What Is Crimping?
Learning how to crimp monofilament fishing line is a very useful skill — it’s very similar to crimping other line but for now we will focus on monofilmaent. Its purpose is to connect lures, hooks and other terminal tackle to the fishing line or cable when the line is too thick to tie good knots.
Well-executed fishing crimps are a failsafe and slip-free way to secure your gear for even the biggest fish.
Check out some of the most popular crimping tools here at Amazon or our buyer guide for some of the best saltwater fishing crimps and kits from brands such as American Fishing Wire, Jinkai and Hi-Seas. A good crimp can make the difference between celebrating a great catch and losing a big one!
What You Will Need
- Crimpers
- Wire Cutter
- Tackle
Rules
It’s important to note the following rules crimping:
1. When crimping cable, always use copper crimping sleeves.
2. When crimping monofilament, always use aluminum crimping sleeves.
3. Always use a thimble when crimping cable or monofilament. It will prevent the mono from stretching and the cable from kinking. The thimble also improves the performance of the swivel.
How To Crimp Monofilament Fishing Line
- Slide the thimble through the eye of the swivel.
- Put the thimble inside the crimpers and close the thimble. Now the thimble should be closed around the eye of the swivel. It should not be able to escape.
- Slide the crimping sleeve onto the monofilament line.
- Slide the line through the eye of the swivel.
- Wrap the line around the thimble and slide the leader material back through the crimping sleeve. Once you put the leader line back through the crimp, take your pliers and cut a little “mushroom” end onto the end of it. This way, when you slide it back into the crimp, it won’t pull all the way through and out of the crimp.
- Pull the cable through the sleeve so that the trace is 1/8′ in length.
- Next, put your crimping sleeve into your crimper or hand swager.
- Slide the thimble up against the edge of the sleeve.
- Tighten the monofilament around the thimble.
- Place the sleeve in the correct slot size of the crimper, and make sure the sleeve is positioned upright and in the center of the crimper slot; both ends of the sleeve should be extended outside of the slot. This is important because it protects the monofilament from being damaged when it’s crimped which will overall weaken the performance of your leader.
- Crimp the sleeve by closing the crimper. The two edges should look slightly pinched, and there’s a little barrel in-between. Now you can put as much pressure on that as that line will take; the line will break before that crimp connection does.
If you are serious about big game fishing it’s important to know how to crimp properly. When you start catching larger fish over 300-400 pounds your leader is put under immense stress. If our sleeve is not crimped correctly, it’s your weakest link. When you’ve got that fish of a lifetime, you will lose if it if you are not crimping properly!
Tips
- Saltwater crimps are generally made using either copper, aluminum, or brass as they will not react with the saltwater, therefore minimizing damage to your fishing leader. Also, aluminum crimps and sleeves typically form better to monofilament line and fluorocarbon leader, while brass and copper react better with cable. Single barrel crimps are adequate for monofilament line and for smaller fish species, and double barrel crimps give you insurance when using cable. Double-sleeving also allows you to put more space between hook eyes and lures.
- Make sure to use the proper crimping tool. If you are crimping above 250 pounds, you’ll want a big tool. You can get away with a smaller tool if you’re crimping below 250 pounds.
- When you store your crimping tools, they can get rusty very quickly. All you need is an old oven mitt and some lubricant. Spray the lubricant inside the mitt very liberally. When you get done with your day of crimping, take your tools, put them into the mitt, and your crimping tools will never rust again!
- Hopefully you now know how to crimp a mono-filament fishing line. Check out our buyer guide reviews for your saltwater fishing crimps, and secure terminal tackle on your fishing line.