Terminal Tackle

Last time, we discussed hooks. In this edition, we will discuss the remaining items in your terminal tackle arsenal. This includes leader, sinkers and swivels. The first thing you need to know about terminal tackle is ‘smaller is better’. In order to catch fish, you first have to entice them to bite your bait. While larger tackle will ensure a greater chance of landing a large fish, smaller tackle will increase your hit ratio. In other words, which is better, catching the only fish that took your bait all day or losing a few fish to catch several. I actually proved this several years ago while fishing at the Juno Beach Pier in Southern Florida. The Snook were everywhere, but they were very shy when it came to hitting the bait. Most of the anglers were using heavy terminal tackle as most experts recommend for large Snook. This included 60 to 80 pound fluorocarbon leader. Each person had caught and landed only one fish with a few landing two. The water conditions were exceptionally clear so the fish were able to see the large leader. Instead of using the standard size leader, I opted for 20 pound fluorocarbon. I was the only one on the pier that hooked eight large Snook and I was successful in landing six. The unfortunate part, however, was that Snook season was closed, so I couldn’t keep any of the fish I caught. But it was still a great day!

In addition to hooks, terminal tackle consists of three main elements. The first is the leader. There are several types of leader to choose from. Monofilament leader is the cheapest, but it has the lowest resistance to breaking and reflects more light than fluorocarbon leader, On the other hand, fluorocarbon leader diffuses light better than monofilament and has a higher resistance to abrasion. It is more expensive, but it could mean the difference between catching fish and not getting a bite all day. For very toothy fish such as Mackerel, Wahoo, Dorado and Tuna, the best leader to use is steel leader. As with all leader, your steel leader should be sized appropriately to match your line strength and the fish you are planning to catch. Leader should be no more than twice the strength of your line. The only exception is if you are fishing with a lure to catch large toothy fish, you may want to use fluorocarbon leader instead of steel to give your lure a more lively presentation, in which case you may need to use heavier leader to prevent the fish from biting through. I have used 60 pound fluorocarbon leader with 20 pound main line with live bait to catch large Bluefish.

Another item on your terminal tackle is the swivel or snap-swivel. These should be matched to your main line strength. If you are using 15 pound main line, your swivel should be approximately 15 pound class. If your swivel is too large, two things will happen. First, you will catch less fish because they will be spooked by the site of your tackle and second, your line will be unable to spin the swivel resulting in excessive line twist. Line twist will cause problems while casting and can cause degradation in line strength. Another safety tip is to never use silver swivels or snaps, especially when fishing in areas that are frequented by Spanish Mackerel. These fish have extremely sharp teeth and love to hit anything that looks shiny. I’ve even caught them while reeling in an empty silver or gold hook.

The last item is the sinker. There are many styles to choose from, depending on the type of rig you are using. The main thing to keep in mind is to use the smallest sinker possible for the conditions. The smaller the sinker, the better chance you will feel the bite of the fish.

I hope you will have a great experience using these techniques during your next fishing trip.

Next time, we will talk about the different types of rigs.