, 2010, 08:53:06 PM »

Gerrit... normal leaders up to 1mm are ok to tie a Bimini/Double fig 8, the knot is still manageable to cast. But from 1.2mm leaders and upwards, the knot becomes quite difficult to tie, and forms a big Klomp which you then have to cast through your guides. So some clever boykies decided to use the Offshore method of wind-ons and adapted it to the R/S game... the join between a windon and the mainline is MUCH smaller and smoother than it would be with straight nylon.
So now the guys can use leaders all the way up to 1.8mm and even 2mm, and cast them without ripping your guides off the rod.

Sailor · « **Reply #11 on:** September 07, 2010, 08:59:29 PM »

Gerrit the wind on leader is only a means to using a thicker leader line. Basically what the wind on leader does is reduce the size of the knot knot between main line and leader line. This should result in less tip guides being damaged when casting thick leader lines. Leaders above 0.6mm tend to make very big knots. Large leader knots also cut thumbs when casting.

Sailor · « **Reply #12 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:02:28 PM »

Sorry Reefz was typing when you posted.

Gerrit · « **Reply #13 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:07:08 PM »

Thanks guys, makes sense.

Looks like will be buying R&S tackle again, the wife got this idea that we can go to the beach as a family, kids can play in the sand, wife can tan and dad can fish.
She even checks windguru before the weekend, even figured out that i don't go off shore in a east. So when the wind is bad we have to go the beach as a family.

MIKE PIKE · « **Reply #14 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:09:02 PM »

Besides the advantage of not loosing guides and chunks out of the thumb ,its easier to put pressure on the dacron thats on the spool with the thumb when casting heavier sinkers , no slippage of spool as the pressure builds up through the cast.

Sailor · « **Reply #15 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:20:13 PM »

Gerrit ... you will see thet Reefman and myself have quite a differance in the maximum leader line thickness that we will tie directly to the main line. This is just a matter of preferance and maybe more importantly determined by the size of the rod guides. I will occasionally also tie a 1mm leader when I do not have any windons left although my guides are only size 12.
And Mike has a very valid point, Dacron is not slippery when wet .

Gerrit · « **Reply #16 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:26:21 PM »

and you will use the wind on leaders to target in-eds?

Surely no need for it if only targeting eds?

Action Man · « **Reply #17 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:28:46 PM »

I fished with a 1.8mm wind on not to long ago...dam, it is alot thicker than you think!!! Shame poor fish didnt have a chance and it no fun if you ask me...So i decided i wouldnt use a leader heavier that 1.4mm...I thought about it and have a good point because most of my big fish were landed mostly on 1mm maxima and not even a wind-on...my 228kg raggie, 109kg+85kg Blackfin and a couple other big sharks were all caught on 1mm maxima

Sailor · « **Reply #18 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:32:52 PM »

For in-eds definitely. I use 1.2 to 1.6mm leaders.(sometimes even thicker).
I do use windons for edibles. It all depends on the area and the species you are fishing for.

MIKE PIKE · « **Reply #19 on:** September 07, 2010, 09:38:11 PM »

Wind on leaders i use are from 1mm to 1.6mm , 1mm , 1.2mm up to 1.4 for beach use for targeting in -eds.. although if a kingie picks u up he is going to look for structure to cut u off so using 1 - 1.4 on beach just gives u added protection , 1.4mm to 1.8mm good on very rocky areas like t/kei more protection + u can grab the leader when fish is close, makes it easier to land.... but as usual they not bullet proof and can still get cut off on sharp mussels and rock structure.