Rigging
Needles
Complementing
our excellent hollow braided lines
we also offer a range of tools and
ancillary products necessary to maximize
the products unique benefits. For
2015 Toro Tamer introduced a new line of
rigging needles of our own design. Currently
we offer three kits as well as individual
needle sales. We offer a 16, 9 and 7 needle
kits. Our needles are available in nine
sizes of threading needle,
20/30/40/50/60/80/100/130/150 and 200#. We
produce three sizes of latch needles and
three sizes of loop needles. Our needle kits
are offered in a light to medium pack,
20/30/40/50/ and 60# size threading needles,
a small latch and small loop needle. The
Medium/Heavy kit includes 80/100/130/150 and
200# threading needles, medium and large
loop and latch needles. The complete kit
includes all 16 needles and carries a
suggested retail price of $120, the
Medium/Heavy kit sell at $70 and the
Light/Medium kit run $60. Toro Tamer brings
the cost of inline rigging down to earth.
And, with the ease of use of our braided
lines, now all anglers can enjoy the
benefits of knotless connections - true 100%
connection strength with no knots, no
casting interference as your line
effortlessly flows through the rod's guides.
Image above
shows our latch needle, we
have made our latch to be a
bit more secure opening and
closing - requiring a bit
more effort - to open. This
improvement will reduce the
tendency for the latch to open
easily in use while inserting
through braid, when making a
loop for example. If the latch
opens too easily then the
needle can easily get stuck in
the braid resulting in needle
failure or much more time
spent correcting the problem
and starting all over
again...if you can remove the
needle from the braid. (This
can prove difficult and
require cutting line).
Light Line Needle Point
130# size Needle Point
Other
Manufacturers Point
The image to
the left shows ToroTamer's
improved needle point. the two
images right are of another
manufacturer's needle points. ToroTamer needles have a bit
more pronounced point
which makes it easier to begin
insertion into hollow braid
and the point is more
highly polished so it
slips through the line more
easily. The only drawback to
this is that with some harder
to work with lines such as a
12 strand there can be a
modest increase in the needle
slipping through the strands.
This is a minimal risk, and
easy to correct if
encountered. The benefit of
our design far outweighs any
potential negative in our
estimation.
Our needle's
unique design was the result of
much time spent using other
manufacturers products over the
years. There were a few things
we felt that could be improved
upon in the design of these
essential accessories.
One
consideration for those
selecting threading needles,
manufacturers of fluorocarbon
and monofilament lines do not
have a standard diameter for any
given line test. So, in the case
of threading needles, an 80
lb. needle may not
accommodate all 80 lb. test
lines, it might be too snug a
fit for some lines and too large
for others. There can be variance of
diameter between manufacturers
and even between batches of
lines of the same test. It's
best to own a few needles,
since leader diameters are not
consistent or standardized.
Going back to that 80# leader,
best to have 60/80 and 100#
needles in your kit even if
that's the only test you'll be
working with. That's one reason why our kits
are priced aggressively, we
encourage folks to have several
needles for use with their
lines. Even if an angler only
wishes to work with one
particular test for inline
rigging, it's best to have two
or more threading needles just
to accommodate different
diameters of lines.
A second
point to make for folks getting
into inline rigging, making
wind-ons or even assist hooks,
while a loop needle can do
many things but it's best used
for simply opening up braid
which may be hard to work with
for a certain size leader or
needle diameter. For most all
needs, whether doing a splice,
making a loop or connecting
solid to hollow lines, the latch
needle is the preferred tool.
The only thing to remember about
working with a latch needle is
to only go in ONE direction. If
you try to reverse or pull the
needle backwards the latch will
protrude through your braid and
get stuck! Once stuck you will
need to cut the braid and then
extract the needle. If you try
to force things you won't get
far and you'll probably break
your needle. The hook on the
latch works just like the barb
on a hook. So, keep moving the
latch needle forward, never back
up.
Model
(nominal
line test -
manufacturers vary
in diameter)
Tube
Length
Inside
Diameter
("/mm)
Outside
Diameter
("/mm)
20# Threading
5.6"
.017"/0.430mm
.025"/.635mm
30# Threading
5.6"
.020"/0.510mm
.028"/.710mm
40# Threading
5.6"
.023"/0.580mm
.032"/.81mm
50# Threading
5.6"
.026"/0.67mm
.036"/.90mm
60# Threading
5.7"
.032"/0.81mm
.042"/1.06mm
80# Threading
5.8"
.038"/0.96mm
.049"/1.25mm
100# Threading
5.9"
.042"/1.06mm
.050"/1.27mm
130# Threading
6.0"
.047"/1.19mm
.058"/1.48mm
150# Threading
6.1
.053"/1.35mm
.065"/1.65mm
200# Threading
6.2
.059"/1.50mm
.072/1.83mm
We
also distribute three very nice needle kits
manufactured by Daho.
