Building your own releases

[abbyfireguy]

I have access to all the component to build my own release clips. LSF Marine in Bellingham has bulk items.
What do you guys that assemble your own stuff use for mono,crimps and crimping tools.
Tired of paying $10 for release clips when I can build my own for less than half that...

 

[Saxe Point]

How many do you go through in a year? I find that I don't lose or break too many. Is it worth it to make your own?

 

[abbyfireguy]

The cost of the crimper pliers is the only extra cost.. I seem to loose 3 or 4 every season.new people on the boat or accidental snags. Plus someone is always stuck without one. This way I could afford to have a few extras in the boat and keep the components in a ziplock ready to make or repair one or two when needed.
I seem to be the go to guy with tools,supplies and spare parts always kept on board.
It sucks to spend the time and money to get out on a fishing trip and have small troubles arise and no way to fix them or make replacement items to keep the trip going smoothly.
Maybe it's just me,but the number of times I see folks out fishing without tools or the basic repair materials is crazy.
Most of the time is me getting a very minor thing repaired on someone's boat.
I don't carry a portable workshop. Just the bare essentials that commonly need attention .
I travel too far and spend too much $$$ on Christie's Cruise Lines to have a little easily repairable situation ruin the trip for everyone. Or have a $500 repair bill for a shop to fix something I can handle.
I know most of us can relate to my comments..

 

[trophywife]

Tuna chord and tie it.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I build my own..... Best way to go. I wear them out, replace the tips a couple times then turf them. I tie my own using gangon.

 

[GDW]

I tie them too using heavy mono (Hali leader) But crimps look nicer.

 

[getbent]

I just tie with heavy mono as well.
Many times if you run 4 rods and dummies for flashers (sockeye) that's a lot of clips
Just like you AFG, someone has to have the extra clips and what not.
If I'm not stacking, generally not losing clips.

GB

 

[seadna]

I've gone to putting a small length of 40# mono on the stainless steel snap. I tie one end to the snap and another to a cheap snap swivel. When I clip the snap onto the cable, I clip the snap swivel around the cable. That way if the snap gets knocked off, the mono keeps it attached to the cable. Haven't lost one since I went to this plan.

 

[HookNSlice]

200-300# braid and crimps

 

[saanauk]

I use bright colored weedeater line and crimps. Pretty cheap and easy to see.

 

[Klob]

I use Tuna cord. Just use pliers to crimp. I also drill a cork and run the line through. Haven't lost one yet.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I use Tuna cord. Just use pliers to crimp. I also drill a cork and run the line through. Haven't lost one yet.

If you put a knot in you downrigger line 6 inches below your pulley and always put your clip below the knot your clip will never ride up and hit your pulley causing it to fall off. No float needed anymore

 

[tubber]

I use green or black braided gangen on the end of my braided downrigger line. I then use a bowline loop choked to my ball (or the swivel on the blue bungy). The trick is to use a long tail for the bowline and tie it to your release clip with another bowline secured with half hitches. No metal snap. For stacking I have a pile of old trolling snaps and use a longer piece of gangen above the ball. For sockeyes I use a really long piece and put 3 dummies below my 2 rods using a total of 5 trolling snaps and 2 clips, so it does pay to go homemade/garage sale.

 

[RageWelding]

just redid a bunch. My friends have a habit of dropping my clips so I went to the float system

200lb big game, scotty crimps, and zepplin floats rigged backwards for reduced drag

 

[Dogbreath]

just redid a bunch. My friends have a habit of dropping my clips so I went to the float system

200lb big game, scotty crimps, and zepplin floats rigged backwards for reduced drag

River floats work well for that all my old ones end up used for something similar.

 

[Birdsnest]

I just tie them with 80lb mono using a bowline. I also pull pack the tension adjustment and fill the space on both sides with hot glue so it can never go back to the light setting. Lasts years and years.

 

[Sr SQ]

20+ years ago when I started building my own no one made clips longer than 12" and scotty still used red pins LOL
I hated reaching over and out of the boat to clip the line and thought why not just build some longer ones, I already had the crimper so all I needed to come up with was some line and crimps.
I bought a 100yrds of Momoi Diamond #150 leader and the crimps and was in business, from there it stemmed into many different pieces of terminal tackle I have re-maned to suit my needs.
I make my release clips 60" so I can rig them in the boat with out reaching over the side plus as an added bonus the longer release attenuates the rod action during a bite making it easier to see it happening.
LFS sells many cool rigging parts and likely has the largest on the shelf Scotty parts selection of anywhere off the island, nice people too.

 

[Dorman Point]

I use waxed seine twine for the clip leads. I keep a roll of about 1600' (cheap at PNT and very compact) on the boat. It is very handy to have aboard, for all kinds of things: whip-finishing the bitter ends of mooring lines, repairing prawn traps, making up trolling snaps, etc. It has many uses. I bought a bag of used trolling clips from Popeye's, when it was still around. I think I bought over 50 for about $6. I buy the releases in bulk from Payne's Marine, though they are pretty cheap anywhere.

 

[Charlie]

I actually make mine out of old downrigger cable and crimp!

 

[Karma-Kazi]

60 pound mono. I tie mine.

-KK