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[JBB]

Another rookie question. How do you cut hollow pencil lead  to length and still maintain the hole in the middle.

[JL]

i just use scissors...it works for me

[Sam Salmon]

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.

[JBB]

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.

[chris gadsden]

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.

[JBB]

Thanks Chris. Saved me time again.
   I appreciate it

[wackyaboutfishin]

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!

[bigguy]

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!

[otto]

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)..

[JL]

how do you attach the surgical tubing? how does the lead and tubing hook to the swivel?

[steelieman]

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.

[Terry Bodman]

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.  

[chris gadsden]

Terry that was before you became a short floater.

[shrek]

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

[spring_killer]

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.