Leaders and connections such as snaps and swivels also cannot be con­sidered "lures," but they are used with lures and are vital when it comes to catching fish. And most fresh- or salt-water anglers have to tie or make their own leaders. In fact, with increased fishing pressure and more fishermen on lake, river, and ocean, fish are more wary and harder to catch. To hook many of these fish you must use a leader which is not too noticeable between the fishing line and the lure, and after the fish is hooked your leader must hold him without being cut or broken during the fight. Finally, leaders are usually heavier and stronger than the main line in order to absorb shocks of casting. As a general rule, a leader should be stronger than the main fishing line in order to stand the constant rubbing and friction against the guides on the rod and the sand, rocks, and other obstructions in the water.

With the development of nylon by DuPont, a major advance was made in fishing lines and leaders. Nylon monofilament is strong and smooth, resists wear and friction, is waterproof, and is almost invisible. You can buy coils of nylon monofilament in various testing strengths from 1 pound or less up to 120 pounds or more. You'll find that for most fresh-water spinning you'll need nylon leaders testing 6, 8, or 10 pounds. When you are after larger fish you may need 12 or 15 pound test. The leader should test a few pounds more than the main fishing line. For salt-water fishing, nylon monofilament leaders testing 8, 12, 15, and 20 pounds are usually used. Surf fishing or heavy-tackle trolling may require nylon leaders testing 30, 40, or 50 pounds, or more.

The length of the nylon monofilament leader will depend on the tackle you use. Generally, it should be long enough so that when you reel in most of your line and are ready to cast again there are a few turns of the leader on your reel. In other words, the leader should run from the reel to the rod tip and beyond to the lure. When you cast, most of the shock will be ab­sorbed by the stronger leader instead of the weaker fishing line. So, most such leaders will run from 6 ft. for the shorter, lighter spinning rods to 12 or 15 ft. for the longer, heavier spin rods and surf rods. For trolling, such long leaders are of course not needed, and you can usually use shorter ones.

To make nylon monofilament leaders you must know how to tie good, strong knots. A knot is the weakest link in your line or leader. Even a per­fectly tied knot weakens a line, but a wrong or carelessly tied knot can weaken your line or leader by as much as 50 per cent or more. A good knot, properly tied, weakens the line by only 20 per cent or so.

Sailors, riggers, and fishermen use many different kinds of knots. For most fishing needs and for tying leaders, however, only a few basic knots are required, and these are shown in Fig. 135. Nylon knots have a tendency to slip if not properly tied, so care must be taken when tightening the knot. After the knot is formed it should first be pulled up slowly, and then pulled tight. After the knot is tied, do not clip the end off too short. For certain knots it is also a good idea to burn this end with a match or cigarette lighter so that the nylon fuses into a tiny ball.

Here's how to tie the four basic knots shown in Fig. 135. The blood knot (A), also called the barrel knot, is used to join lines or leaders. To tie it, first lap the ends of the lines or leaders. Then twist one end around the line to make three or three and a half turns. Next place the end between the strands and hold them together between your thumb and forefinger. Now wind the other end around the line for the same number of turns, in the opposite di­rection, and place it between the strands. Finally, pull on the two ends to draw the turns closer together. When they bunch up, pull tight on the ends making the knot as small as possible. Then clip off the ends fairly close to the knot.

The perfection loop knot (B) is for tying a loop on the end of your line or leader. Here you take one looping turn around the nylon and hold the lines together between your thumb and forefinger. Then take a second looping turn around the crossing. Next, take the big loop formed by this second turn, pass it through the loop on top, and pull on this big loop until the knot jams. Then clip off the end.

The double thumb knot (C) is another knot which can be used to tie a loop on the end of a line or leader. Here you merely double your leader for a few inches to form a loop and then form a simple overhand knot twice, as shown.

The improved clinch knot (D) is used for tying a leader to a hook, snap, or lure. To tie it, run about three or four inches of the end of the leader through the eye, then double it back and twist it around the leader for several turns. Next, put the end through the opening next to the eye, and, for added secur­ity, run the end through the big loop formed by the nylon. To tighten, pull on the end and slide the turns toward the eye. To finish, just clip off the end.

In order to save fishing time it pays to make up the nylon leaders in ad­vance, tying a loop on one end and attaching a swivel and snap on the other end. Then coil the leader and put it into a separate paper, cellophane, or glassine envelope. It's a good idea to mark the strength of the leader on the envelope somewhere, so you don't get confused later on.

When fishing in fresh water for pike and muskellunge and for many salt­water fish you need a wire leader ahead of the lure to prevent these fish from biting your nylon leader. When surf fishing it's also a good idea to attach a short wire leader to all your lures such as metal squids and plugs. See Fig. 136. Then tie a swivel-snap on your line for changing the lures. Such a short wire leader can run anywhere from 6 to 10 in. in length.

Two kinds of metal leaders are usually used for fishing: the single-strand wire and cable wire. The single strand is made from either tinned piano wire or stainless steel wire. Tinned piano wire is suitable for fresh-water fishing but stainless steel wire is best for salt-water leaders. In fact, stainless steel wire is so inexpensive that it can be used for most of your metal leaders. You can buy it from the mail-order supply houses or in most fishing tackle stores, in coils of 25 feet or longer.

