Some of the lures come with a split rig at the connection point and others do not. Any that do not have a split ring you need to add one. Do your self a favor and get a pair of split ring pliers and use quality Owner Split Rings. 

At the lure end I see many people connect straight to the split ring. We do not like this. Wire can get stuck in the split of the ring and wear through and mono can get cut on it. Some people will add a solid ring or use chafe tube on the wire or mono leader. We recommend using Billfisher Thimbles. The thimbles come fairly open for easy rigging but we close them up with pliers during the rigging process to help them run better and stay in place till rigged. They provide the most protection for the leader wether using wire or mono. 

Some anglers will use solid wire. This wire kinks easy and can lead to lost lures and lost fish when the kink breaks. It is best to use 200-300lb mono leader or 175-250lb braided wire leader. Personally I like the mono leader better and it is much easier to work with. 

Choose the proper sized sleeves for the wire or mono is chose. Sleeves that are too large won’t crimp properly and can damage the leader. 

When crimping on crimp the middle of the sleeve and not the ends. The ends need to stay round so if you get tuna and they start the death spiral they don’t use the edge of the crimp the chafe through the leader. 

I like my leaders about 6ft as I typically have a wind-on leader on the reel itself. You can make the leaders longer if you like but your leader should be at least as long as the fish you plan to catch and a 80lb wahoo can easily be over 5ft in length. 

Tight Lines and send us pictures of your next trophy for the fishing report!