I understand.
Yesterday I fashioned up about 50 jigs from the pour to curing the final coating over the eyes. It was fun. Next up will be selecting my baits and affixing them to the jigs. I like to glue them in place and then let them air out for a few days, then into a plastic box with some Slab Sauce dribbled inside. Not sure it works but if I can hide some of the artificial scents that might be good.
See I noticed something rather odd. If as I am trolling I reach my hand out and grab the line and pull it, every so often a fish bites immediately. The steady movement of the bait doesn’t trigger them, but that sudden movement forward then the drop does. It is like they are swimming behind the lure watching it, then when it does something different, like trying to escape, bang. So now I pull at my lines fairly often, thinking a big one is eyeing my fine offering, and now I am adding scent to try to entice any following fish to bite.
I was an accomplished surf fisherman and some of those things have transitioned over to crappie fishing. I used Bait-N-Wait operations almost exclusively, and that means using pre tied rigs. I made rigs that were extremely successful and I made rigs that were designed for sharks, and some for tarpon and rigs that were designed to fly sleekly and for maximum distance. For me that was a fun thing to do. I experimented with everything and eventually even invented a new rig, which is incredibly hard given the amount of time some really clever people have had to do that. To slip one in on everyone was a big deal and since then that rig has become very popular.
Well I also invented a way to make an incredibly strong loop knot using a crochet tool. That was also something I was very proud of. Fast, easy, repeatable without errors, strong, low waste, and I can make leaders of exact lengths. As I went along I also experimented with joining lines. What makes a durable knot was far more important than trying to create a 100% knot, which I don’t think really exists.
Anyways yesterday I was re-doing my lines and such and remembered a way I had come up with for attaching a mono leader to braid. I make a series of overhand knots in the braid, five of them, and form a loop. Like a five wrap Surgeon’s Loop. This type of knot is extremely strong with braid and is very durable. Much more so than most every other knot, as the knot just sits there and never over constricts upon itself. Then using my crochet tool form a loop knot in my leader material. Push the braid loop through the mono loop, and pass the end of the leader through the loop in the braid and pull tight. The braid forms a Catspaw around the mono material. The mono is free to move within the coils of the braid without any sort of kinks or creases. Just rides in a sleeve of braid. This leaves a very strong connection, but more importantly, a very durable connection as the braid remains unharmed as does the mono.
It is funny to watch people’s faces when I show them how quick and easy it is to make loop knots using Grandma’s tools. LOL. I got the idea when I began exploring a knot called the Kings Sling. When tying directly to a swivel or hook or something, a loop knot halves the amount of stress being applied to the line where it meet the object. A hard pull that ends up breaking the line will see it break about an inch or so up beyond that knot. The line making up the loop will not break no matter how hard you pull. Always the single line about an inch from where it enters the knot.
The reason I created that braid to mono connection was because I was distance casting and needed a connection that would be sleek in flight. Any sort of swivel or such will catch air and that robs distance. Not much mind you, but adding up a dozen of these types of things and eliminating them added up to about an extra fifty yards for me. I was casting a baited-up rig almost 200 yards and the rig was viable and landed many a pompano.
Transition to crappie, any sort of connection added will react with the water as it is trolled. So a strong and sleek and durable connection may not matter to the fish, but it might. Who would decide for certain, well I guess no one could. So I will, and I say yes it makes a difference. Sleek and silent with less visibility as it goes past.
Can’t post up videos, so here is a few pictures.
First is a shot of both loops after the braid loop has been passed through the mono loop and I began pulling them together.
Attachment 412360
Now they have been tightened and you can see how they have joined.
Attachment 412361
The braid has formed the classic Cats Paw shape. Here is a closeup of that shape.
Attachment 412362
Finally, I have slid the mono to one side so we can see that it is uninvolved and simply riding freely within that braid sleeve.
Attachment 412363
The reason this is a durable connection is because the mono is undamaged in any way at the connection site. It is just a loop knot. The braid can easily handle the Cats Paw treatment because the mono inside prevents it from over tightening. Over tightening is the biggest killer of braid knots. You can stress a mono knot, release the pressure and the knot will relax. It actually comes slightly undone from where the stress had pulled it. With braid, once pulled it remains. Never relaxes. So with each consecutive stress, it gets tighter and tighter eventually cutting itself free.
Here is Grandma’s crochet tool what makes the perfect loop knot every time.
Attachment 412364
I can make loop knots within a few seconds and have it be perfectly formed each time. I tested by stressing it many times and that knot never breaks. Always breaks at the single line an inch or so before it enters the knot itself.
If you like swivels, the strongest connection to a swivel is using a loop knot. Ease the loop through the swivel’s eye, and then pass the end of the leader ( or swivel ) through the loop, then as you begin to draw it down, do NOT allow it to form a Cats Paw, instead get the loop to lay like this instead.
Attachment 412366
You can see how it just kind of grasps at the swivel. A cats Paw would weaken the mono, but when formed in this fashion there is almost no damage done to the mono at all. It will remain in this configuration and should not ever slip down and Cats Paw on you. The key to this is that all of the stress is on the loop knot itself. Very durable and strong.
I like to attach a metal clip to the end of my leader so I can swap out jigs without cutting and re tying out on the boat. Clip off- Clip On. With this clip tied using a loop knot this allows plenty of freedom for the jig to move. So the jig is free to move on one plane because of how the clip interacts with the hook eye, and the clip on a plane 90 degrees opposite to that, which means the jig is very free to move in any direction. You do not get that when you tie the jig on with a simple loop knot. There it is really only free to move in one plane.
So basically, some of my surf fishing lessons can be Crappie lessons, too. Not sure you guys are even interested in some of this stuff, but maybe you are. I taught myself all sorts of things because the surf fishing community is such a small group of guys that tackle manufacturers really don’t try to sell them stuff. I made almost all of my gear, and had to buy rods and reels made over seas. Crappie fishing seems to be a lot like that, with fishermen inventing and creating their own stuff. Like the folks selling plastic baits, but only after wanting to make baits for themselves. Making my own jigs means that I can experiment and explore and make jigs that I would have to special order.
Busy day today, so doubtful I will get to play with my toys.
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Originally Posted by Micanopy
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