Crimpers / Rigging???

[RUGGERDUDE]

What crimping tool and crimps are you using for your rigging? I was wondering if anyone could offer some tips or suggestions for the proper use of crimps. I've been purchasing the chains, spreader bars and such already rigged up. I'd like to start doing this myself, but I'm not quite sure where to begin. As always, I appreciate any input that you guys would care to offer.

Thanks again,
Will

[BTH284]

www.Leadertec.com full of good info on crimps, bait prep rigging, knots etc.

I use the old $29.00 dollar pair of cup to cup crimpers. I think they are Sea Striker or Seven Strand. Most here use the blue handled Jinkai crimpers about $59.00

[JMS-ILM]

im trashing my sea striker crimpers.....or relegating them to taking on the boat for emergencies since i dont really care of they get rusty. they are all out of alignment and make a shitty looking crimp. thinking im gonna splurge on some jinkais with my Christmas money.....actually got $20 bucks set aside just for that thanks to BTH !

[BTH284]

You can tighten the bolt that holds them together and put a drop of Loc tite Red on it. Will get you by temporarily

[SharkJP]

Hey Will, when will you be in OC next? Rather than try to explain everything which could take me a long time to type, how bout we get together for a few beers and hang out in the garage and make a few things up together and you can see first hand.

Ill be up over new years, or just give me a call and let me know when you will be around next. Later Will.

[Capt. Brian Daley]

Hey there Ruggerdude if I didnt live so far noth of I"d invite you over to my
garage like sharkJP and sit ya the work bench and we"d crank out as many
bars as your ol hart wants to and watch the master at work it take to long
to to tell ya I'd have to show ya over some beers of course take up sharks
offer

[RUGGERDUDE]

Thanks for the replys fellas. The website had some cool info, thanks BTH284. SharkJP and Capt. Brian Daley, your responses were just what I would expect from this site! Thanks for the offer. I guess some things are a bit easier to show than type about. SharkJP you know I've bought some great spreader bars from you, I feel a little funny asking you to help since you sell the rigs that you make. Capt Daley, I hope we cross paths one day, I appreciate the offer.

Will

[Sterling]

Good thread RUGGERDUDE,
North of the DMZ where most boats are out of the water it's a good time to direct the fishing energy at prepping for next year. I have not been rigging my own stuff for long so I recall getting started and I'm still learning. It's ended up to be a very good move as I believe it makes you more familiar with what you're dragging out there and you'll tend to know when something needs to be reworked, checked, or tossed. I picked up a set of P-Line crimpers about a year ago and they are still running smooth. Most every line publishes a diameter on it, that will make it easy to find the right size crimps to use which also publish the diameters they fit. Some areas you'll want to put some extra thought into is

Mono or Fluorocarbon for leaders?

What style hooks to buy

• You may want a different hook for a lure that you put a bally behind, vs a plastic that runs alone.

What are you connecting to? Wind on's, snap swivel, barrel swivel, wind on swivel.

• Make sure any chafing gear you put on the loop is sized right for connecting to your main line.

I suspect someone here will be happy to answer any quesitons you have.

Since I'm gearing up to rig or re-rig 40 - 60 lures here I have a question I've been thinking about.
Do you crimp or tie 30lb test to a spro wind-on swivel? If you tie it, what knot do you use?

[deskperado]

I personal use the crimps that are made by the company that makes the line. Or I match the crimp diam. to the line diam. As for crimpers I use a bench crimper for most of the heavier line classes 200 - 700#. some people think that you have to mash the crimp on to the line. that is not the case. Check out marlin mag. they did a big article on crimps awhile back.

Mickey

[Captain Fred Archer]

Sterling,

I swage from 50# up and tie from 30# on down. My knot book is two pages; the uni and the bimini. I am thinking of adding a page three, the Aussie Plait. You just read that "book", free!

My swaging book is one page; buy the best pair of hand swagers you can afford/buy your swages from the same company that makes the leader that you use/if you are going to do a lot of swaging, invest in a bench swager. Do not use crimps for swaging mono, use swages, even though most of us call them crimps...and the tools crimpers too. There is a huge difference. Crimpers have a cup on one side and a little (pardon the expression) tit on other that pinches whatever you are crimping. Way turrible bad for mono. As well described here by someone, swagers have opposing "cups" and list the appropriate swage diameter next to each hole size. Oops, had to add a page. If you are swaging mono use the oval shaped, single hole aluminum swages.

A lot more rigging info in my books, but the above is the meat and potatoes on this subject, at least as far as I'm concerned. Keep it simple and get the right equipment to do the job and you'll be rigging like a pro in no time.

You probably know all of this, Sterling, but there are probably others who don't. Hope this helped someone.