Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 01:47:48 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Recent Topics

[March 27, 2024, 12:49:04 PM]

[March 27, 2024, 07:37:59 AM]

[March 26, 2024, 09:10:45 PM]

[March 25, 2024, 05:15:36 PM]

by Spot
[March 25, 2024, 02:39:54 PM]

by PNW
[March 24, 2024, 07:14:07 PM]

[March 23, 2024, 10:59:04 PM]

[March 21, 2024, 06:23:10 AM]

[March 17, 2024, 06:42:23 PM]

[March 17, 2024, 08:44:53 AM]

[March 15, 2024, 06:45:09 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 05:55:18 PM]

[March 10, 2024, 11:20:08 AM]

[February 29, 2024, 07:05:43 AM]

[February 26, 2024, 01:31:23 PM]

Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: DIY leash from grass trimmer line and 550 Paracord  (Read 2929 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

PetitPoisson

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Victoria, BC
  • Date Registered: Aug 2017
  • Posts: 105
Not my idea, this was a DIY I found on YouTube.  I've modified it slightly to eliminate the crimping clips.

Why modify it to eliminate the crimping clips you ask.  I'm not so sure that trimmer line being crimped with a piece of metal being hammered down on it is the best idea.  Oh, who am I kidding...  I'M CHEAP and just came back from the muffler shop with $500 less in my pocket.  Upside, "Olive" no longer sounds like a Japanese import farting her way down the road.  Anyway, I have plenty of older braided fishing line on hand and figured I'd put it to use.

The video I saw recommended .95 trimmer line.  I have a huge spool of .80 on hand so that's what I'm using.

On my way home, I dropped by Princess Auto and picked up 100ft of yellow reflective 550 Paracord $12 and 6  Aluminium carabiners with really simple catches that are not likely to break and should be easy to rinse the salt off of $.99 ea.  Everything else I have on hand.  So this project is really a low cost DIY.

I did see a few videos where just the trimmer line was used.  I'm inclined to think that paracord will help protect the line from nicks and UV light.  Jury is still out on that, but it stands to reason.

As for the knot I use... I have no idea what it is called.  It's similar to a snell knot.  Put a dab of glue on it for good measure and cover with heat shrink tube to protect it further.

Last weekend, the kids were coming into shore and pulled the drives on the kayaks.  1 of the drives almost went into the water.  It was shallow so it wouldn't have mattered if it had.  It just got me thinking that it was time I put a leash on them.



Hobie Oasis (Le Phoque)
Hobie Adventure Fish (yet to be named)


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
Fairly extensive discussion of these leashes here, somewhere in the forum.  I think I made half a dozen of them at the time.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


PetitPoisson

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: Victoria, BC
  • Date Registered: Aug 2017
  • Posts: 105
Fairly extensive discussion of these leashes here, somewhere in the forum.  I think I made half a dozen of them at the time.

I did pull a quick search but the word "leash" brings up a crazy amount of search results.

Any issue that you ran into using these?  I'm almost wondering if straight bungee cords wouldn't be a better option?  I remember the coiled corded phone on my bedside table.  Along with the clock radio, lamp, and whatever else I decided I needed at the time.  Everything was corded...  and it wasn't too hard to get other cords caught up in those coils.  Granted, I was young, fidgety and often distracted.  How well do these coils work in the kayak?
Hobie Oasis (Le Phoque)
Hobie Adventure Fish (yet to be named)


Shin09

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Portland
  • Date Registered: Oct 2015
  • Posts: 549
Thats a pretty slick DIY there! I am lazy and I just bought some leashes. 

hey are from a company "Booms fishing" assuming its just some importer, but I got the T02 leashes for rod leashes (https://www.amazon.com/Booms-Fishing-Heavy-Lanyard-Paddles/dp/B01ELPNY6Q) and the T04 for everythign else (https://www.amazon.com/Booms-Fishing-Lanyards-Lanyard-Retractable/dp/B06Y432DLZ?th=1)  I also  got some of the rod straps (https://www.amazon.com/Booms-Fishing-Belts-Pole-Straps/dp/B07PGLVZD2) everything has held up quickly and didnt cost too much.


DBam

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Location: British Columbia
  • Date Registered: Mar 2016
  • Posts: 106
Would there be any advantage to using that trimmer line over straight paracord with hitch loops/aluminum clip?


