When targeting toothy predators such as kingfish, wahoo, barracuda and sharks, anglers can improve their hookup ratio by bumping up to nickel-titanium leader material. Extremely durable, elastic and difficult to kink, nickel-titanium leader is better than traditional wire in every aspect. To get started you will need some leader material, hooks, crimps and a small crimping tool. Text and Photos by Steve Dougherty / doughertyphotos.com
While some prefer to tie a clinch knot with the titanium leader, a tiny crimp provides a better connection. Place the crimp three to five inches up the leader to give you room to work with.
Instead of creating a simple crimped connection, you'll want to reinforce the rig with an offshore loop. To do this, make an overhand knot and pull tight to create your desired loop size.
Pass the tag end through the hook eye and around the loop.
Pass the leader around the loop once more and then thread both ends through the crimping sleeve.
Crimp with the appropriate sized crimping tool and make sure not to crush the end of the sleeve.
