Stronger than Steel

Steve Dougherty

Are new age titanium leaders everything manufacturers claim them to be?

With increasing fishing pressure and rising fuel prices, anglers are constantly on the hunt for an advantageous edge. When targeting sharp-toothed predators like sharks, barracuda, wahoo, king and Spanish mackerel, most anglers currently employ single-strand stainless-steel wire rigs that more often than not, must be re-rigged or discarded after each catch.

While there is no disputing the fact that stainless-steel leader gets the job done, when time is an issue, competitive anglers cannot afford to stop fishing to re-tie a leader. This is when new age titanium leaders with their versatility and ease of use come into play.

Nickel-titanium in particular, scientifically referred to as NITINOL, is a non-corrosive shape memory alloy material developed by the U.S. Naval Ordinance Laboratory. Originally designed for use in the nose cones of Navy missiles, and currently used in both the aerospace and medical industry, it was recently discovered that like titanium, nickel-titanium has a place in the angling world as well.

Florida Sport Fishing
Perhaps the best reason to switch is due to the fact that titanium leaders are extremely durable and much more difficult to kink...

With either material, there are many advantages to using titanium leader over conventional stainless-steel wire. Perhaps the best reason to switch is due to the fact that titanium leaders are extremely durable and much more difficult to kink than traditional steel leaders. This means you will inevitably lose less fish. You can bend and fold these leaders and they will spring back to their original shape with practically zero memory. Another reason to switch is due to the fact that titanium leaders offer controlled stretch, and their lightweight and nimble design will not affect your artificial or natural offerings real life action. With 10 to 15-percent stretch, titanium leaders offer a level of shock resistance; enabling protection against savage strikes and therefore increasing the odds of a solid hook-set. Thanks to their natural color and non-glare finish, titanium leaders also offer amazing stealth in nearly any environment.

On the down side, foot-per-foot, titanium leader material is substantially more expensive than typical stainless single or multi-strand leader wire. And while titanium leader is knottable, tying a simple knot can be a challenge, especially in the heavier classes. However, tying knots is, in fact, possible and becomes substantially easier after you get accustomed to working with the material.

Florida Sport Fishing
Available in coils of single and multi‑strand as well as pre-made rigs, titanium kink and corrosion-resistant leaders are becoming increasingly popular amongst Florida’s tournament pros − most of which choose to crimp rather than tie

Similar to the manufacturing process of monofilament or fluorocarbon leader material, titanium leader manufacturers incorporate various heat and chemical treatments into the extrusion process to give their brand certain differentiating properties. Titanium leaders are available in single-strand and multi-strand, with Terminator Lures offering a 15-strand version. While single-strand titanium leader has a thinner diameter than multi-strand, the latter is much more supple.

When rigging titanium leaders a haywire twist commonly used with single-strand stainless-steel wire cannot be used, however, knots can be tied in a similar manner as monofilament. While tying knots with titanium is indeed challenging, as previously mentioned, it can be accomplished. Perhaps the best knot to tie is a standard clinch knot. When you have completed tying your knot it will appear loose but have faith, the knot will not slip. Another option is to make a crimped connection, but when using small diameter leaders it is often difficult to make a solid crimp due to the titanium’s ultra-thin, ultra-smooth surface.

When the fishing is slow, stealth, natural appeal and scaling down your terminal gear may be the only ways to entice savage strikes from toothy predators. This is when you want to have a new age titanium leader on the end of your line.

Knots to Use With Titanium Leaders

Clinch Knot: Used to attach titanium leader to hook, lure or swivel.

Pass the leader through the hook, lure or swivel eye while leaving a few inches of the tag end to work with.
Double back the leader and make four or five-turns around the mainline.
Pass the leader through the first loop you created near the eye, but do not make an improved clinch.
Pull on the hook and leader simultaneously until you feel the stretch in the leader.
When completed, your knot will appear loose, however, you must have faith that the knot will hold.

Albright Knot: Used to attach titanium leader to monofilament.

Create an open-ended loop in the titanium leader.
Pass the monofilament line through the loop then neatly wrap the line around itself 10-times.
Pass the tag end of the monofilament through the same loop you created in the wire at the beginning of the knot.
To tighten the knot, pull tight and clip the tag ends. Be sure the coils do not wrap over themselves when tightening.

Titanium Leader Manufacturers