Crimping fluorocarbon

[missoulafish]

3rd season with the same leader? Sounds like you need to get on some fish missoula...  (jk)

Im not saying its not rough but it will still work lol!!!!

[stinkyfingers]

Thanks Sly.  I won't be using any beads or blades as we have to use dead bait here.  Can't use anything live.   
 

Well, not quite. You still have the lovely and talented waterdog (aka mud puppy) as a live bait option. Don't know if you can find them on your side of the hill. Pretty popular on pike

waters over here but I'll take my chances with deadbait. Those things give me the willies.

[Raptortrapper]

Used warerdogs a lot on the Eastern side.  Can't find them over here at all.

[esox_xtm]

Waterdogs, creepy critters but pike catching sons of guns!

[Raptortrapper]

Well, got notified that the aluminum crimps I ordered are out of stock.  They have copper though, so went with those.  Anything special to know about using copper crimps on fluorocarbon?

[stinkyfingers]

Well, got notified that the aluminum crimps I ordered are out of stock.  They have copper though, so went with those.  Anything special to know about using copper crimps on fluorocarbon?

They're both a soft metal and non-reactive in your application. I like the copper ones better anyway.

[Raptortrapper]

Got the rest of my materials in the mail today, so sat down and started making leaders.  I'm using Penn crimpers, .8mm brass crimps, 60# Seaguar Blue Label fluorcarbon, 45# AFW Bleeding Leader Wire, and 5/0 Red Gamagatsu Octopus hooks. 

Crimping is so simple.  It's very clean, very streamlined.  I've tried pulling them apart, and I'm pulling a LOT harder than I have the drag on my reel set at, and it's holding just fine.  Nothing slipping, nothing breaking.  Seems very strong.  I used a 3' section of the fluorocarbon, and attached it to a 6" to 12" section of the red wire.  Made a couple with some red #10 trebles for a buddy, and one with a huge 2/0 Owner treble for a buddy that likes those.  Think I might mess around with some striker rig type setup, and see what happens.

I'll update this after we test these later in the week.

[teamtip-up]

I knot the small  flouro ( <80)  with a Crawford knot.  That knot doesn’t slip.   

If you are crimping flouro, burn a little mushroom on the bitter end after you pass it thru the crimp completing the loop.  Slide the crimp into position and crimp    We do this for bluefin to give us a margin of error with crimping pressure.   We can be aggressive with tuna knowing that we aren’t going to slide and that we haven’t overcrimped. 

[esox_xtm]

I used to believe crimps were "evil" though I still prefer a knot if I can tie it easily. Copper is OK but a proper tool is paramount. When properly crimped in the middle the ends bell out a little bit to reduce wear and tear on the material. Check that leadertech link. There's a lot there. Teamtip-up knows, saltwater guys been crimpin' for a long time... That's where the knowledge comes from.

[Raptortrapper]

Yup.  Did all that.  Watched a lot of videos on crimping.  Mushroomed the end on the fluoro.  Also pulled the tag end even with the crimp when crimping the wire.  Keeps flared wire from slicing your finger.  I used the short crimps instead of the long.  One crimp in the middle and it's done.  Been pulling on these things all night and haven't had one break yet.

[Raptortrapper]

Took one of my newly made leaders in for testing at the local gun store.  They have a bow press there, and a digital draw weight scale.  We set it up, pulled it till it broke.  My fluoro is 65# Seagaur.  It snapped at 65.8 pounds!  And it wasn't the crimp that failed!  It snapped in the middle, between the two loops.  I have all the confidence in the world in these crimped leaders now. 

[Huntindave]

Took one of my newly made leaders in for testing at the local gun store.  They have a bow press there, and a digital draw weight scale.  We set it up, pulled it till it broke.  My fluoro is 65# Seagaur.  It snapped at 65.8 pounds!  And it wasn't the crimp that failed!  It snapped in the middle, between the two loops.  I have all the confidence in the world in these crimped leaders now.

Sounds like you are all set for a record fish!     I use fluoro leaders for open water Muskies.  I too like the "streamline" aspect of using a crimp.  I usually go one step further and add a piece of shrink tubing over the crimp and down onto the line, to further the streamline effect.  I believe this helps just a tiny bit more to shed weeds (open water) and maybe reduces some of the "flexing stress" at the crimp.

Good luck this season. 

[kayl]

I have a crimping tool that's properly sized and have never been happy with it. Now I just use a pair of vise grips adjusted so that the jaws are just shy of touching with nothing in them (about the thickness of sheet of paper between them . I haven't had any issues since switching, whereas I didn't get consistently reliable crimps with the crimping tool. You do need to make sure you don't smash down as tight as you can go with the vise grips, otherwise you can damage the line fairly easily.

[Papa Sly]

I had problems also till I spent a little extra for a good crimper...what a difference

[bootstrap]

i going to have to get one. this hobby is putting a real crimp on my wallet

[kayl]

I had problems also till I spent a little extra for a good crimper...what a difference

I bought the one off of Amazon that people seem to like. I might have to try the mustad one that esox recommended.

[Raptortrapper]

Look at the Penn crimpers also.  Penn has a great name in the saltwater arena, so I went with them. They seem to work really well.  eBay had them for $35 or so.

[Raptortrapper]

MY LEADERS WORKED!!!  We caught two Pike, both with the 5/0 octopus hook on red wire / Fluorocarbon leader.  Couldn't have worked better.  Absolutely pleased with this!!

[teamtip-up]

MY LEADERS WORKED!!!  We caught two Pike, both with the 5/0 octopus hook on red wire / Fluorocarbon leader.  Couldn't have worked better.  Absolutely pleased with this!!

You should be pleased. We use the same techniques with 150 lb seaguar.  When thousands ($$$$) depend on those connections , you can bet that those of us in the business don’t cut corners.

[Raptortrapper]

You should be pleased. We use the same techniques with 150 lb seaguar.  When thousands ($$$$) depend on those connections , you can bet that those of us in the business don’t cut corners.

NICE FISH!!!!

[esox_xtm]

MY LEADERS WORKED!!!  We caught two Pike, both with the 5/0 octopus hook on red wire / Fluorocarbon leader.  Couldn't have worked better.  Absolutely pleased with this!!

Nothin' better than rollin' yer own  Way to go RT! 

[Raptortrapper]

Thanks esox!  This has been fun for sure!  The first one (the one I just ate for dinner) was hooked pretty deep.  Leader was sticking out of the side of the mouth, and when we checked the Fluorocarbon, it didn't have a single rough spot in it.  The second one (released) was hooked right in the corner of the mouth.  You'd a thought I was using a circle hook.  Could have fought both of them for an hour and wouldn't have worried about getting bitten off! 

This brings a whole new level of confidence to my pike fishing.