Crimp Leaders - How to Make Fishing Leaders

Crimp your own Leaders and Save Money

Crimping is easy and an important skill to learn

Learn how to properly crimp leaders with this quick video. Techniques covered work great with mono, cable, and fluoro. Don’t smash your crimps like a noob, gently squeeze them like a pro!

It’s absolutely critical to know how to properly crimp your offshore fishing leaders. This can quickly make the difference between a great day on the water and a sad one. How many guys do you know that have lost fish because a sleeve slipped or because the crimp sleeve smashed the leader material? Has it happened to you? Don’t put yourself through the heartbreak of losing a monster fish because of a bad connection. Use the right tools for the job and the right crimp sleeves and you’ll be good to go.

Crimping is critical and easy to learn. Check out our how-to video and bust out the tackle bag!

How Long Should My Fishing Leader Be?

Depending on the species you’re fishing and whether you're bass fishing, surf fishing or trolling in saltwater, the length of your fishing leader could range from 9 inches to 18 feet.

Items You’ll Need

  • Pliers with side cutters
  • Crimping pliers
  • Crimp sleeves
  • Chafe protection
  • Wire leader
  • Monofilament leader, fluorocarbon, or cable fishing leader line
  • Fishing rod and reel

Purpose of a Fishing Leader

You can use a fishing leader for different purposes. But, the most crucial purposes of fishing leaders for saltwater fishing include:

  • To protect saltwater fish lures and hooks from sharp teeth bites
  • Provides support for using a thinner braided line
  • Long line casting power and capacity
  • Makes the lures and line less visible to the fish

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