Storing Leaders And Tippets Without The Tangles
w . w . w . r e d c h a s e r . c o m
A Simple Solution To A Common Problem.
If you are like most anglers,
you've experienced the frustration of retrieving a leader or pre tied
tippet section from your tackle bag only to be faced with a hand full of
knotted mono when you tried to uncoil it. It seems that leaders and
tippets can tangle themselves whether stored in envelopes, leader wallets or
coiled and taped. Recently I've seen a simple solution to this problem,
and you can get it at your nearest burger joint. The solution is
drinking straws. The problem with leaders tangling doesn't come from
what it's stored in, but rather how it's stored. When a leader is stored
coiled, if you try to uncoil an end of it and don't unwind in exactly the
reverse manner it was wound, passing over, under and around other coils of the
wind exactly as they were done originally, you will get tangles. With
The drinking straw storage solution you don't coil your leaders or tippets,
you fold them.
Begin by taking a drinking
straw, the larger the diameter the better (Sonic uses very large straws).
Cut the straw into lengths about 2 - 3 inches long.
Now grasp the two ends of the
leader or tippet in one hand, and the folded portion in the other, fold the
now doubled leader in half again over a toe, doorknob or chair back.
Repeat folding of the leader
or tippet until the folded mono is just a little longer than the length of
drinking straw you cut. I find that a 9 foot leader usually requires
folding 5 times. Now stuff the folded leader or tippet into the straw
so that the folded ends stick out of the straw about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch
on each side.
When you are ready to use
the leader, grasp all of the folded ends on one side of the straw and pull
it out of the straw. Grasp one of the ends of the leader and let the
rest drop, it will unfold easily. If the leader has been stored in
the straw for a while it will be kind of kinky, just step on one end and
pull to straighten. This works with knotted or knotless leaders, as
well as leaders with a loop in one end for loop to loop connections.
This system is a simple and
effective way to ensure that more of your time on the water is spent
fishing and hopefully catching fish, and less time is spent fooling with
and straightening out gear.