Stan Fagerstrom
11-16-2002, 06:36 AM
The Straight Scoop On Snaps
By Stan Fagerstrom
Many aspects of fishing are confusing to the newcomer just getting into the sport. One such is when and when not to use a snap to attach a lure.
Something as small as a snap may not seem all that important. But sometimes little things do make a big difference. That's true of snaps and snap swivels.
http://www.ifish.net/sfzss.jpg
Always use a snap with a lure like the Zara Spook pictured here.
The Straight Scoop On Snaps
By Stan Fagerstrom
Many aspects of fishing are confusing to the newcomer just getting into the sport. One such is when and when not to use a snap to attach a lure.
Something as small as a snap may not seem all that important. But sometimes little things do make a big difference. That's true of snaps and snap swivels.
Always use a snap with a lure like the Zara Spook pictured here.
Note the illustrations of the Zara Spook that accompanies this column. Some lures, like the Zara Spook pictured here, are best used with a snap. You'll note I said snap, not a snap and swivel. Under no circumstance do you want to use a snap swivel attached directly to a lure like the Zara Spook. Doing so may destroy the action it has. The same thing applies to other delicately balanced lures.
http://www.ifish.net/sfils.jpg
Many leading spinner experts advise not attaching a snap swivel directly to a spinner like this.
There are times, of course, when you will want to use a snap and swivel. In-line spinners provide an example. Perhaps some readers are throwing in-line spinners for steelhead and salmon. I once interviewed one of the top spinner experts in the United States. "Any time you fish a spinner in heavy current," he said, "you can get line twist. But don't attach a snap swivel right to the spinner's line tie to eliminate that twist. Tie a quality ball bearing swivel to the end of your fishing line. Now get yourself about 12-inches of leader. Attach one end of the 12-inch leader to the ball bearing swivel on the end of your line. Now tie the other end of your leader directly to the spinner. That way you've still got the swivel to help prevent line twist, but it's not down there at the eye of the lure to interfere with its action."
http://www.ifish.net/sfsdl.jpg
You'll get the best action out of your spinner by tying it directly to your leader.
This expert, and he's just one I've talked to who had similar opinions, didn't want his spinner flopping around as it does if attached directly to a snap swivel. If the spinner is tied direct to the line, you are always pulling the spinner straight through the water. That results in better action and better action means more fish. But like the rest of us, this expert also didn't want line twist. The way he attaches his snap swivel farther up at the end of his fishing line helps eliminate that problem.
The opposite is true when you're manipulating a lure like the Zara Spook. Experienced anglers after either largemouth or smallmouth bass know a Zara is at its best when you "Walk the Dog" with it. In this technique the lure is made to dance from side to side by flips of the rod tip. Each flip of the rod tip is accompanied by half turns of the reel handle.
You can still manipulate a Zara Spook in this fashion when you've tied your line direct to the lure, but the snap makes it easier. Unlike a spinner where you want the lure to pull straight ahead, now you want the lure to have all the freedom of movement possible. The snap provides it.
Anyone who has read much research on bass fishing has undoubtedly come across the name of Charlie Campbell. This Missouri expert is a topwater bass fishing specialist. He's an artist with the
Zara Spook. I interviewed Charlie once while doing a story for a national fishing magazine. It didn't take long for the subject of snaps to come up.
"I never tie direct to a plug like the Zara Spook," Charlie told me. "I use (see photo) a stainless steel number two or three interlocking snap. If you don't have a snap, use a split ring, but under no circumstance do you want to tie direct to the lure."
Charlie had another reason for using the snap. Having it makes changing lures and lure colors so much easier. Just unpin one lure and attach another. You don't have to fool around cutting lines and retying knots.
I've always felt it's a major mistake to keep using the same lure hour after hour if the fish show no interest in it. Charlie's right about those snaps making it easier to change lures. Many lures come equipped with a split ring for a line tie. You can use the split ring to attach your line if you choose. I don't. The first thing I do with a new lure is remove the split ring. I always tie a snap on the end of my line. All I need do when I want to change lures is unsnap the one I have on and replace it with something else. It only takes seconds to do so.
Don't, as I've seen some newcomers to bass fishing do, hook a snap into the split ring on the lure. Use one or the other. Don't use both.
So how do you determine whether or not you should use a snap? Study the lure you are using. The lighter it is and the more delicate its balance, the less likely it is to work well with a snap. An even better approach is to see if the maker of the lure you are using has published any literature about it. This might be on the box the lure comes in, on a printed slip inside the box or you might find it in the manufacturer's catalog. If you find such literature, study it with care. The only way the lure's maker stays in business is if you and I are successful in catching fish on his product. He's sharing his research, often done at considerable time and expense, in the literature he puts out.
Some crankbaits come with a snap attached. Why do you suppose these fast wobbling little beauties come with a stainless steel snap attached to their line tie? I can tell you. It's because that little snap lets the lure wiggle the way it must to catch fish consistently. It isn't as effective without it and the people who are marketing those lures know it.
Sometimes little things can and do often make a big difference in how many fish we put into the boat. As I've mentioned before, about 10 per cent of fishermen catch 90 per of the fish. I guarantee the anglers who fall into that 10 per cent know when it's best to use a snap. You're not likely to get into that group until you do also.
