home made traces

i'm looking to start making up my own traces as a money saving idea, i've looked online and seen how it's done, with twists or crimps etc...
my question is, do any of you guys make your own? what wire do you recommend, make/strength, any specific trebles you prefer?
any good info you have really will be a good help

yes i make my own traces, and have done for the last 25 years. i now use fox kevlar coated wire in 20lb. found it to be very good ans is supple. i have never used crimps, as i prefer to twist my traces. as for hooks, dont favour 1 over another although i do avoid middy hooks as they bend??? i go for either size 6 or 8 all semi barbless. good look

am useing fox carboflex 30lb and there crimps to suit with fox trace crimp covers and prologics p1 semi barbed hooks size 8-6 all made up with the fox crimping pliers and all with a swivel attached at the end, so you can just clip another one on, for a differnt sized setup or trebble size to suit your bait size
i also use drennan 28lb and the same crimps as for trebbles! u carnt beat drennans carbon semi barbed trebbles
i pick these most ov the time! because they've never let me down
thinking ov giving fox esey twist ago, my mate is useing it at the moment and it seems ok!

i make all my own traces........ trebles=size 6 drennan super carbon semi barbless..... wire=fox easy twist 30lb
i dont use crimps, i just twist them although i do have a special way of tying the top hook on......
you'll need 2 sets of forceps and a tape measure to do this
1: take approx 10" of wire off the spool BUT DO NOT CUT IT OFF
2: deliberately put a 90 degree bend in the wire, approximately 2 1/2" from the end
3: pass the tag end through the eye of the first treble twice, ensuring that the eye of the hook is sat in the bend of the wire, and slowly pull tight ensuring that the eye stays put on the bend and that the 2 loops around the eye are tight and parallel not crossed.
4: clip the first set of forceps onto the shank of the hook fairly tight, then grip right at the end of the wire with the other forceps.... grip the spool of wire inbetween your knees and keeping tension on both sets of forceps tension the wire between the spool and the first treble, then twist the tag end up the main body of wire, ensuring all the time that you keep the tension on all 3 points and that the twists you form are as close as you can get them i.e. like the whipping of a rod. keep going until you have the forceps gripping the end of the wire in contact with the main trace body. then just release the forceps and cut the tag end as close to the main trace body as possible.
5: measure out 26" of wire and cut from the spool
6: take the second treble and thread it onto the trace so the wire lays up the shank of the treble inbetween the 2 barbless points and exits the eye on the barbed hook side. then position the treble how far you want it from the bottom treble (i normally put the 2 trebles about 3-4" apart), bend the wire back down toward the bottom treble. then bend it back up around the back of the barbed hook and twist the wire around the shank of the treble 3 times and pass the wire back through the eye the same way as before, and pull the wire to tighten the twists around the shank.
7: measure 22" from the top of the bottom treble, bend the wire at 22" then attach the swivel in the same way as you attached the bottom treble, making sure that after you pass the wire thorugh the eye you grip the same eye with a set of forceps to stop it twisting. (once you've put the bend in the wire it helps if you cut the wire so that only about 2 1/2" remain past the bend)

it may look a bit complicated but thats the way i quite literally make all my deadbait traces, and if i want to make any traces for livebaiting i simply cut the overall length of the finished trace to 14" and close the gap between the trebles to around 2".

I'm currently using Fox Easytwist @ 30lb. I use just one single hook.

All my traces are twisted by putting the trace through the eye of the hook and then back again the opposite way so the tag end is facing the same way as the longer main stretch and there is a loop on the opposite side of the eye. Put the hook through this loop and pull tight. Wrap the tag end around the main trace as neatly as you can and cover with a small piece of silicone tubing or purpose made sleeves. Repeat at other end of the trace to attach a swivel.

Very strong and never had one let go.

See here for details:
http://www.foxint.com/articles.php?lang=&article=48

I've made up some traces for use with the 'tagging' method by attaching a size 4 Drennan Continental hook by the knotless knot with a small loop of wire trace coming off the shank. Think of hair rigging for carp and you won't be far wrong. Then a tag (same as used for attaching labels to clothing in shops) is fired through the loop and root of the tail.

I have used this method on my last few trips out but due to drawing a blank every time I am unable to comment on it's effectiveness.

