Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: JBB on October 18, 2003, 05:29:55 PM
-
Another rookie question. How do you cut hollow pencil lead to length and still maintain the hole in the middle.
-
i just use scissors...it works for me
-
The hole in the lead serves no useful purpose with today's techniques.
It's true that some few people still use a tag end of their leader to attach their lead.
But the easy, economical and ecologically friendly way is to use a small section of surgical tubing to attach lead which is itself encased in surgical tubing.
Encasing the lead in tubing means a person loses much less lead thus keeping the nasty crud out of the river.
-
The lead I bought is Gibbs with a silvery finish and it does not cut with scissors or break when bent backand forth. It's obviously not pure lead.
-
I slightly scar the lead with a pair of pliers at the desired lenght and then bend it back and forth and it breaks very easily. If the hole becomes plugged when doing this I open it up with a push pin.
As far as losing lead, being a short floater myself I do not lose more than a couple all season. Hardly get hung up with the bottom fishing this way. ;D :D
-
Thanks Chris. Saved me time again.
I appreciate it
-
What I do is use a pair of needle nose plyers and turn the pencil lead around the teeth of the plyers and crease the entire lead so there is a light crease all around, then bend it back and fourth until it breaks apart. I then rub the end on a rock to take any sharp spots off and smooth the end out not to cut the fish line! ;D
-
I use to do that as well Fulcrum, but find it just as quick now to do it on the river, even while standing in waste hi water! Now I guess you ask why am I in waist hi water on the Vedder?? Good question! I like it I guess! ;D
-
before you go fishing precut yer lead by taking an old meat cleaver and sharpening it up real fine. then cut your pencil lead with a rocking motion. take a hook or nail an smooth out the holes if you are threading your line through the lead. (i like the surgical tubing idea more)..
-
how do you attach the surgical tubing? how does the lead and tubing hook to the swivel?
-
Put a nick on it and then bend it back and forth to break it. I normally run my main line through it and then attached a swivel to the line. This will make the weight slight up and down.
Good method for steelhead or coho fishing.
-
Personally I find I lost more lead when using the surgical tubing method. It seemed to get stuck in the rocks very easily. Sliding the pencil lead on the mainline works best for me. Hardly lose any. ;D
-
Terry that was before you became a short floater. ;D :D
-
i put my lead on a drop line that is attached to a #12 swivel. It sits before my main line swivel and I put a small bead to protect the Knot, so if it gets caught up, it just pulls out i end up saving my gammy and float
-
Where ever you want to cut the lead, keep rotating your wrist until you think that the led is almost cut. At that point, just bend back and forth until the lead has completely fallen off. ;D ;D ;D
-
To help you with the rod in one hand and making a gear in other I came up with very simple device to hold your rod. I use a piece of black 2" PVC plumbing pipe 6-7" long. Then cut two vertical openings near one end for your belt (1.5" to 2" long depending on your belt). I use dremel with spiral cutter. Then slide your belt and buckle up. This will also help you to protect from filling up the vaders with water in case of acidental slip into the stream.
-
i precut all my pencil lead at home on a chopping block, with a old meat cleaver. leaves no rough spots to abrade the line. if you want to use the holes, you just take a hook or toothpick and poke the ends of the lead until the hole is smooth. (but i prefer to use surgical tubing to hold the lead to the line) 8)
-
Just use your teeth, its only lead.
that explains why your head spins and glos......................... ;D ;D ;D
-
I must have been cutting lead wrong all these years. I roll out the six feet of lead, put on my hockey skates and put on some good music and start choppin' away ;D
-
I must have been cutting lead wrong all these years. I roll out the six feet of lead, put on my hockey skates and put on some good music and start choppin' away ;D
:o.. ;D
-
I use a small pipe cutter it works great every time. :)
-
JUST USE SCISSORS!!!
-
I like the pipe-cutter idea! :D
I've given up on pre-cutting/tying a long time ago. Always do it out on the river now. The only tool i use is a pair of 5" needle nose pliers. I used to run my mainline through the pencil lead but i have found it weakens the knot quite often. Now i just crimp it on the tag end of my swivel knot. Works well and if i get hung up the tag end usually pulls out, losing only the weight :)
-
Sharp knife...
cutting board...
roll the lead under the knife forward until slightly cut all the way round, ( about 1/4 way through )....
snap the weight off...
never distorts the hole in the middle.
promise...
CJ.
-
Just use scissors or pliers etc...make a small dent at the length you want it at, bend it back and forth and bamm! tadda!! your piece of lead! ;D lol
-
Another rookie question. How do you cut hollow pencil lead to length and still maintain the hole in the middle.
The issue is how to maintain the hole
-
Another rookie question. How do you cut hollow pencil lead to length and still maintain the hole in the middle.
The easiest way to maintain the hole in hollow pencil lead is to purchase a pair of " Leadmaster" or "leadmaster" copy pliers. These pliers have a few cool features like a hole punches,line cutters, they are needle nose and have a cutter made to cut through the solid part and leave the hole part of hollow core pencil lead. There are at least 3 companies that offer them
1) Danielson .....with a retail price of $19.99 or less
2) Angler's choice.... they have at least 3 different styles that are stainless steel....starting retail $27.99
3) Leadmaster........retail $36.99
Almost every tackle store should stock one of these brands and they may have other types also in stock. Easiest way to do it and anybody that fishes with hollow core pencil should have a pair in their vest. Can't believe with all the experience on this board, that nobody has mentioned them yet on this thread.
-
I prefer to slide a peice of rubber tubing on the mainline ,then cut the correct size peice of lead to suit the section of river.Now just insert the lead into the rubber tubing and your done.The lead and rubber should slide on your mainline ,but not be able to slide past the swivel that atttachs your leader.This system works well and often you just need to replace the lead after a hang up.As far as cutting your lead just use pliers as you will not need the hole in the middle.