How To Tie Wire

By Captain David T. Tilley

Saltwater game fishing brings with it some new challenges for those that are used to fishing in fresh water. One of those challenges is tying with wire. Game fish for the most part are predatory fish. They simply hunt and eat other fish, their mouths full of super sharp teeth just looking to cut some unsuspecting prey into edible bites. Those same sharp teeth are the reason that Saltwater Game Fishing requires one to learn this skill. The good news it that it is much easier than it looks. Unlike tying lines , wire tying involves really only A couple of knots. The haywire twist is the most widely used. Once you have mastered this knot move on to the rest. The Haywire twist with lighter wires, say up to 40lbs can be tied by hand but heaver wire I suggest in an EZ Twist or good pliers. For the sake of our discussion we are tying 32 lb coffee wire bare handed.

The idea in the Haywire Twist is to get the wire in the first 5 passes to wrap around itself. NOT one wire wrapped around the other. You want the wire to look like a corkscrew. Like this:

Form the size loop that you wish to make and place your index finger and thumb where the wire crosses over itself. 

You want both wires coming out of your fingers at 45 degree angles to each other. 

Now with your index finger and thumb twist 5 times. 

At the end of your 5th twist let the short end of the wire ride up on the standing part of the wire. If done correctly you will have 5 turns on the wire and at the end of the twist the standing part comes out straight with the short end wrapping around it.

Now we must put at least 3 barrel twists to lock the wire together. A barrel twist is exactly what you where trying to avoid when you started the twist.

You want the standing end to be dead straight and the bitter end to wrap tightly around it at least three times. 

With the left over wire make a crank by bending the wire as shown above. Grab the crank and run it around in a circle so that it breaks cleanly. Do not cut this piece, make sure that you break it. If you cut it , it will leave a sharp edge that will snap in your hand the first chance it gets. This feels real good with a 20 lb king thrashing around on the other end.

Tight Lines and Slight Seas