By Stan Fagerstrom
Many aspects of fishing are confusing to the newcomer just getting into the sport. One such is when and when not to use a snap to attach a lure.
Something as small as a snap may not seem all that important. But sometimes little things do make a big difference. That's true of snaps and snap swivels.
http://www.ifish.net/sfzss.jpg
Always use a snap with a lure like the Zara Spook pictured here.
The Straight Scoop On Snaps
By Stan Fagerstrom
Many aspects of fishing are confusing to the newcomer just getting into the sport. One such is when and when not to use a snap to attach a lure.
Something as small as a snap may not seem all that important. But sometimes little things do make a big difference. That's true of snaps and snap swivels.
Always use a snap with a lure like the Zara Spook pictured here.
Note the illustrations of the Zara Spook that accompanies this column. Some lures, like the Zara Spook pictured here, are best used with a snap. You'll note I said snap, not a snap and swivel. Under no circumstance do you want to use a snap swivel attached directly to a lure like the Zara Spook. Doing so may destroy the action it has. The same thing applies to other delicately balanced lures.
http://www.ifish.net/sfils.jpg
Many leading spinner experts advise not attaching a snap swivel directly to a spinner like this.
There are times, of course, when you will want to use a snap and swivel. In-line spinners provide an example. Perhaps some readers are throwing in-line spinners for steelhead and salmon. I once interviewed one of the top spinner experts in the United States. "Any time you fish a spinner in heavy current," he said, "you can get line twist. But don't attach a snap swivel right to the spinner's line tie to eliminate that twist. Tie a quality ball bearing swivel to the end of your fishing line. Now get yourself about 12-inches of leader. Attach one end of the 12-inch leader to the ball bearing swivel on the end of your line. Now tie the other end of your leader directly to the spinner. That way you've still got the swivel to help prevent line twist, but it's not down there at the eye of the lure to interfere with its action."
http://www.ifish.net/sfsdl.jpg
You'll get the best action out of your spinner by tying it directly to your leader.
This expert, and he's just one I've talked to who had similar opinions, didn't want his spinner flopping around as it does if attached directly to a snap swivel. If the spinner is tied direct to the line, you are always pulling the spinner straight through the water. That results in better action and better action means more fish. But like the rest of us, this expert also didn't want line twist. The way he attaches his snap swivel farther up at the end of his fishing line helps eliminate that problem.
The opposite is true when you're manipulating a lure like the Zara Spook. Experienced anglers after either largemouth or smallmouth bass know a Zara is at its best when you "Walk the Dog" with it. In this technique the lure is made to dance from side to side by flips of the rod tip. Each flip of the rod tip is accompanied by half turns of the reel handle.
You can still manipulate a Zara Spook in this fashion when you've tied your line direct to the lure, but the snap makes it easier. Unlike a spinner where you want the lure to pull straight ahead, now you want the lure to have all the freedom of movement possible. The snap provides it.
Anyone who has read much research on bass fishing has undoubtedly come across the name of Charlie Campbell. This Missouri expert is a topwater bass fishing specialist. He's an artist with the
Zara Spook. I interviewed Charlie once while doing a story for a national fishing magazine. It didn't take long for the subject of snaps to come up.
"I never tie direct to a plug like the Zara Spook," Charlie told me. "I use (see photo) a stainless steel number two or three interlocking snap. If you don't have a snap, use a split ring, but under no circumstance do you want to tie direct to the lure."
Charlie had another reason for using the snap. Having it makes changing lures and lure colors so much easier. Just unpin one lure and attach another. You don't have to fool around cutting lines and retying knots.
I've always felt it's a major mistake to keep using the same lure hour after hour if the fish show no interest in it. Charlie's right about those snaps making it easier to change lures. Many lures come equipped with a split ring for a line tie. You can use the split ring to attach your line if you choose. I don't. The first thing I do with a new lure is remove the split ring. I always tie a snap on the end of my line. All I need do when I want to change lures is unsnap the one I have on and replace it with something else. It only takes seconds to do so.
Don't, as I've seen some newcomers to bass fishing do, hook a snap into the split ring on the lure. Use one or the other. Don't use both.
So how do you determine whether or not you should use a snap? Study the lure you are using. The lighter it is and the more delicate its balance, the less likely it is to work well with a snap. An even better approach is to see if the maker of the lure you are using has published any literature about it. This might be on the box the lure comes in, on a printed slip inside the box or you might find it in the manufacturer's catalog. If you find such literature, study it with care. The only way the lure's maker stays in business is if you and I are successful in catching fish on his product. He's sharing his research, often done at considerable time and expense, in the literature he puts out.
Some crankbaits come with a snap attached. Why do you suppose these fast wobbling little beauties come with a stainless steel snap attached to their line tie? I can tell you. It's because that little snap lets the lure wiggle the way it must to catch fish consistently. It isn't as effective without it and the people who are marketing those lures know it.
Sometimes little things can and do often make a big difference in how many fish we put into the boat. As I've mentioned before, about 10 per cent of fishermen catch 90 per of the fish. I guarantee the anglers who fall into that 10 per cent know when it's best to use a snap. You're not likely to get into that group until you do also.