bluefish: fluorocarbon + wire leaders – what’s your setup?

[MexicanGulf]

Slow trolling live bait for bluefish: fluorocarbon + wire leaders – what's your setup?



Hey Guys,
I'm setting up for slow trolling live bait targeting bluefish.
As you know, their teeth will slice straight through mono or fluoro, so a short wire bite leader (20–30 cm) is a must.
Here's where I'd love your input: what's the best way to connect fluorocarbon to wire for this kind of fishing?
From what I've researched, I see two main schools of thought:
The classic fluoro → micro swivel → wire (single-strand with haywire twist, or multi-strand/7×7 crimped).
The "stealth" approach with a direct knot like the Albright Special to connect fluoro straight to knotable wire (titanium or coated 7×7).
On the terminal side, people seem split between:
Haywire twist for single-strand stainless.
Modified figure-8 knot for titanium or multi-strand knotable wire.
Since I'll be fishing slow-trolled live baits, I'm trying to balance:
Reliability – bluefish don't forgive weak links.
Bait action – I want the live bait to swim naturally, not stiff behind a rod of wire.
Ease of use on the boat – something I can tie/redo quickly without too much hassle.
👉 So my question to you guys is: how do you rig your wire leaders for slow trolling live baits for bluefish?
Do you stick with the swivel + haywire/crimp setup for max security, or go straight fluoro → wire for a cleaner presentation?
And has anyone here had good long-term results with titanium knotable wire compared to classic stainless single-strand?
Would love to hear your real-world experiences—what wire type, length, and connection method has worked best for you when slow trolling live baits for bluefish?
Thanks in advance, I think this could help a lot of us dialing in the perfect rig for this style of fishing.

[oldmanjoe]

 For slow trolling live bait ,I like about 24-36 inches of stainless steel wire to a barrel swivel than mono main line .        After hooking up and getting the fish in the boat , I now have the option to cast into the school with the short leader wire and bait .

[MexicanGulf]

Does anyone have any advice for me? 

[oc1]

How about knotable wire tied directly to the fluorocarbon with an Alberto Knot.

[MexicanGulf]

I will evaluate this knot that you kindly recommended to me 

[Cuttyhunker]

Blues are vicious, certainly not leader shy.