Stainless steel wire comes in various diameters and strengths, from No. 2 which tests about 27 pounds on up to No. 18 which tests about 325 pounds. The lower numbers are used for fresh-water fishing and light salt-water fish­ing; the higher numbers are used for surf fishing and big salt-water fish.

To make metal leaders from stainless steel wire you'll need diagonal cut­ting pliers, flat-nose pliers, and round-nosed pliers. For thinner wire, use the smaller jeweler's round-nosed pliers. For the heavier leaders the larger round-nosed pliers are required.

The whole secret in making wire leaders is learning how to form and twist the eyes on the ends properly. It's surprising how few fresh- or salt­water anglers know how to make a neat, secure eye on a wire leader. Most of the wire leaders are sloppy and often insecure. Many surf anglers and mates and captains on charter boats know how to make good wire leaders. If you can get one of these men to show you how to form and twist the wire leaders you'll soon learn how to make good leaders. By following the instruc­tions and drawings given here, however, and with a little practice, you can learn how to make neat, secure wire leaders.

The first step when making a single-strand wire leader is to clip off a sec­tion of the stainless steel wire. When doing this, you must make allowances for the length of the wire used to form the eyes and the twists. In other words, if you want a wire leader 12 in. long with an eye on each end you will have to start with a section of wire at least 17 or 18 in. long. The longer the end you allow the easier it will be to work with. Experiment at first to see how long a piece you will need; after that, cut all the wire pieces the same length.  Use diagonal pliers to cut the wire into the proper lengths.

To form the eye, grab the wire about two inches from the end with round-nosed pliers (Fig. 137A) and twist the pliers to the right to form a loop (Fig. 137B). Next, grab the end of the loop or eye with a pair of flat-nosed pliers (Fig. 137C). Hold the wire or shift it so that the short end overlaps the main wire on your side. Now, using the right thumb and index finger, hold and twist the two wires at the point where they cross to the right (away  from you), as shown in Fig. 137D. Keep twisting the wire so that both of them interlock for several turns (Fig. 137E). Then make several straight twists of the wire so that it looks as in Fig. 137F. The remaining short length of wire should be at right angles to the main wire. To break it off, simply bend it sharply toward the eye, then back, then once again and  it will break off clean. This is important, because if you use pliers to clip it off it will leave a short, sharp stub which will cut your fingers.

Instead of using pliers to form the eye of the wire leader you can make up a small, handy jig to do this. Just get a dowel or broomstick handle or similar round wood and cut off about three inches. Then drill a hole in one end so that you can drive in a nail. The thickness of the nail will depend on the size of the eye you want. For small eyes use a thin nail, and for the larger eyes use a thicker diameter nail. In fact, it's a good idea to make up two or three jigs of various diameter nails for making different-sized loops.

After this nail is driven into the center of the wood, take a small screw and screw it in next to this nail, about 1/16 in. away. To form an eye in a wire, simply place it between the nail and the screw and twist it. The jig and how it is used is shown in Fig. 138. Of course, the jig does only part of the job. After you remove the wire from it you complete the eye by making the twists described above.

The other kind of wire used for making leaders is the cable type, usually twisted or braided from many fine strands of stainless steel. This cable wire is very flexible and doesn't kink as readily as the single-strand wire. It comes bare or covered with nylon. To use this wire for leaders you need special crimping pliers and brass or copper sleeves, both of which are shown in Fig. 139. To make a loop or eye, slip the end of the wire through the sleeve until it protrudes about an inch and a half on the other end. Then double the end of the wire back through the sleeve to form the loop or eye. See Fig. 139. The sleeve is then pinched or crimped with the crimping pliers. When using nylon covered cable it's a good idea to remove the nylon at the point where the sleeve covers it. If you want a swivel or snap on the end of the leader, slip it on the loop or eye before you double the wire into the sleeve.

Such leader crimping kits with the pliers, sleeves, and cable wire can be ordered by mail, and can also be bought in many fishing tackle stores.

Various kinds of snaps, swivels, and other connections are often required in fresh- and salt-water fishing. Of course, you can tie nylon leaders directly to the lures, and this is most effective in clear water or when fishing for wary fish. When changing lures, however, this often takes too much time and effort, so most anglers resort to some kind of snap and swivel on the end of the leader. Such snaps and swivels can be bought in most fishing tackle stores.

You can also make your own quick-change locking snaps with little trouble, using stainless steel single-strand wire. Use the finer wire for fresh­water snaps and heavier gauges for salt-water snaps. For the fresh-water snaps use the small round-nosed pliers. Form an eye, as described in the sec­tion above on making leaders, but slip on a barrel swivel before you close this eye permanently by making about two twists. Next, grab the wire with the round-nosed pliers about a half inch or so from the eye. The actual dis­tance will depend on the size of the snap you want. Now make a round bend at this point, turning the wire toward the eye. Next, grab the wire again with the pliers, near the eye, and make a sharp bend to force the wire back toward the twists next to the eye. Finally, take the short end of the wire with pliers and form a catch. In other words, the wire starts from the eye, runs straight for a half inch or so, curves to form a round end and runs back parallel, curves sharply, and meets itself. The drawings in Fig. 140 will show the various steps in forming the snap-swivels.

Snap-swivels in various sizes for fresh- or salt-water fishing can be made up in advance, say during the winter months, for the coming fishing season. They are much cheaper than those you buy in a fishing tackle store, and they are just as strong and efficient. Most important, if you lose a few of them while fishing they are easily replaced at little cost.

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