There is a peice in Februarys Crafty Carper about counterbalancing pop ups...You could always borrow my Mrs one withering stare from her and your pop up would be well and truly balanced...
This subject has been extensively covered in the past,if you do a search using the word Leadcore you will find loads of info...main thing to remember that in the case of a snag you must have a set up that discharges the lead...
Doh! the old ones are the best cough cough
Palomar knot 95% efficient in flouro
Clinch knot (What? lol) ok so its just a blood knot 90% efficiant
Grinner knot (sometimes called the Gurner 90% efficiant
However the clinch is crap for braid only 60% efficiant
Always use them without any prob,s,at the moment I am trying the Carp Alley speed clips...So far I like them...
I use the Perfection knot to tie them on
My take on shrink tubing is, one of its main funtions is to increase the gape of the hook.How much you bend it,depends on which rig you are using.There are loads of book and magazines which will help you...