Spectra to Mono splice

[jcarufo]

I borrowed the drawing and the general description of the splice from a post on an AllCoast Board. I've altered the description to reflect how I use the splice. It works well.
I use, approximately, a 36" Piece of the hollow spectra or dacron. (for 60# leader I use 130 # , for 80 # and 100 # I use 200 # hollow). The longer the hollow sleeve, the less frequent you will need to replace it. So using a little longer piece may be a good option as the leader gets an inch or two shorter each time you change your top shot...
Tip: Buy a set of hollow rigging needles. Makes this very easy (Melton’s sells them)

With your 36" hollow spectra or dacron. You will need to get a piece of thin single strand wire... You will bend it in half. Maybe 60 inches long, bent into a doubled 30" piece.

New tip: prior to running the wire, run the hollow needle through the entire sleeve to stretch it out slightly. This makes it a lot easier. Also wet the sleeve down with some water, once again it makes it a lot easier to do..

From the middle of the hollow spectra ( ~18" from the end) insert the bend in the wire into the hollow and thread towards the open end of the spectra until the bend emerges...

Slip a very small piece of your main line spectra into the loop. Withdraw the wire into the hollow sleeve pulling your main line along with it until the wire emerges from the sleeve. Pull your main line so it is completely inside the sleeve.

This is the difficult part.... Make a single over hand knot, and move the knot down to within 1/2 inch of the point where the sleeve ends. This will lock the mainline and the sleeve together. Pull VERY tight.

I will usually take a "sharpie" pen permanent black marker and mark the sleeve at the point in the middle of the sleeve where the main line spectra ends. You will be able to feel this point with your fingers..

For the mono end.....

First thing, you need to make your single over hand knot in the sleeve before you insert the mono...(do not tighten it down. You will slide this loose knot past the mid point of the sleeve. It will be moved to the end once the mono is inserted as described below.

I have found that the easiest way to insert the mono into the sleeve is with a hollow rigging needle (I bought a kit from Melton tackle) they have several sizes of needles for different sizes of mono).

If you don’t have a needle (get one…). You can do this without a needle by cutting the mono on an angle to form a point.You may want to get a small piece of fine grit sand paper to remove any burrs….

Tip: Before you insert the mono for the first time, wet the sleeve in water first as stated above.

You will then slowly feed the mono slowly inside the sleeve. This takes a little bit of practice. Getting the tip inserted is always the hardest part… You will sometimes have the mono hang up on loose threads in the spectra. That is why the needle works so well.. tip: move the sleeve onto the needle, do not push the needle into the sleeve.

When you reach the mid point of the sleeve (the point with the black mark), You will move the overhand knot to the end where the mono emerges. I tighten the overhand knot as close to the end as possible usually within a half of an inch, and pull TIGHT….

I also use a couple of drops of Line One or Plio bond adhesive at the point of the knot as an insurance policy.

You will now have a sleeve with an overhand knot at each end…. You are ready to fish….

To change your top shot, all you need to do is cut the sleeve at the knot by the mono, pull the mono out of the spectra and redo the mono end only…. So simple….It's a great splice with only the size of an overhand knot to go through the guides or rollers.
I hope this helps.
Jean

[Mark Mc]

Hello Jean, thanks for taking the time to write that post. I think this would be a great thing to demo at the Newport tunaholics meeting on 3/15 (if you are attending). Is that something you'd be willing to do? E-mail me if so....thanks much, Mark

e-mail: waterwise@attbi.com

What weight Spectra is hollow? The overhand knot looks like the trick to keep the Spectra line from slipping. With a dacron sleve and Spectra main line the Spectra slips out. It works for mono to dacron.

[jcarufo]

Keta,
Sorry it's taken so long to respond. We were in Cabo until yesterday, but that's another story. The spectra is made by 'Jerry Brown' I think; starts at 80#, and should be available at Charkbait or most tuna places in California. We've always used Dacron. You can take your 'needled' spectra and as your starting it up the tube go in and out a couple of times and then thread to the midpoint. That should help a lot. Once you place the half hitches it will not slip. The knots take a little practice, but aren't difficult. We had a 9 Marlin, 2 Dorado day last Sunday on Palmilla Bank in the Cortez and the knot held without problems. Four of the fish were on 50# spectra to 30# Izorline and into the spectra repetedly without failure. I hope that helps.
Jean

[Marty]

I have always done a loop to loop connection with the spectra and mono, but I will try the sleeve method and compare the two. I just received an advertisement from Jerry Brown Industries and he has his Fred Hall Specials in effect until May 10 2003. His standard 80# spectra (600yds) is $50, 1,200yds is $100 and 2,500yds. is $200. Call him on his other availabe line sizes if anyone is interested.

He lives in Gold Hill, Oregon and his phone/fax is 1 541 855-7127. I have no affiliation with his business, but have purchased his products for years and firmly believe he sells the best spectra for the best price. Maybe two or three can go together and get an even better deal. You can read more about his business at www.jerry-brown-industries.com .

Jean.......way to whack the stripers. I read that they moved back towards the Cortez side.......any nibbles on the yellowfin?? Last report that I got was that the Gordo Banks had some good fish stacking up. See you March 15 for the madness.


Marty

[jcarufo]

Marty,
Thanks for the information on Jerry Brown Industries. I like his spectra as well. Great product at a fair price.
That Stripe day in Cabo was the best we've ever seen in 11 years. To see 2-3-4 free swimming marlin right at the boat (while you were fighting another one) was incredible. Everytime we turned around you'd see a bill and dorsal in the jigs. The bleeding dolphin jet head 2 waves back was a killer, but everything got bit. A marlin even grabbed a small white zuker/daizy chain we had out looking for tuna. We also got two dorado 25-30 on a petrolero soft head that we just got that looks great in the water. It's a fantastic color that I won't be without in the future. Incredibly there were no tuna.
The Pacific side was very slow with lots of Sierra and the occasional Pargo at Los Arcos the only thing going on. Everything was on the Palmilla Bank 15 miles do south of Punta Gorda. I have GPS numbers if anybody is interested. The day we were there I counted 75 boats in the immediate area. Everyone was hooked up, with multiple flags flying.
We also fished San Jose. Our Pangero said Gordo banks was really slow, so we ended up fishing around Cardon (inside, about 5 miles North of Punta Gorda). Great area about 75 feet deep with lots of large Sierra and numerous Dorado and Grouper. While we fished Sardinas, the Pangero grabed one of our sticks and threw a chrome Iron Man 5 and was hooked up a lot. Barb hooked two Dorado about 25# and we got a grouper on the iron about the same size. Every sardine we had in the bait tank got bit as well. Again, lots of big Sierra, just no Yellowfin. Oh well, there's always November.
Thanks again for the information on Jerry Brown's Spectra. It is a great product.
Have a Great Day!
Jean

[Marty]

Jean, we spent almost 6 weeks on the beach 18 miles out of La Playita and fished almost everyday from a 15 gregor with a 25 horse kicker and caught everything that swims in Mexican waters except tuna. The petroli colored, medium sized marlin lure that I brought down easily caught over half our fish and was so beat up after the trip, I had to retire it for show and tell only. It caught a couple wahoo also and you know what they can do.

Look forward to talking with you more.

Marty