THE TARPON 103 



and as they can bite through such a leader, neither time nor 

 line are lost before they regain their freedom. Then, too, most 

 guides believe that a tarpon will reject the bait on attempting 

 to gorge it, when it feels the metallic leader. The wire leader 

 is generally used in other methods of fishing. It consists of a 

 single strand of wire straightened and tinned. 



Five or six feet of single wire made up in two equal sec- 

 tions connected by a swivel with a swivel at the line end would 

 seem to be appropriate for tarpon fishing. The interior swivel 

 serves to prevent the leader from kinking. The guides, how- 

 ever, frown upon the use of the middle swivel connecting the 

 sections of the leader. They may be right. The tackle makers 

 claim to treat the wire with a rust proof process which length- 

 ens its life, but one generally loses or discards leaders before 

 rust can affect their strength. I prefer leaders about five feet 

 in length. 



If one cares to make a test it will be apparent that a good 

 leader will sustain many times the maximum weight it will 

 ever be subjected to, provided it is free from kinks. 



I once purchased from a well-known dealer some mounted 

 leaders made from so-called special leader wire, and sent 

 them to be tested at the laboratory of the American Steel & 

 Wire Company, at Chicago. I submitted some leaders kinked 

 as they sometimes become in fishing and one with an over- 

 hand knot. I also bruised one or two. I set forth the report. 

 " (1) The micrometer measurement of the wires shows 

 that they average .029 in., corresponding to piano wire of 

 No. 12 gauge. The wire, however, is much inferior to 

 piano wire in tensile strength, and in ability to take 

 bends and twists. We judge it to be rather low grade 

 spring wire. 



(2) The small soft wire links which are placed on the 

 end of each wire were found to pull out straight whenever 

 a tension of from 30 to 40 lbs. was put on the assembly. 



