ACCESSORIES

Toro Tamer^® Accessory Products

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.

Toro Tamer Drag Scales

While we refer to 'em as Drag Scales, others simply know 'em as a scale. Like other spring scales of this type, we make use of a tell-tale so you know how high the weight was when there's no more pressure on the scale - the marker stays at the maximum setting. What we do differently on both our 25 lb and 50 lb scale is to provide both weight measurements AND drag measurements for appropriate line tests. This is the key. I'd like to say it was all my idea, but its something we learned here through the efforts of another companies product. However, they went out of business and with that so too did a very useful feature. We brought that feature back - and it's what sets this spring scale apart from others. It takes the guesswork out of the equation for a fellow trying to set their drag properly, and quickly. And, like our Fish-N-Grip product above, you can "zero" the scale accurately so it's going to last even when the spring changes over time.

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.