New Contest At ParacordGalaxy.com

My friends at ParacordGalaxy.com have a great new contest going:

Creepy Crawly Halloweenie Things

They want to see photos of Halloween-related things you have made using paracord.

 • All things creepy, crawly

• Bracelets, straps, critters, decorations

• Items made to share or sale

• Anything with a Halloween theme

They want to see your ideas, reward your creativity, and give you a chance to win free paracord (and related products). Submit photos of your creations and you could win $100 in merchandise from paracordgalaxy.com. If you sell online, you are welcome to include your shop url.

You can enter multiple times; we ask that you only enter once per day. We will have three winners and each will receive a $100 gift certificate.

 • One based on public votes

 • One chosen by our staff for most creative

 • One chosen via random drawing from all entries

People will be able to see, share and vote for your entry immediately after it is uploaded. Please share the contest page and invite your friends to vote for your submissions.

Here's the contest page: https://paracordgalaxy.com/content/80-paracord-galaxy-halloweenie-creations-contest

Catch Big Rainbows Using Paracord Fishing Lures

Trout seem to prefer jet black 550 paracord. It has a shiny finish they seem to find attractive.

I've been having fun making lures from paracord and using them to catch fish. The fish shown here was caught on April 19, 2019, from Deer Creek Reservoir in Utah. It measured 16 inches, was fat and heavy. From its strong fight, I thought it was bigger. I harvested it, put it into the smoker, and the family raved.

It is quite easy to make jigs using paracord. My photos below show the steps:

1. For this one I used a 1/4 oz jig head, so it would be heavy enough to drop deep quickly.
2. Cut a length of paracord about twice as long as the jig head/hook. Remove the inner strands.
3. Use the hook point to "pick out" the cord on one end, unraveling the braid to create a skirt. Pick out half of the cord. Measure it against the jig head/hook and trim any extra.
4. Insert the hook into the paracord's unraveled end, push it down the length and then out at the top of the skirt.
5. Melt the top of the paracord and push it tight against the jig head and jig shaft. Be careful because the melted paracord is very hot. If you work at it you can make the cord adhere, so it is held fast. Alternately, I sometimes wrap the top part of the lure with nano cord, in the same or a contrasting color. By wrapping it I can secure the 550 cord to the jig head and also thicken the top part of the lure.

I get my paracord from https://paracordgalaxy.com. They have high-quality US-made cord for a great price.

I fish it like I would a marabou jig, or plastic jig, casting toward shore and hopping it near the bottom. In Utah it works for trout, bass, perch and an occasional walleye.

  

Paracord Goes Outdoors Contest - Win Merchandise

Our friends at www.paracordgalaxy.com have a contest going where they want you to show how you use paracord in real-life outdoor activities. Take a photo showing how you use paracord while recreating. Go to their paracord contest page and upload the photo. Then share the page and get your friends to vote. You could win a $100 gift certificate good for anything on their website.

Use Paracord To Make Sliding Sinkers For Fishing

Paracord is versatile stuff – useful in all kinds of situations. Lately I've been using it to make fishing lures and now I've started using it to create sliding sinkers.

When a fish picks up your lure, you want it to feel natural. If the fish feels weight from a heavy sinker it may spit out the lure before you can set the hook. To combat that, many anglers use sinkers that allow the line to slide freely, so there is no unnatural weight. Your tackle shop probably has a variety of such sinkers, but they are not cheap.

Using paracord I can make sliding sinkers that are effective, inexpensive and can be easily customized to provide the characteristics I want.

I use 650 paracord, which is coreless, or I use 550 paracord after I pull out and discard the core.

The idea is pretty simple. I just push something heavy into the cord, melt the bottom to seal it and then melt and flatten the top. I then use a hot pin or needle to poke a hole in the top.

Some people stuff bbs or split shot into the coreless paracord, to give it weight. That works fine. I choose to push a length of solder wire into the cord. I can easily cut the solder wire so it is just long enough to give me the weight and length desired.

Regular solder wire is just the right diameter to fit into the coreless paracord.

When paracord is held in a flame it melts and creates a hard, plastic-like bead. That makes it very easy to seal off the bottom of the sliding sinker. When the plastic-like bead is forming you can pinch and flatten it. (Be careful because it will be very hot. I often use leather gloves. Some people wet their fingers with saliva and then pinch and pull back quickly.)

After the flat plastic-like top has cooled and hardened, use a red-hot pin or needle to poke a hole through which you can thread your line.

I push my line through the sliding sinker and then tie on a swivel, and then attach leader to the other end of the swivel. I then tie a lure to the end of the leader, 3-4 feet below the slider. Rigged that way, the sinker will pull the line to the bottom. As I troll, the sinker will bounce against rocks on the bottom and my lure will ride just above.

My process creates a sinker that is long and skinny, like a tube. The longer I make it, the heavier it will be and also the higher my line and lure will run above the bottom. By varying the length I can create sinkers that work at varying water depths and trolling speeds.

– Dave Webb

Put Mule Tape In Your Gear Bag

I enjoy “canyoneering,” descending the narrow slot canyons found in Zion National Park and other areas. I have long carried nylon webbing in my canyoneering gear bag because it is useful in many situations. Lately I've replaced it with “mule tape,” which I purchase from my friends at paracordgalaxy.com.

Mule tape (also known as “pull tape”) is like webbing in that it is light weight and very strong. A 50 foot roll takes up very little space and adds almost no weight to my back. It can be used as a strong rope. I carry mule tape with a 2500 lb breaking strength rating. I've also used it to replace straps on my backpack. (It is wide enough to disperse pressure so it doesn't cut into your shoulders like rope does.)

Some slot canyons are “technical,” meaning ropes and rappelling gear are needed for the descent. Other canyons are fun and challenging but normally rappelling is not required. I like to bring people with me on these hikes and sometimes a participant becomes uneasy scrambling down steep slopes. In those cases a hand-line is useful to give them confidence. Occasionally, a person requires even more help and I rig a simple harness to keep them secure as we lower them off rocks or waterfalls. Mule tape works very well in both situations.

Why mule tape? Why not just use regular nylon webbing? A couple of reasons. First, it is less expensive for the same length and strength rating. Secondly, mule tape is made from polyester and is soft and flexible to the touch. Where nylon webbing feels stiff and harsh, mule tape feels soft and flexible. Much more comfortable if it comes in contact with skin.

ParacordGalaxy.com offers mule tape with breaking strength from 1130 lbs to 6000 lbs. I keep a roll of the big stuff in my truck tool box to pull people out of the sand.

It's good stuff.