We have a light line kit as well as
a medium to heavy line needle kit,
and have recently produced a three piece kit
for the Ultra Thin lines which were
introduced at ICAST 2013.
The Ultra Light kit includes a 20
and 30# hollow needle and one extra small
loop needle and retail at $50. Both the
medium/light and heavy line kits feature five hollow
needles for insertion of
several
popular line sizes, a reverse latch
needle which is used for making
wind-on leaders and a loop needle
which is commonly used to "open up"
hollow lines or for inserting
solid
line into a hollow line (the reverse
latch is probably the better option
in this regard. The Light/Medium and
Medium/Heavy line kits retail for $90.
We offer a unique
Spectra/Braid adhesive product, with
excellent penetration properties as
well as very good performance in
water. Unique to our one part glue,
which requires no mixing or
activator, we retain some
flexibility and it does well in a
wet & salty environment!
Lastly, we also
offer an excellent "braid" cutter
tool to cleanly slice braided lines
- a necessity when working with
hollow rigging.
Over the years several connection
styles have been used for braided
line to leader connection. Above are
a few of the more popular knots as
well as three direct in-line
connections. The advantages of an
in-line connection are obvious:
thinner diameter, no bump through
your rod's guides and less
"hanging-up" as the line flows off
the reel, less chance of the line
getting stuck on the spool by an
overwrap on a cast, and MOST
IMPORTANTLY a proper inline
connection in which your leader has
been inserted into the braid a few
feet will result in a 100% test
strength connection - that's
something that no knot can achieve.
Wind-On Fix'ns
We offer 25 meter spools
of 16 strand spliceable braid for making your wind-ons, and 100
meter spools of 4 strand
serving braid in 20 and 30 lb test - both great for serving
connections and for your nail knots. Additionally we offer a 30
and 40 lb 8 strand hollow for use in serving. The 8 strand is
thinner in diameter, makes a bit more compact serve with more
wraps. For most applications the 4 strand is adequate, but the 8
strand will produce tighter wraps with more of them per inch - a
bit less bulky on the serve.
Serving
and Nail Knot Spools
16 Strand
25 Meter Colored Wind-On
Spools
At ICAST 2014 we'll be
introducing colored versions of our
60/80/100/130# test lines in 25 meter lengths, so you have a
choice of white, blue, red, yellow and green. The colored hollow
core makes life easy in terms of distinguishing your wind-ons,
color coding different leader tests. Similarly, the 4 strand
serving braid is offered in 100 meter spools, four colors on the
spool, changing color every 10 meters. I use the colored serving
line to distinguish tests, red for 40, green for 50, yellow for
60, white for 80, blue for 100 lb... Same program for my nail
knots. The different colors help me stay on top of things, easy
to tell match up tests when replacing a leader. One note,
coloring braid is not an easy process. Our
coloring process is quite good in terms of
the coloring not fading, which is common.
The natural color for braid is white. When
working with the colored line expect some of
that color to transfer to your fingers
initially, especially with the red line.
Compared to other colored lines on the
market I think you'll find ours holds up
better over time with less fading, but
initially you will get a bit of color
transfer.
(Preface to Wind-Ons -
these things are not a mystery, they are not difficult to learn
to make, they are great to use in many fishing applications, and you
can make 'em yourself rather than pay to have them built or use
pre-made ones of lesser quality. Wind-Ons are easy to make,
require just a few specific tools, and it's a pretty neat thing
to do when you're not fishing...along the lines of fly fishermen
tying their own flies. We have several videos posted showing how
to make these. While CharkBait makes Wind-Ons and sells them, we
encourage our clients to make 'em themselves - and we try to
help you do so. Commercially made wind-on's have had some
reliability issues in the past (remembering that Seaguar's
attempt met with failure...). Custom production can be much
better, but you can make these yourself, reliably and more
economically.)
Toro Tamer Tools
Toro Tamer CharkJaw
Pliers are available in red, blue and gunmetal anodized finish.
Our Toro Pliers are available in three
styles. We have a standard Multi-Function Cut and Grip model
which is made from aircraft quality machined aluminum. They are made
on a CNC machine for precise tolerances. The cutting jaws can deal
with braided line or mono just fine. They are made from a high
quality Tungston Carbide for long life. The cutters are
replaceable, which we stock, and these will fit other similar pliers. For the jaws on all our pliers
we use quality STAINLESS STEEL, which is then coated for even
greater protection. The jaws
are replaceable, too. The tools are anodized for the perfect balance of
hardness, durability and appearance. All tools are spring loaded.
