# King Leaders



## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

When you guys rig up your king outfits, do you use a small 3-4' wire leader from the clip to the water, or do you attach one that will reach from the pier all the way to the water, or even to the bottom. I read on here that some guys do that, especially when fishing for cobies. Maybe im confused, but I have only seen the first method. So, how do you guys rig up??

Thanks alot,
Jeff


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## b3butner (Oct 1, 2003)

screamendrag said:


> When you guys rig up your king outfits, do you use a small 3-4' wire leader from the clip to the water, or do you attach one that will reach from the pier all the way to the water, or even to the bottom. I read on here that some guys do that, especially when fishing for cobies. Maybe im confused, but I have only seen the first method. So, how do you guys rig up??
> 
> Thanks alot,
> Jeff


I make my leaders 5 1/2 to 6 ft.


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## MBsandflea (Jun 27, 2004)

Length of my spread arms.


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## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Six footish...With a swivel in the middle. 'Cause that the way a guy who catches lots of kings told me to.....


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## chris storrs (Aug 25, 2005)

swivel to 100 lb mono to swivel(80 lb spro 1.5x)then 12" wire to lb hook


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Thanks guys,
So mainline, to swivel, to 4-6' of brown 27#(I think thats the test) leader wire, to owner 4x 1/0 treble to stinger hook. I think I have all that right. Haywire twist or other?

BTW, I have my senator spooled with 600/20, should I bumb it up to 25 or is 20 cool. I figure w/ 600 I really dont have to worry about the fish breaking it while fighting (use a lighter drag), but it might be too light to keep them away from the pilings.

Stay tuned for my pier cart post. Ill take pics of my king setup and show u guys 

Thanks alot guys,
Jeff


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

A 90# barrel swivel,6' Malin Single Strand Wire,Coffee color,47# or 61# test.In the spring and late fall I use this leader with two #2 4X bronze treble hooks and in the summer,early fall I use it with two #4 4X bronze treble hooks.The #2s are used with blues,spots,and big menhaden while the #4s are used with smaller menhaden and big finger mullet when spanish are in the area.Sometimes I drop down to #6s in summer when the spanish are real picky.I attach the leader to the barrel swivel and the hooks with a haywire twist and barrel rolls.


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## Bassboy (Dec 21, 2003)

This is what i use:30lbs main line 60# shock leader about 50 yds to 150# ball bearing swivel,to about 4-5 foot of 100# mono then to about 10 inches of 60# wire (with an albright knot) with 2 or 3 #4 4x trebles. I like useing the least amount of wire because you its less easy to kink up and so you can use it after a small shark or somethin steals your bait.


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## bluerunner (Jun 30, 2003)

screamendrag said:


> Thanks guys,
> So mainline, to swivel, to 4-6' of brown 27#(I think thats the test) leader wire, to owner 4x 1/0 treble to stinger hook. I think I have all that right. Haywire twist or other?
> 
> BTW, I have my senator spooled with 600/20, should I bumb it up to 25 or is 20 cool. I figure w/ 600 I really dont have to worry about the fish breaking it while fighting (use a lighter drag), but it might be too light to keep them away from the pilings.
> ...


definitely don't need trebles that big. use #2 at the biggest. Also I'd bump up the wire strength a couple notches too. I'd add a shock/wind-on leader to your reel of at least 50lb test to prevent break offs around the pilings too. I run 20 on my Avet for line capacity but i've got about 60 feet of 50lb at the end of it.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

I use 450-500 yds of 30# test on a 4/0(depends on whether or not ya run a shcoker too).I've fished for kings since the 70s and have only seen one king take 400 yards of line and it was off a lady's reel who fishes with a really light drag.And this lady has caught hundreds off piers.Now,if ya hook a silver king,that's a different story.

Also,ditto what bluerunner said about the shock leader if you're worried about the pilings.

Smaller hooks,smaller wire,and smaller hardware,will get you more strikes,especially when the spanish are around.


