A Wind On Leader That Anyone can Make

Assemble the materials: A length of premium monofilament leader material (23-foot of 130-pound Stren is used here); length of the same poundage dacron line (96" of 130-pound Angler Pro braided dacron is used here); at least 30" of # 6 wire doubled with a loop at the end or a dacron needle; a fly tying bobbin with flat waxed nylon thread; a lighter, Carlson Tackle Fishin' glue, a pencil (or round object) and scissors. Mark the dacron at 32" and 44" with a permanent marker. This will create a long sheath length of 52" a short sheath length of 32". The extra foot of dacron between the long and short sheath will create a 6" loop that will be used to attach to the mainline on the reel.
	Pull shorter sheath through the longer sheath: While holding the two marks that you made on the dacron line together with the 6" loop section being on top, choose the longer leg and insert the wire loop in the end of the sheath. Feed the wire loop into the dacron until you reach the first mark. Bring the wire loop out the side of the dacron. Be careful not to force the wire loop out of the dacron, bunch the dacron up and feed the loop out between the strands of material. Insert the shorter leg into the wire loop and pull back through the longer leg.
Pull shorter sheath down onto the longer sheath: Place a pencil (or other round object, a thread bobbin is used here) in the loop that the dacron is forming to keep from collapsing onto itself. Slide the shorter sheath out until the second mark is visible.
	Insert the wire loop into the shorter sheath: Insert the wire loop at the mark and push it out the end of the dacron sheath. Push the dacron material up the length of wire so the end loop is easily accessible.
Insert the monofilament leader into the wire loop: Form a small loop at the end of the monofilament and heat very slowly. The heat will melt the loop, thereby creating a smaller loop in the monofilament. This is tricky and may take some effort. The point is to create a small loop that the dacron can slide over with little resistance. Insert the mono loop between the wire loop and slide the dacron down onto the leader material. Bunch up the dacron to slide over the monofilament easier.
	Position the monofilament in the short sheath: Pull the monofilament out the side of the dacron and heat until a small bulb appears on the end. Keep the monofilament as straight as possible by spinning the tip as you apply low heat. Once cool, reinsert the monofilament bulb into the dacron and slide the dacron down the length of monofilament. Ensure that the dacron is tight and there are no slack spots. Make sure the monofilament bulb is at the mark that you created.
Glue and secure the sheaths: Apply Fishing Glue to the end of the short dacron sheath to secure it to the monofilament. Allow the glue to dry thoroughly. Slide the long sheath over the shorter sheath until the marks on both sheaths is aligned and the monofilament bulb is at the intersection of the two sheaths. Hook the loop on a nail and pull the dacron sheath tightly to ensure that there are no loose areas and the sheath is locked into position.
	Wrap the end of the longer sheath over shorter sheath: Using a fly tying thread bobbin wrap thread around the dacron tightly. Adjust the bobbin to ensure that the thread wraps are solid and tight against the monofilament. Cover one to two inches of the dacron and make the wraps as even as possible. Once the ends are covered completely lay a looped section of light monofilament (6-pound test) over the thread wraps. Cover the monofilament with 10-15 wraps of thread, cut the thread and insert it into the mono loop. Pull the mono loop out and snip the thread close to the loop.
Wrap the monofilament bulb: As you did previously, wrap thread behind the monofilament bulb to lock it into place. This will keep the monofilament from sliding inside the sheaths and keep it locked into place. Cover one to two inches of the dacron and pull the thread through as you did previously. Another thread section between the one at the end and the one at the bulb will further ensure that the leader will not slip under pressure.
	Glue the thread wraps: Apply at least one coat of Pliobond or Aquaseal to all thread lashings. Once dry a second coat of adhesive can be applied as needed. Cover the thread wraps completely and thoroughly. Apply the glue in multiple thin layers rather than on thick one. This will ensure that the glue will have a rounder appearance and lay flatter on the spool. Hang the leaders by the loop and allow at least a full day for complete drying.
Coil and store your leaders: Once the leaders have dried I coil them up beginning with the end of the monofilament. I wrap the coils into four-inch diameter coils. Then I wrap the last two feet of dacron around the coils of leaders, locking them together. I store my coiled leaders in one-gallon Ziploc storage bags with a note card inside with the leader formula. If you are ready to attach a swivel to the leader, now is the time to do it. I attach Sampo coastlock swivels using a double sleeve and my leaders are complete.
	Transport your leaders in style: I use a Tackle Logic soft-sided tackle bag to house my leaders. This is a double-sided bag that holds hundreds of leaders that I can identify at a glance. The soft-sided bag also allows me to compress the bag at will giving me a smaller travel pack. This also keeps all my leaders in one place and ready to go. Clean, neat and ready to go!