How to tie your own wire traces

Pre-made wire traces or 'snap tackle' are okay for beginners and experienced anglers, but making your own traces will give you much more flexibility in terms of strength, length and the materials you can use. This guide shows you how to tie a reliable trace for predator fishing, perfect for mounting a deadbait.

What You'll Need:

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Step-by-Step Guide

Step one: Attach the first hook

There are two main ways of attaching trebles to your wire, you can either tie the hook on or you can crimp it, both work equally well it is just down to angler preference. However, it is good to know how to tie them on should you not have any crimps in your tackle box. (Where this guide uses a knot, replace it with a crimp if that is what you would rather use).

Tie a treble hook onto the wire using a simple overhand knot and ensure the knot is tight. You can use forceps or a pair of pliers to help bed the knot down further if needed. Popular sizes range between 4 and 8 for pike and zander.

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Step two: Heat the wire

Hold the loose end of the wire with forceps. Carefully heat the wire near the knot with the lighter for a few seconds. This is called 'annealing' and makes the wire more flexible, just be careful not to burn yourself or the wire. If you don't have a lighter, you can still tie the trace but it will be slightly more difficult.

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Step three: Twist the wire

Use a twiddling stick to carefully twist the heated wire around the main part of the wire trace. This creates a strong, secure connection. Trim any extra wire and pull gently to tighten everything up. If you don't have a stick, clamp the forceps on the wire as tight as you can and rotate the forceps so they spin around the wire to create a spiral.

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Step four: Prepare the second hook

Cut as much wire as you need off the main spool of wire. Usually around 30-40cm or wire is enough for a trace. After you have cut the trace, thread another treble hook onto this wire. Place the wire around the curve of the first hook's shank (the straight part) to form a loop. Then, wrap the wire a few times around the shank to partially fix the hook to the wire.

Step six: Secure the second hook

Thread the end of the wire through the eye of the second treble hook. This locks it in place. The two hooks should be about three inches apart. This does depend on the deadbait you intend on using, smaller baits require less distance between the trebles whereas larger baits generally require a bit more. You can always get a bait out when tying up your trace and measure where you would like the hooks to sit.

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Step seven: Attach a swivel

Use the same method as steps 1-5 to attach a swivel to the other end of the wire trace. This will help prevent your line from twisting.

Step eight: Mount a bait

When fishing with deadbaits, you can place one treble hook in the tail area of the bait and the other in its flank. As a rule of thumb you want the hook to be hook to be positioned around the middle of the bait you are using. Always use semi-barbless trebles and use the one barbed hook to mount the deadbait.

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