Razerguard Haywire Twist

Author: josh

Category: Kayak fishing tackle

Published on Thursday, 11 August 2011 18:31

Written by Josh

Ever since arriving in the Nth Coast of NSW there have been many times I've resorted to using wire leaders in order to reduce expensive and heart-breaking bust-offs, typically tied on when my 'Spidey-sense' detects the presence of tailor, mackerel and above all, sharks. It really does help to, though there have been times when wire has let me down as well. This has been partly due to poorly crimped wire, but also in reduced hook up rate, due I suspect to the high visibility of the multi-strand wires I have used, reaching this assumption due to observing results by simultansouly trolling 2 lines, one with wire (multistrand), the other with mono running right through to lure. The former was mostly ignored by the fish that were otherwise freeling biting at (and often right off) the other, usually the very same type of lure. 

I've had much better hook up results with single strand wire, though it's been my experiments with single strand wire that have resulted in some crimping failures. Thats why I then went on to experiment with knottable single strand wire but have never really been terribly confident in it ever since it was originally demonstrated to me. A tackle-store staffer showed me how to tie the knot and as soon as he yanked it to elucidate it's strength it sprung free and left him a little red faced. I did buy a roll of it though and did catch some fish succesfully with it to, but I also had those knots give in under snags much sooner than I was expecting, so I shelved that experiement.

So I was quite attentive when Mayfly recently introduced me their new pre-rigged & re-usable single-strand Razerguard Haywire Twist leaders. I've always liked the idea of the Haywire twist, but hat the idea of trying to tie it on a kayak with wet and cold hands. The Razerguard system gets around that problem quite nicely with a solution that simplifies the whole thing by providing a pre-made haywire twist that incorporates a small sliding sleeve, which is the surrogate barrel wrap over the tag. The great thing about this system - apart from the fact that it requires no knot-tying at all, it allows you to easily undo the haywire twist by simply sliding off the sleeve and unwinding the wrap. Thus unlike the traditional Haywire twist, the Razerguard version is a snap to undo in order to switch lures. Of course, I had to have them!

I'll report back on how they perform when I've had a chance to put them through the wringer for a bit. My confidence is high that the results will be good. Here's Mayfly's take on the Razerguard Haywire Twist: 

Single-strand wire has long been recognized as the most effective defence against the nasty-toothed species such as mackerel, wahoo and barracuda. Single-strand stainless-steel wire is finer than multi-strand wire of equal breaking strength and thus less obtrusive in the water. And unlike multi-strand wire and its nylon-coated variety, single-strand wire doesn’t require specialised tools such as crimping pliers to form a loop – merely the ability to form a haywire twist. For many anglers though, forming a haywire twist can present a challenging exercise. 

Now Razor Guard, a re-usable bite guard leader, ideal for use with lures, flies and hooks has solved this problem. Razor Guard features a permanent haywire twist with an “Action Ring” at the line-end for easy connection to the main line and a pre-formed re-twistable haywire twist at the hook-end.  To quickly change lure, fly or hook you simply slide the nylon sleeve off the twist, unfurl the twist, replace the lure, fly or hook and re-twist the haywire then slide the sleeve back down over the twist. Easy!

The wire used in Razor Guards is Mason’s toughened single-strand stainless-steel wire extruded in the USA, and coloured brown to minimise reflection.

Razor Guard Bite Guard come in the following lengths/breaking strains:
6” length (6 per packet) – 69lb, 88lb, 105lb12” length (5 per packet) – 69lb, 88lb 105lb18” length (4 per packet) – 69lb, 88lb, 105lb
Razor Guard sells for around $15 a packet.

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