Tournament Cable was the first company to make Cable Wind-Ons. We have been making them by hand now for over ten years now, in the same manner as our Mono Wind-on Leaders. Some steps are added in the process because of the Cable, but the end result is the same: The Finest Cable Wind-On Leader on the market.

After 20 years Tournament Cable will not be offering Cable Wind-on Leaders. When we first came out with them they became very popular for shark fishing and we sold thousands. But we have found there are just too many negative issues that we felt it best to take them out of our product line.

So what were the issues?

There was nothing wrong with the construction process but the issues were a result of the stainless cable. After a very short time in use rust would form in various parts of the splice, mainly where the hollow core meets the cable and this rusting would eventually cause failures. After continued use you could see the rust bleeding through not only at the serving but in various locations on the entire length of the hollow core.

The cause of this rusting is the stainless cable used. All cable from the major manufacturers is made with 304 or 305 grade stainless. Both have a very high carbon content as opposed to 316 marine grade and rust will occur due to the amount of carbon. This cable is fine for leaders and hook sets etc. but we found not for being inserted into hollow core for wind-on leaders.

What was happening water was migrating between the strands of wire inside the serving and on up the hollow core. Eventually you would notice the rust bleeding though. Regardless of how well the leaders where washed and dried the seepage would still occur.

Regardless of what materials the splice is made with this will happen and weaken any cable leader. With Dacron and Spectra you will be able to see it bleeding through quite easily but with nylon coated cable it’s there but hidden.

Another issue was the rod tip guide. If during the fight if the fish took off in a different direction and if the angler was not paying close attention the cable would slip off the roller and rub against the side frame of the guide. This caused a lot of damage to both the wind-on and the rod tip.

"Tips and guidelines for constructing and fishing wind-on leaders." -  By Chuck Richardson

STEP 1 -   You'll need 42 inches of Dacron to make a 12-inch double splice (see table to match Dacron to leader strength). With a tight half-hitch, secure a rubber band around the Dacron at the halfway point. Double over a piece of single-strand wire at least 48 inches long, making a tight loop with a pair of pliers. Feed the looped end of the wire into one end of the Dacron, carefully pushing until you reach the rubber band. At this point, push the wire loop out the side of the Dacron. Put the other end of the Dacron through the wire loop. Now pull the wire, with Dacron tag attached, all the way back through and out of the Dacron. Remove the wire. Now you have an inner and outer piece of Dacron.

STEP 2 -   Hold the inner piece of Dacron and push the outer piece back, bunching it up toward the rubber band. Prepare mono to be spliced by cutting it cleanly, then mark it with a pen 12 inches from the end. Lightly heat the tip of the mono with a flame and tap with your finger to form a small mushroom cap. Feed the leader material into the Dacron until reaching the 12-inch mark to make the inner splice. It's not necessary to scratch or sand the mono before splicing.

STEP 3 -   At the point where the inner Dacron meets the mark on the mono, apply a drop of Superglue or similar adhesive. Smooth it out and let dry.

STEP 4 -   Hold the Dacron tightly at the rubber band and work the bunched-up material back down and over the entire inner splice. Go about an inch past this point and complete the outer splice by gluing as in Step 3. Secure the Dacron loop to something solid, then stretch and secure the leader material -- this makes it easier to apply the serving. Trim any long threads of Dacron at the point where the leader enters. Double a piece of waxed thread or dental floss and start a series of tight half-hitches about a half-inch up the Dacron side of the splice. Continue past the junction of the two materials and onto the leader for another half-inch. Finish the servings with a three-wrap uni knot, trim and apply a little superglue. The finished servings should be about an inch long.

With time, patience and the right materials, you can make your own wind-on leaders. Most Anglers, however prefer to buy them. Differences among commercially available wind-on leaders include the brand of leader material, type of splice (single or double), total length of splice, type of serving at the leader-to-Dacron (or Spectra) juncture and size of loop.

1.   Look for leader material and brand of your preference, such as Jinkai, Momoi or Ande. If you can't find your favorite and don't want to switch brands, remember that some manufacturers custom-make leaders according to client specifications.

2.   Loop size is important but not critical. A loop of about 4 to 6 inches makes it easy to coil the entire leader and pass it through the doubled main line when forming the loop-to-loop connection. A small leader loop proves more difficult to thread through the loop in the main line but doesn't result in a smaller knot.

3.   Check the splice. a double splice normally runs slightly thicker but shorter than a single splice; overlapping sections of braided line in double splices provide a more secure grip. If unsure whether a leader contains a single or double splice, ask at your local tackle shop or call the manufacturer.

Winding an extra 20 feet of heavy leader onto the spool means less room for main line; exactly how much depends on splice type and length as well as thickness of leader material. (A double splice normally takes up less space than a single splice.) Distribute line evenly, and leave as much room on the reel as possible to prevent the leader from bunching up and binding against the frame. "Freezing up" the reel like this could force you to wire a fish, thus defeating the purpose of a wind-on leader. Worse yet, grinding cable leader against the frame quickly ruins a reel.

4.   The serving should be as short and strong as possible and not render the wind-on too stiff. Most manufacturers apply wrappings or half-hitches at this point to tightly secure the Dacron or Spectra to the leader material; Braid Products uses a type of shrink tubing (not heat-shrink tubing but cold-shrink tybing that has no adverse effect on monofilament). bulky, long or rough servings encounter difficulty going throught the guides and wear out prematurely.

Expert Advice on Choosing and Using the Right Leader

"No matter what style of fishing you enjoy or what size fish you pursue, wind-on leaders offer numerous advantages while increasing crewmembers' safety during the end game... there are no good reasons not to use wind-on leaders." -  by Chuck Richardson