That was a quick comback, Steve!
Anyway, thanks guys, for the feedback.
Steve: That glue idea is interesting. It will certainly work if the spring lead is 'set' and power gum is used as a stopper. But if i use the other method - spring lead over silicone tubing, tightening the lead to the line - then gluing the whole thing will be a no-no.
Intriguing, making leads from stones. I guess the granite pear bombs coming out soon will be called 'Stonehinge'?
Vedan: Yes, the stone idea is great, and so is the 'spike-the-thing-with-attar' technique (forgot about that trick!). My buddy George, who's a bit of a handy-man, uses dark brown rubber bands instead of thread. He uses one band around the stone, then another to tie the thing to the line. He prefers this over thread cos it doesn't hurt the line much. ("Rubber bands and plastic bags are God's gift to fishermen", is his daily sermon).
BTW, did you know that you can re-straighten kinked mono by drawing it between two pieces of rubber (eg flat pieces of bicycle tyre tubing)? You did? Well, okay...
Using wire leaders for mahseer? Wow, that's cruel! And I cant imagine walking around town with 30m of braid trailing behind me. While we are on this issue, maybe it's a good idea NOT to use stainless hooks. Darn, my fav hooks for Cauvery are 7/0 Gama Octopus, which are stainless. But the Daichii equivalent, in size 26 would be a good substitute, although I'm not sure of it's effectivness. And it's black!!!
Fluoro lines are stiff, yes, and they tend to flake off too under abrasion. For red mahseer, whenever I use fluoro for leaders, I always use about 10-lb higher (eg 40-lb fluoro instead of 30-lb normal mono).
But some of the new fluoro lines are getting better, softer too. I recently tried Berkley Vanish Transition for lure fishing. This new line is very visible above water, but is claimed to be almost invisible under. The results certainly are encouraging; lotsa fish!
But I find the Daiwa Crystal Clear a cheaper and dare I say stronger option. It comes in quarter lb spools, at around Rp270; good value. Invisibility is very good; try putting some line in a mineral water bottle, you'll see it disappear!
Invisibility is one thing, flash is another. You know, the 'polished skin' of the line can reflect the sun's rays in the water. Some anglers here take the shine off their lines by immersing them in plain tea (cold!) overnight. Or you could rub the shine off (at least the first few yards) with clay. Just like what fly fishermen do to their leaders using "Mud' or Fuller's Earth.
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