leader for paternoster rig

[back2boats]

I have been experimenting with paternoster rigs. My main line is braid. I have tried a few things. I am not really happy with any leaders I have tried.


Black Magic seems to stretch as you tie a knot (even just a uni-knot) despite copient lubrication. I am sure this reduces it's strength. Makes it curly and causes more tangles because of that.
Rovex is quite thick, and seems to work for heavy lines, but the thinner stuff stretches a bit as you tie the knots, like Black Magic. The thickness makes it hard to push the paternoster loop through the eye of hooks.
FC Rock. Best of the three in terms of stretching, and thinner than the Rovex. Very springy and hard to handle when trying to tie a new rig in an awkward spot in wind at night etc.


So, maybe I should just go back to mono-filament, but thought I'd ask others opinions?

[Funchy]

I have been experimenting with paternoster rigs. My main line is braid. I have tried a few things. I am not really happy with any leaders I have tried.


Black Magic seems to stretch as you tie a knot (even just a uni-knot) despite copient lubrication. I am sure this reduces it's strength. Makes it curly and causes more tangles because of that.
Rovex is quite thick, and seems to work for heavy lines, but the thinner stuff stretches a bit as you tie the knots, like Black Magic. The thickness makes it hard to push the paternoster loop through the eye of hooks.
FC Rock. Best of the three in terms of stretching, and thinner than the Rovex. Very springy and hard to handle when trying to tie a new rig in an awkward spot in wind at night etc.


So, maybe I should just go back to mono-filament, but thought I'd ask others opinions?

Mono is the go bro save your dough... you know :P

[back2boats]

Mono is the go bro save your dough... you know :P


Yes, the cost of some of these fancy leaders is horrendous

[Noelm]

From your post you appear to be leaving the loop doubled and just poke it through the hook eye and loop it over, I personally can't see the sense in doing that, you have double the thickness of line, yet will still lose a fish if either side breaks, a single strand is far better and just tie on a hook, especially in hard fished areas, a double thickness line will reduce bites considerably.

[scottar]

I don't bother with fluorocarbon for paternosters and in recent times have totally changed the way I tie them - now using separate pieces of line for the droppers that result in single strand legs that are longer. The fish certainly don't seem to mind.

[back2boats]

From your post you appear to be leaving the loop doubled and just poke it through the hook eye and loop it over, I personally can't see the sense in doing that, you have double the thickness of line, yet will still lose a fish if either side breaks, a single strand is far better and just tie on a hook, especially in hard fished areas, a double thickness line will reduce bites considerably.

The reason for doing it is so you can change hooks easily. Often a hook will get bent when extracting it from a fish, or get blunt from a snag etc. Easy to swap for a new one, easy also to swap for a different size. Same for the sinkers.

[back2boats]

I don't bother with fluorocarbon for paternosters and in recent times have totally changed the way I tie them - now using separate pieces of line for the droppers that result in single strand legs that are longer. The fish certainly don't seem to mind.

How do you tie the separate strands onto the main line?

[Noelm]

The reason for doing it is so you can change hooks easily. Often a hook will get bent when extracting it from a fish, or get blunt from a snag etc. Easy to swap for a new one, easy also to swap for a different size. Same for the sinkers.
Being lazy will not help catch fish, for the sinker, it's perfectly fine, but for hooks, you just lower your chance of a bite for no gain at all, but, it's your choice.

[Noelm]

I don't bother with fluorocarbon for paternosters and in recent times have totally changed the way I tie them - now using separate pieces of line for the droppers that result in single strand legs that are longer. The fish certainly don't seem to mind.
Yep, I use a swivel instead of the weak as water dropper knot, takes no time at all to tie a hook.

[scottar]

Yep, I use a swivel instead of the weak as water dropper knot, takes no time at all to tie a hook.

