Wind-on Leaders, (top Shots) For Fresh Water.

[Piscivorous Pike]

I began using top shots for fresh water several years ago. I have seen some ads recently advertising wind-on leaders for fresh water.

I am curious, is anyone besides me experimenting with them on TU?

A wind-on or top shot basically is a flourocarbon leader that is inserted into a length of hollow braid and terminateds in a loop.

This leader allows quick changes, loop to loop connections to your main line. All my braid spools end in a bimini twist loops but a surgeon's knot loop will work too. I never have to cut and tie, just change wind-ons by slipping the loops apart.

It also stops that @#$% clicking of a knot going through you rod guides. Flourocarbon leader knots usually fail due to the hammering of the rod guides. I hate watching a $20 lure going down range with a cast trailing a 6 foot leader that snapped at the knot.

The flourocarbon leader is inserted up a length of hollow braid. At the end of the hollow braid the inner and outer lines are connected by glue and usually wrapped in windings. These wraps connect the two lines only at that point and allow the two to slip over each other referenced only at that point and it allow when put under tension for the outer braid to slip over the inner flourocarbon and stretch. When the braid stretches it shrinks in diameter and thusly squeezes the inner leader material. This is how Chinese finger cuffs work, same principle.

That is why you need no knot there. But if those windings are loose it will eventually part allowing a low test pound leader (thin line) to slip out. I find if I see the wrappings begining to loosen and fail I put one over hand knot at that point and pull it tight. It connects the inner to the outer parts that way. This small knot is all braid on the exterior and small and does not register going through the guides.

Well, I will leave it here but if anyone is playing with these systems too, I will say my next exeriment with it is to replace the wrappings at the connection of the two layers with an overhand knot system. (Because wrapping the top shot wind-0n which is the heart of the leader, takes the most time in making it and requires a wrapping tool, wrapping line, a jig to hold it and other assorted tools. )

PP

[ROWINGADUBAY]

I thought about using the hollow braid and threading a couple of feet of lead core line on the inside of it to get deeper on my crank baits and for burning bucktails and to have a weedless wieght system for suckers but the price of hollow braid is pretty steep from what I have seen.

Do you splice a piece of hollow braid to regular braid or do you just spool up a hundred yards or so?

And what brand do you use? The only stuff I found is from power pro and a kit goes for about $100.00 or so

I also use flourocarbon leaders and a way around hitting your rod guides is to thread on a soft glow bead on your braid before you tie on your leader this gives you a referance point to start your figure eight when your night fishing.But this only lets you use a leader of about 2 feet long for casting and I suppose a longer leader would help in some cases.

Thanks for the post I would look into it more if I found it to be a little more cost effective.