I too am using Carboflex - crimping the bottom hook and swivel end and doing a crafty thing with the top hook that allows total adjustability for bait size and you can have it fixed or sliding depending on what you want to do with it.
All crimps are covered with plastic sleeves to prevent tangles/weeding up.

I first started off on Fox Predator easy twist wire which gave a good result but I found that if a Pike decided to roll in your net, when you recovered your trace it would be twisted in various places and had to be dumped and a new one made up!
I then moved on to Fox Predator Carbo Flex which uses crimps and I think gives a tidier finish and up to now no more twisted traces.

thanks guys, great advise as always
i'll take a trip to the tackle shop at the weekend ( cos i doubt i'll be fishing ) , buy some gear and have a damn good go at making a few for when i can get out

nightwatchman wrote:I first started off on Fox Predator easy twist wire which gave a good result but I found that if a Pike decided to roll in your net, when you recovered your trace it would be twisted in various places and had to be dumped and a new one made up!
I then moved on to Fox Predator Carbo Flex which uses crimps and I think gives a tidier finish and up to now no more twisted traces.

I use the same mate Fox Predator Carbo Flex with crimps and fox carbon semi barbless hooks size 6 & 8

I find its very good I've been using it a while now and not had any problems with it

I get mine from Neville ficklings shop at gainsborough

Adie

I was shown how to make traces by Bazz.........The thing that gets me is that you have all diffrent crimps and swivles etc.... What would you list as a kit for someone like me (who is starting deadbaiting/ what crimp size,wire poundage sixe hooks etc...)?

Hi, this is a subject that I have battled with for years,Having fished for Pike for more years than I want to remember
the first wire I used was alasicum, it was all there was. It is so simple to use just one strand and using four twists it will and never has let me down. So along came the enlightenment and all the new age multi strands, so as you do you buy them all and they must be better but truth be told I struggled for years to be happy and confident with my traces and there were instances when they let me down. About six years ago in a small tackle shop I came across some old stock of Alasicum I bought it and havent looked back since. Its just so easy, you can knock up a trace in seconds and maybe it twists now and agian but I can live with that and I find no problem with what we think is the relative stiffness. For me its just great and has acounted for hundreds of fish. Hook wise I have gone back to 4s and 6s having tried going smaller and missing takes. It all boils down to being happy with what your using and that confidence tends to reflect in the results
Regards chris T
P.S. Alasticum is still avalaible from 5lb up

first thing chris, welcome to the forum mate
thanks for posting a reply, all info is great as everyone has there own ideas, i will try most things till i find my fav

MrMakk wrote:I was shown how to make traces by Bazz.........The thing that gets me is that you have all diffrent crimps and swivles etc.... What would you list as a kit for someone like me (who is starting deadbaiting/ what crimp size,wire poundage sixe hooks etc...)?

i use wire and crimps, always have. 10mm - 1.02 crimps more than fine with 30lb wire.
crimping with fox plyers. i use size 4 VMC hooks. red and bronze for all my dead baits. no matter the size of bait. afew people laugh at it but it works for me. i get the hook rite thro the root of the tail. any size of bait, i've never had a bait come of yet no matter how hard i throw it.
most folks do there own thing.

greg wrote:

MrMakk wrote:I was shown how to make traces by Bazz.........The thing that gets me is that you have all diffrent crimps and swivles etc.... What would you list as a kit for someone like me (who is starting deadbaiting/ what crimp size,wire poundage sixe hooks etc...)?

i use wire and crimps, always have. 10mm - 1.02 crimps more than fine with 30lb wire.
crimping with fox plyers. i use size 4 VMC hooks. red and bronze for all my dead baits. no matter the size of bait. afew people laugh at it but it works for me. i get the hook rite thro the root of the tail. any size of bait, i've never had a bait come of yet no matter how hard i throw it.
most folks do there own thing.

so..the list is.....
10mm crimps,
30lb breaking wire,
i'll use those hook adie likes....the fox semi barbed carbon trebles thingys
A pair of fox crimping pliers
fox trace cutter sccisors
what about swivles size????
And anything other to go on the list...

Alasticum i've still got some of that in my garage somewhere
I used to use it myself and apart from kinks and bends i never had any give way on me
As you say Chris it only takes a few mins to make a rig up
Might have to dig it out and see if its still any good

Adie