I considered swivels Noel but have found them unnecessary. Best fish to date was a cod over line class on 70lb mono that unfortunately could not be revived. The trace was battered to hell with frays and wire weed tangled in where it tried to bulldoze me through the reef but everything came up strong. I have since reduced my leaders to 50lb to give these big fish a better chance of sorting me out in their favour (which they did last trip :lolk:). Initially I though line twist may be an issue too - the traces do come up twisted at times but unravel easily so it hasn't been a point of concern.

[Volvo]

Yep i have gone back to mono for leader when using a Paternoster rig and a swivel with plastic bead above it save swivel damaging my tip guide and line twist ( hence the swivel ), otherwise i use an FG knot to the leader .
As someone else mentioned , some of these leader rolls can work out quite exy and at days end dont know if they are all that worth the $$$'s asked ???...

[back2boats]

Being lazy will not help catch fish, for the sinker, it's perfectly fine, but for hooks, you just lower your chance of a bite for no gain at all, but, it's your choice.


Oh well, I still get more bites and fish then the guys along side of me, so....

[back2boats]

Yep, I use a swivel instead of the weak as water dropper knot, takes no time at all to tie a hook.


Exactly what I was thinking of doing. Get's messy when you want two droppers though - need two swivels.

[back2boats]

Yep i have gone back to mono for leader when using a Paternoster rig and a swivel with plastic bead above it save swivel damaging my tip guide and line twist ( hence the swivel ), otherwise i use an FG knot to the leader .
As someone else mentioned , some of these leader rolls can work out quite exy and at days end dont know if they are all that worth the $$$'s asked ???...

Grabbed some 30lb mono today, on special at BCF - less than $8 for a spool. Works fine, no problems.

[Bazzawookooka]

I have always wondered if you could tie the standard dropper loop, making sure the loop was longer than usual, then cut one of the strands say 1/2 inch from the knot. This would effectively give you a leader twice the length of the loop so you could just tie the hook on with a normal knot.

What do you guys think, I suspect the dropper knot would not fail under pressure. Maybe it's worth trying and testing it out.

Just a though (that's been rolling around in my head for years !!!}

Cheers, Steve

[back2boats]

I have always wondered if you could tie the standard dropper loop, making sure the loop was longer than usual, then cut one of the strands say 1/2 inch from the knot. This would effectively give you a leader twice the length of the loop so you could just tie the hook on with a normal knot.

What do you guys think, I suspect the dropper knot would not fail under pressure. Maybe it's worth trying and testing it out.

Just a though (that's been rolling around in my head for years !!!}

Cheers, Steve


Yep. I have been doing it when the loop won't fit through the hook eye. It has been suggested in this thread that you get more bites. Downside for me is that after a couple of reties of the hook, it gets too short and you need to re-rig from scratch.

[scottar]

How do you tie the separate strands onto the main line?

Similar to this but with 4 wraps not 3 and then a 5th wrap with just the main trace. Over all length of my rigs is about 2 - 2.5 metres for offshore bottom bashing

[Noelm]

Yep. I have been doing it when the loop won't fit through the hook eye. It has been suggested in this thread that you get more bites. Downside for me is that after a couple of reties of the hook, it gets too short and you need to re-rig from scratch.
I think the possibility of more bites is there, why use line that is advertised as being "invisible" then double the thickness? We all try to buy line as thin as possible, in remote places with little fishing pressure, you can use almost anything, but, in heavy fished locations you need everything going for you, and decent bait, properly presented on the thinnest practical line with the lightest sinker will outfish "dumb luck" consistently.

[lethal]

How do you tie the separate strands onto the main line?


triple surgeon knot works

[BigE]

45lbs Schneider with 4 wrap dropper loops , will cut your fingers off before it breaks , most droppers fail because of the hook eye cutting the line not the knot strength or line breaking strain.

BigE

[back2boats]

45lbs Schneider with 4 wrap dropper loops , will cut your fingers off before it breaks , most droppers fail because of the hook eye cutting the line not the knot strength or line breaking strain.

BigE

I just picked up some 30lb and it is working well for me now. I will probably go back and forth between dropper loops and spider hitch/surgeon knots and settle on what works best. I think, for multiple droppers, the dropper loop will be best.