Hard to fish in stilettos, say (5)
I believe the answer is:
heels
'stilettos say' is the definition.
(I know that stiletto is a type of heels)
'hard to fish' is the wordplay.
'hard' becomes 'h' (abbreviation used in pencil classifications).
'to fish' becomes 'eels' (eel is a type of fish).
'h'+'eels'='HEELS'
'in' is the link.
(Other definitions for heels that I've seen before include "Tilts to one side" , "Leans, lists or tilts" , "leans to one side" , "Foot parts" , "Parts of shoes" .)