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## MBsandflea (Jun 27, 2004)

If you're running low on bigger baits and want to at least put something out, use #18 Sevenstrand and the smallest trebles you can find. Tie it just like a king rig but put the hooks closer together and use a finger mullet. Keeps you busy with Spanish when nothing else is around.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

"use #18 Sevenstrand and the smallest trebles you can find. Tie it just like a king rig but put the hooks closer together and use a finger mullet."

I have seen some nice kings caught with that rig,#6 4X trebles,freelined off the side.


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## MBsandflea (Jun 27, 2004)

We usually use this kind of leader on a Jackson rig, but I'll put one on one of my rigs and a king bait on the other. If you do get a king run, which I've seen happen, you have to baby it in but it can be done. Usually the finger mullet gets swallowed whole and you get two good trebles in the mouth. But, as I said, you have to baby it. The smaller leader and tiny trebles increase strikes because they are almost invisible to Spanish, they see bigger leaders and trebles.


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Ok, so smaller hooks, and heavier wire. About the wind on leader, Can you buy them in 50' lengths? Also, does it actually wind on or do you have to buy all that splicing equiptment?? Not too familiar with attaching line to line on a fighting reel.

Thanks alot,
Jeff


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## bluerunner (Jun 30, 2003)

just buy a 1/4 pound spool of 50-80lb test mono, tie a bimini twist in your main line, I actually make a really long double line, then use either a double uni-knot or no name to attach the heavy line to the main line.


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Wow that was quick I figured I would use an inline knot, but you never know. 

Hey what year are you in college? Im a senior in highschool, and looken for a good college where fishing is close, and a major in biology.

Thanks,
Jeff


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## hokieboy (Jan 19, 2006)

Virginia Tech has an excellent Fisheries Science program with great smallmouth and trout fishing around. Little far from the beach but thats wut the breaks are for right?


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## screamendrag (Nov 21, 2005)

Im a saltwater guy at heart, but its a good school and if they have a good program I will look into it  I would like to go to VT for the football games too 

-Jeff


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## hokieboy (Jan 19, 2006)

Jeff thats the reason i came. The football games here are unreal. This place shuts down and during the game the stadium is rockin. I have a friend in the fishery science department. Not alot of students in it but never the less a good major.


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## MBsandflea (Jun 27, 2004)

A simple and quick king leader that doesn't slip when it's tied right is to use Sevenstrand tied to a figure 8 knot on your swivel, then tie your first treble with a figure 8 and do the same with your second treble. These knots cinch down tighter when pulled but don't slip. If you want to use a three hook rig, just slide the leader through the second hook but don't tie it off, then give more space before tying on your stinger. This way, you can adjust the second hook to the size of the bait without having a loop of extra metal hanging over the side of the bait and you'll still have the stinger dangling from the fish or hooked near the anal vent.


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## flathead (Dec 18, 2003)

If you aren't good with a bimini,then back to back uni works or you can use a triple surgeon's loop to a no name(same as a Bristol).


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## bluerunner (Jun 30, 2003)

or a spider hitch to no name


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## fishrulemylife (Jan 20, 2006)

How the heck do you tie seven strand? 

I bought some American Fishing Wire Surflon nylon coated 1x7 leader 90# and on the spool it says "Tie or use AFW Sleeve No. 5 or 6" I just don't get how this stuff can be tied. I used some sleeves and crimped it but it just looks so obvious and I'm thinking it may be a deterant to a fish hitting my bait. The reason I bought it is because I noticed some bending/kinking in my single strand leader from using a bigger size blue fish.

With this all I did was tie a barrel swivel directly to my line and then crimped the 7 strand leader to the other end of the barrel swivel. Then another barrel swivel on the end and then two single stand leaders with my hooks on the end with a haywire twist and barrel rolls.


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## bluerunner (Jun 30, 2003)

use what is called a figre 8 knot....i don't have a link handy though


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## clinder (Mar 2, 2005)

i use my drum rig for a king rig all the time!! cause iffin he bites it i dont mind catchin him.


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