The only wire knot you really need is the haywire twist, the connection I use to tie solid single-strand wire to a hook for any fish with teeth. If you are chasing barracuda, mackerel, wahoo, sharks, or anything else that can bite through mono, you have to fish wire, and the haywire twist is the one connection that holds when it is tied right. On this How 2 Tuesday I show you exactly how I tie it, why I use pliers, and the finishing trick that keeps the tag end from slicing your hand open.
Watch now: press play in the player above and follow along.
For solid single-strand wire, the haywire twist is the connection I rely on. It is the one main knot for tying solid wire to a hook, and tied correctly it will not slip. Some people prefer braided coated wire with crimps or different knots, and I like coated wire for some light applications, but for solid wire the haywire twist is the answer.
A haywire twist slips when the twists are not spread out wide and even. The fix is in the technique: cross the wires, push your thumb down toward the pliers so the wire spreads out, and keep the twists wide as you turn them together. Do that for about six twists, then finish with four or five tight barrel wraps that sit next to each other without overlapping. Wide, even twists are what make it hold.
No, you do not need pliers. Plenty of people tie a haywire twist beautifully by hand, and commercial mackerel fishermen are faster with their hands than I will ever be with pliers. I use my Danco pliers because after tying thousands of these I just make a cleaner, prettier, more consistent twist with them, and I am faster that way. Use whatever gives you the best knot.
Do not cut it off with pliers or a cutter, because that leaves a razor-sharp stub that will slice your hand when you grab the leader on a hot fish. Instead, bend the tag end down toward the hook to kink it, then turn it like you are cranking a reel handle until it breaks off. That leaves a smooth connection with no sharp edge to cut you.
Because your hand contacts that end as you slide down the leader to land a fish. If there is a sharp tag end there and the fish surges, it will cut you like a razor. A clean haywire twist to a swivel gives you a smooth connection that just slides through your hand instead of cutting it, which is why I finish wire leaders with a swivel on the line side.
If you are fishing anywhere there are fish with teeth, you eventually have to learn wire. You can sometimes sneak a few barracuda or mackerel on mono, but if you want to catch them consistently, wire is not optional. I fish solid single-strand wire, usually around 40 pound test for general work. I keep a spool of stainless offshore wire and tie up a whole batch of rigs in advance so I am ready when the bite is on. Press play in the player above to hear how I store and rig it.
This is the part people skip, and you only skip it once. If you cut the tag end with a cutter, you leave a tiny stub that is as sharp as a razor blade. Grab that leader on a surging fish and it will open your hand up, so I never cut it. I kink it down toward the hook and crank it off like a reel handle so it breaks smooth. Pair that with a swivel on the other end and the whole leader slides safely through your hand. I show the motion in the player above.
Once the haywire twist to the hook is dialed in, the next question is how to connect that wire to your line. On the next How 2 Tuesday I tie the wire two different ways and test them against each other: a haywire twist to a swivel, and a wire-to-line Albright knot, which is a popular choice for this kind of fishing. Press play to see where this leads.
If you only learn one wire connection, make it the haywire twist, and learn to tie it well. Wide twists, tight barrel wraps, and that break-off finish are the whole ballgame.
Practice it at home until it looks clean every time, and finish your leaders with a swivel so nothing in your rig can cut you on a good fish. Then come back for the test episode. Press play in the player above.
haywire twist · solid single-strand wire · barracuda · mackerel · wahoo · sharks · Albright knot · swivel · Danco pliers · How 2 Tuesday · Tom Rowland Podcast
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill at a time, from knots and rigging to gear and tactics, in short focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Tom Rowland Podcast — Episode 928: Tom Rowland (solo, How 2 Tuesday)
In this episode: why you have to fish with wire for barracudas, mackerels, wahoo and sharks, the one main connection for solid wire — the haywire twist — why I tie it with my Danco pliers after literally tying thousands of these things, keeping the twists wide so the knot will not slip, and breaking off the tag end so it doesn't cut your hands like a razor blade — in the exact words spoken.
Tom Rowland: If you want everything you need to take care of your boat, StarBright's got the solution. It's called boat care in a bucket. That's right. One three and a half gallon bucket packed with essentials, vinyl bright, deck cleaner, marine polish, a wash mitt, hull cleaner, and boat wash. That one kit will keep any boat clean and protected, but that's just the start.
Tom Rowland: I also use StarBright's salt off, which is incredible for rinsing salt off after a day on the water. Their brushes and cleaning products work just as well on your RV and patio furniture and anything else that lives outside. It is a company that gives back. That's one of the things that I really like about StarBright. StarBright supports marine conservation through Project Sea Safe, and that means a lot to me personally.
Tom Rowland: You're getting performance and purpose. Visit starbrite.com. That's starbrite.com, and get your boat dialed in for the season. From The Seychelles to The Keys, I trust Nikon binoculars to find fish fast. Visit nikonusa.com and upgrade your line of sight.