Unique to our Multi-Function pliers, we also have added a non-slip
rubber handle material to provide a comfortable and secure grip. All pliers come with a sheath and
lanyard. Compare this to other products costing $49 and then look
more closely to our upgraded features such as the grips, and the
stainless steel jaws.
Our Multi-Function Crimp, Cut, Grip and Split Ring
Tool (Multi-Plier) is a personal favorite of mine. This tool should be
considered an essential by any angler. It does so many things, and does
them very well. It's of the same design as our standard upgraded pliers,
but use a very innovative set of jaws that cover crimping, swaging,
split rings and provides good grip for extracting hooks or other needs.
Again, these jaws are made from Stainless Steel and the cutters are made
from Tungston Carbide, and you've got the same nice non-slip grips. This
product compares to other pliers costing $49 or more - but I doubt
you'll find the same match of function and materials from any source.
The Multi-Plier is available in red anodized finish.
We also produce a very handy tool for
dealing with Gel Spun PE Line (meaning Spectra, Dyneema and other Super Braided lines). Our Toro Tamer CharkChopper Cutter is made from Stainless Steel, mirror polished
with a treated cutting edge for durability. It's also spring loaded
for easy one handed operation. The jaws are robust, and there is a
safety latch. Also, a soft grip handle is provided for secure use
and comfort. These are a quality product you'd expect to pay $15-18
or so. We're doing a bit better than than that and ours are nicer.
I'd call this an essential when working with braid, it slices rather
compresses the line which improves ease of in-line rigging.
New Toro Tamer Belts
Toro
Tamer makes some very nice accessory
products, such as pliers and rigging
accessories in addition to lures and some of
the best braided lines in the business.The
new fighting belts are another nicely
thought out product that gets the job done
well at a reasonable price. The new belts
are made from aluminum, the gimbaled
receiver will accept all rods with no
problem, and the pin can be removed so that
you can handle a long jig stick with it's
large butt just fine. The belts make use of
a 1 1/2 inch wide strap and near 1/2 wide
pad under the aluminum plate. The price of
the new belt carries a $69 MSRP, and at that
price the competition only offers plastic or
fake leather with far less material quality
and strength. You'll also discover that this
belt is very light in weight and easy to
fish comfortably. I would suggest the belt
is quite suitable for 50# and down tackle
use.
Toro Tamer
Fish-N-Grip Scales!
Our
Fish-N-Grip is the
nicest of it's type on the
market in our humble
opinion. The Grip is
available in red and blue,
and offers some significant
advantages verses others
which have been on the
market prior to this point.
First off, the grip is
kinder to the fish. After
all, one reason for owning
something like this is to
practice catch and release.
That release doesn't do you
much good if you've mangled
up the fish's mouth or torn
up the lips! (That would be
one disadvantage of the Rapala product). Our
Grip-N-Scales are also nicer
in quality than any that
have been on the market for
under $100, the materials
are better and they function
better (that's a direct
comparison to the Evolution
products which are inferior
in every respect). Our
handle material is made from
an excellent tacky rubber,
so you have superior
security when the piece is
in your hands. The Fish-N_Grips
also have a zero adjustment
so you can be sure the scale
feature is accurate over
time given it's a spring
device (which we prefer for
saltwater use verses an
electronic digital scale).
$79.99
One note, these products
have a range of measurement
going up to 44 lb. They are
not suitable for weighing
fish under 5 lb in my
estimation. If you are most
concerned about weight of
the smaller catches, then
I'd recommend our 25 lb.
Drag Scale which is listed
below this model.
The
scales are made from
aluminum with stainless
steel. You can use the
product for weighing your
catch or setting your drag.
However, we made the scales
with drag setting in mind.
It's a good quality product,
but like anything that may
be used in saltwater, a bit
of preventative maintenance
will ensure it's long term
performance. $21.99 &
$19.99.
It's easy to set
your drag with this
scale. There are
markings on both
sides of the scale.
On the right is the
weight, on the left
you'll see two
measures one in red,
the other blue. Red
is for 25% blue for
33% and the numbers
indicate the line
test being fished.
So, for 30# line
you'll see two
optimum drag
measurements
indicating the
appropriate level
for your line test
depending upon your
preferences. Again,
it is recommended
that you set your
drag properly to get
the most performance
from your reel.
Lever drag reels are
wonderful to own,
but you are blowing
it if you don't set
your drag properly
to maximize your
reels performance.
This scale helps you
accomplish that
better than any
other on the market,
and the value is
super.