Squidder_K

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • A bad day of fishing is still better than a good d
  • Location: Bremerton, WA
  • Date Registered: Sep 2018
  • Posts: 136
I posted this in NCKA recently:

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=94348.30  This is what I do to make a leash.
US Army & Army National Guard Veteran of 34 years
Veteran 36th Infantry Division "The Fighting Texans!," FOB Danger, Tikrit Iraq 2005
Boston Sports Fan since 1967, I have seen the highs, and the lows of Boston sports teams.
aka Kevin


Drifter2007

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Lebanon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2017
  • Posts: 748
My brother in law made a bunch of these a few years ago. Still work great. I have 2 of them in my regular gear along with my store bought paddle least. 1 on my hawg trough (I seem to lose these) and 1 to my knife and scissors.
1991 Desert Storm (USMC)
2004-2005 OIF (US ARMY)
2006-2007 OEF (US ARMY)
2009-2010 OIF II (US Army)
2016 Retired!


[WR]

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • VFW, Life Member at Large, since 1997.
  • ADTA.org
  • Location: West of Auburn, East of the Sound
  • Date Registered: Jan 2008
  • Posts: 4716
Squidder,
What exactly is the dremel for?  Can't quite figure that out..
Why so many odd typos ? You try typing on 6 mm virtual keys with 26 mm thumbs....


Squidder_K

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • A bad day of fishing is still better than a good d
  • Location: Bremerton, WA
  • Date Registered: Sep 2018
  • Posts: 136
Those plastic clips are wider then I want and interfere with the cord so I narrowed them.
US Army & Army National Guard Veteran of 34 years
Veteran 36th Infantry Division "The Fighting Texans!," FOB Danger, Tikrit Iraq 2005
Boston Sports Fan since 1967, I have seen the highs, and the lows of Boston sports teams.
aka Kevin


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
Would there be any advantage to using that trimmer line over straight paracord with hitch loops/aluminum clip?

It depends.  The trimmer line maintains a coil within the 550's sheath if you go that route, so it depends on whether you want the leash straight or coiled/retractable.

It was Ling ling, Herro? who first posted a "How to" on making these string trimmer line leashes however many years ago that might have been.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2021, 02:07:33 PM by Tinker »
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Squidder_K

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • A bad day of fishing is still better than a good d
  • Location: Bremerton, WA
  • Date Registered: Sep 2018
  • Posts: 136
Would there be any advantage to using that trimmer line over straight paracord with hitch loops/aluminum clip?

Everything has a pro and con.  For me being a retired GI Joe with all sort of 550 cord available it make a good choice.  Years ago I watch a guy in Virginia make leashes from old cell phone cords. These were wound up up style, and I used those for years. Those are not so common anymore.  I have never used the string trimmer line, I am sure it must work well or no one would of copied it.  A lot of times it is what you have. The plastic clips were available, in the past I used those aluminum carabiners that came on everything or you could get them at Home Depot on an End Cap for $1 each.   

One day my attitude towards leashes changed forever. I was rock fishing/crabbing  out of half moon bay. A damn rock crab got too close to the family jewels. One thing led to another, I didn't pay attention and I rolled. Not a big deal, but none the less my leg was getting wrapped around a leash.  I got free, but had it been in worse conditions it would of been harder to get out from the cord.  So I stopped using rod leashes, and went to pool noodles. I use a leash for my paddle, and the rod out in front of me, but not behind me.
US Army & Army National Guard Veteran of 34 years
Veteran 36th Infantry Division "The Fighting Texans!," FOB Danger, Tikrit Iraq 2005
Boston Sports Fan since 1967, I have seen the highs, and the lows of Boston sports teams.
aka Kevin


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
...
 So I stopped using rod leashes, and went to pool noodles. I use a leash for my paddle, and the rod out in front of me, but not behind me.

I made a pile of leashes from trimmer line and never used them because I kept thinking about the situation you described.  I leash only my paddle - and I've been known to toss gear overboard while trying to control a fish.   
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


HuyFishin

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Huyfishin Youtube page.
  • Location: Alberta/British Columbia
  • Date Registered: May 2020
  • Posts: 60
i like this idea. Might give it a try