Tom Rowland: I thought I was covered, but I wasn't. HH Insurance showed me that my old policy did not cover The Bahamas or nighttime navigation, two major gaps that could have cost me a lot. Jake and Landon fixed it fast. They know charter policies better than anyone I've ever worked with. Call (727) 498-5551 or visit hhinsgroup.com and tell them Tom Rowland sent you.
Tom Rowland: Trusted enough to go with me to The Seychelles, my Danco pliers are a staple in my kit. Check out dancopliers.com and build yours today.
Tom Rowland: What's going on, everybody? This is the Tom Rowland podcast brought to you by StarBright, and today, we're doing how to Tuesday brought to you by Danco. We're talking about solid wire. If you're fishing anywhere with any fish that have teeth, this would include barracudas, mackerels, wahoo, sharks, all kinds of fun stuff like that and more, you have to fish with wire. Occasionally, you can catch a few of these fish on monofilament, but if you're gonna be catching many of them at all, you have to learn how to fish with wire.
Tom Rowland: My opinion is that solid wire is the best. Some people like braided coated wire. I do like that for some things, light applications, and some people do find those knots to be a little bit easier to tie. But there is one main connection for solid wire.
Tom Rowland: And when I say solid wire, I'm talking about this right here. This is a spool of solid wire. This is the Offshore Angler brand. This says it's 43 pound test. It is stainless steel wire.
Tom Rowland: So what I like for kind of universal general fishing is about 40 pound test. When you're getting ready to go fishing for fish that have big teeth and you're going to need a lot of rigs, you're gonna wanna tie a whole bunch of rigs in advance and have them stored in a diff in a couple of different ways. Many people store them differently than I do, but I will just typically, just roll roll them up. So if I have a leader like this, I'll just not kink it, but just take a low a a a loose turn, one, two of those, and you can keep these in a tackle box or somewhere where they're they're handy.
Tom Rowland: The way that we are going to tie the solid wire to the hook is with a knot called the haywire twist. And if you don't want to lose fish because the haywire twist slips, all you have to do is tie it basically the way I tie it. Now I use pliers. I use my Danco pliers to hold the wire. Not everyone does it that way.
Tom Rowland: And the reason that I do it that way is because I've literally tied thousands of these things, And I have found that I tie a much better, prettier, cleaner, neater haywire twist with pliers than I do without. It's not that the ones that I tie without pliers aren't strong, but I just like it better. I'm actually faster with it. And there'll be a ton of comments that say you don't need to use pliers. And you're right.
Tom Rowland: You do not need to use pliers. Lots of people are super fast with their hands and faster than I am with pliers. Great. They those guys are, you know, commercial mackerel fishermen. I'm never gonna be able to tie a haywire twist as fast as of a commercial mackerel fishermen.
Tom Rowland: They literally tie thousands and thousands and thousands of them in one season. So they'll tie as many as I've ever tied in one season.
Tom Rowland: So let's talk about how we're gonna do the haywire twist. I'm gonna hold the the the wire in my right hand my the hook in my left hand. I'm gonna put the wire through the eye of the hook. What I like to do is I like to put my pliers right there and pinch the size of the loop that I want. I'll hold the pliers firmly and then the thing that I'm going to do is I'm gonna cross these wires and I'm gonna push my thumb all the way down towards the pliers.
Tom Rowland: And what that does is it spreads the wire out and turning them together like this, making sure that you're keeping them very wide will make for not only a beautiful little knot, but one that will not slip. So I'll do this six times. I'm going to take the tag end and I'm gonna take it to a right angle of the the standing line. Now I'm gonna wrap with my thumb and we're gonna finish this off with four or five barrel turns that are tight together, not overlapping one another.
Tom Rowland: Now, as I have this, there is something that is very, very important especially on the other end of the line where you're going to be handling the leader. And that is that you don't necessarily want to cut this off with your pliers or your cutting tool because it will leave an incredibly sharp little stub of a tag end. And if you put that if if you're grabbing the leader and the fish pulls hard and that leader goes through your hands, it will literally cut your hands like a razor blade. You'll only do it once before you learn this trick. So the way that we do this is we take I take my pliers.
Tom Rowland: You can certainly do this with your hand and I will bend it down towards the hook first and I'm kinking the wire right there at the at the hook. And then I'm gonna turn this like I'm turning the handle of a spinning reel and it will just break off. And when it does break off, it will leave a smooth connection here. It's very important if you also tie a haywire twist on the other end of the line to attach a swivel because your hand will be in contact with this as you are going down to land the fish. The fish surges away.
Tom Rowland: If you have that tag end, it will cut you. If you do not have that tag end, it will just slide right through your hand. So that's how you wanna do it. That is the haywire twist.
Tom Rowland: Next, we're gonna tie the wire to the line, and we're gonna do it in a couple of different ways and test them against one another. And that is going to be the wire to a swivel, and we also are going to test the wire to a very popular knot for this type of fishing, and that is the wire to an Albright knot. So I'm gonna show you how to do that on the next how to Tuesday. Make sure you come back.
Subscribe to get the latest episodes, show notes, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.