Amelia Island Fishing Tips

Some of Florida's toothy fish like bluefish, spanish mackerel, and barracuda have teeth that will very easily cut mono line.

When targeting these type of fish, a wire leader is a good idea. I've been using wire leaders for years for bluefish and spanish mackerel, and here's how I make them. I'm not sure if this is the technically correct technique, but it's worked for me.

You can buy hooks with wire leaders attached in the store, but it's difficult to find the type of hook you want to use with the correct length needed, so I find it's easier to just make my own.

What You'll Need - Wire: I use stranded stainless steel wire that is coated with a black nylon. Crimping Tool: To crimp the leaders. Don't buy the cheapest one you can find, nor the most expensive, I'd recommend one in the middle. Crimps: I also use black crimps, which come in various sizes.

You'll also need a regular pair of pliers, and a good wire cutting tool. I normally use 35 or 40 pound test wire, and crimps that are .065 or .071 inches in diameter. The packaging in the store will usually tell you what size crimps to use for a particular sized wire.

There a different ways to squeeze crimps, but I use a crimping tool that has a tab in the middle, and I try to squeeze the crimp so the that the dent from the tab closes the crimp and pushes the two pieces of wire off to either side.

Cut the wire to a length a little longer than the desired leader, and run the tag end of the wire through the eye of the hook, around the hook shank, and back through the eye again.

Slide the crimp over the two pieces of wire, keeping them parallel as they go through the crimp, and then use the tool to close the crimp.

Trim the tag end of the wire off as close to the crimp as you can cut it. If you leave a stub of the tag end hanging out of the crimp, it will cause the wire leader to tangle with your main line.

Using a regular pair of pliers, squeeze the crimp together. I'm not really sure this step adds any strength to the crimped connection, but I do it because it makes for a neater job and it helps to keep the crimps from tangling in the main line.

Repeat the process on the other end of the leader to attach a swivel or whatever terminal tackle you need to connect the leader to your main line.

Trim the tag end, squeeze the crimp together with the pliers, and you're done.

I have seen other people use two crimps on either end of the leader when making rigs for sharks or larger fish. I've never met a fish that was big enough to pull apart one of my crimped connections, but with larger wire and sharks double crimps may be a good idea.

Stranded wire leaders will kink as you use them to catch fish, and it's impossible to straighten them back out again, so make some spares to take along when you go fishing.