dacron line

[Patudo]

it's a little surprising you couldn't feed 400 lb mono into 200 lb dacron, you should not need a needle, just make sure you have burned the end of your mono into a nice smooth, round point and feed it into your dacron in the usual way. Most of the windons I use are 450 to 500 lb mono into 200 lb black dacron, never had a problem.

[eppefour]

I can get 400lb mono into 200 dacron on a straigh shot, but the directions for a wind on that I am following are to Make a dacron loop with 1/3 of the dacron and pull it down the center of the dacron. Then feed the mono into the center piece of dacron from the loop. That is where I'm having trouble

[Patudo]

Yes, that's the way I do it myself... run the dacron into itself so what you have is a dacron loop and about a little over one foot of doubled dacron where you have an inner layer, then an outer layer covering the inner layer. Ideally, you want the outer layer to extend a few inches past the inner layer because when you have run the mono into the inner layer, it will end up so that the outer layer and inner layer are pretty much the same length.

What you should do is: Clip your dacron loop to a snap swivel. Take hold of the outer layer and push it up the inner layer, as far up as it will go. It should be all jammed up near the snap swivel. Then take your 400 lb mono and slide it into the inner layer as far as it can go. Take a wrap around your mono so that the whole works is under tension. Now, take your outer layer and carefully slide it back down over the inner layer. If you have done it right, the mono should exit the two layers at pretty much the same place. I'll then use a series of tight half hitches of waxed rigging floss to cover the point where the mono exits the dacron. The hitching must be done under tension. I like the hitching to cover the dacron for 2 inches up from the exit point, and the mono for about half an inch down from the exit point. Once you have finished, loop your windon to something secure, take wraps on the mono leader and pull till you're blue in the face! If something lets go you've done something wrong! The connection between mono and dacron should never really need to take more than maybe the strength of your double line (it'll be less in practice), and you can pull much harder so it's a good test - pull, damnit!

[Murph]

Where do you all buy your Dacron from?

and what brands do you prefer Dacron/Spectra...

[eppefour]

I have Gudebrud green spot in 50 and 80
I have Magibraid from Bass Pro in 130
I bought black 200 locally It isAnglers connection by Woodstock. I just orderd 200 from Bass pro. I think one of my problems may be the quality of the 200 I have now.

[Murph]

Thanks I appreciate the help, I have just begun to start making my own wind on leaders, any help beyond what is here are hints is greatly appreciated.

[eppefour]

gudebrud makes 180 but not 200. I am going to try it to see how it works. It is definitely a quality product. Bass pros line seems to be similar. Cabelsa also has greenspot but it always seems to be on backorder

[Patudo]

For windon leaders I use mostly black 200# dacron, I think by Cortland. For backing - Cortland and Western Filaments are both fine. Cortland make it in hi-vis yellow but I like the old white dacron as your crew knows at a glance whether you're on your backing or on your topshot. For outrigger loops - Western Filaments is my favourite. It is larger diameter, easier to splice, and lasts longer/wears better in the clips than Cortland.

[eppefour]

Quality of the dacron does make a difference. I just got mymagibraid from Bass pro. It is much better than the stuff I was using. Loop went together much more smoothly