Snap Swivels . To Be Or Not To Be Used.

[seamonkey]

hello. me and a good friend of mine was talking bass fishing at work the other day and he asked why you need so many rods with all these different lures tied on.i simply replied "to have something ready for any situation that might present its self without havig to retie." and then i couldn't believe the words that come out of his mouth next."why not have one pole and snap swivel so you can change lures really fast.".... WOW! the words came out of his mouth and my jaw dropped and instantly turned to a smile. we spent the next four hours discussing this and i would ask every person that would walk by the ultimate question.when was the last time you used a snap swivel while bass fishing. everyone had a great comeback but the best was "didn't those phase out with the rotary phone". it made for a great topic at work but the results were few limited by the amount of people to ask who actually fished. so now i turn the question to you fellow anglers of TU to top off our little poll. all coments are welcome especially if your like me and cant remember what one looks like let alone think of the last time you tied one on the end of your line! thank you for your time and i cant wait to read some results!

To be or not to be used in bass fishing: THE SNAP SWIVEL .

[Jig Man]

If you mean the little brass ones like at Wally World, NO, not for me. I like a locking ball bearing swivel when I am using jigging spoons though.

[SmokeyJ]

Snap swivels? No, don't really use them at all, particularly if you are referring to those junky brass safety-pin style snaps with the barrel swivels.

Snaps? I definitely use them. I fish braided line and hate the waste from cutting off lures, especially since I can get a couple years out of a spool of braid if I'm not cutting off constantly. I use crosslock and mcmahon style snaps because I like their strength.

I don't bother with them when using mono/copoly because I need to retie more often with, anyways. But when I'm fishing braid I'll almost always have a snap tied on.

[rbredefe]

Snaps, maybe. Snap swivels, never.

[Piscivorous Pike]

DUOLOCK style snaps for sure, no swivels. I change baits very often but at the same time I also fish with 11 rigged rods, different 11 for the geography or species I am after; I fish over a 1400 mile spread. Whatever I am casting usually is backed up with a throw back rod for missed strikes and follows.

I have all sizes of duolocks. I match, lines, rods, leaders and snaps by line test. Although I am the inventor of the best braid knot (published In-fisherman March 1995) I now terminate in a loop which is the strongest connection.

I use braid that ends in a 4 inch bimini loop and is connected to a duolock snap with a cat's paw knot also called offshore knot; mostly I use a top shot flourocarbon leader with a loop to loop leader connection like a fly leader is and on the end of the top shot is the Duolock snap! If you wanted to you could just go direct with a loop to lure too, just by passing through the eye and rolling over the loop once, a direct, no snap connection.

Top shots are 6 feet of hollow braid, the end has a loop made by turning the line into itself. The other end has 4 feet of 10 feet of flourocarbon leader shoved up the hollow braid and 6 feet of exposed flourocarbon leader with the Duolock snap on it, titanium is used after the flourocarbon and then the snap if fishing for toothy fish (Pike).

Top shots are from offshore fishing. There is no knot holding the leader and causing the thump through the guides. When the flourocarbon is fed into the hollow line it is held in place like the Chinese finger cuffs made of tubes of braided bamboo. The harder you pull the tighter the line closes down on the leader.

[Braided Line]

They know doubt have a place and lots of folks use them. But for me, I just tie it on and

let it fly. In the early years I used them on just about everything. Have a few now just to lend to other folks.

[seamonkey]

im sorry that i should have described more clearly on what i meant by snap swivel. i do mean the little brass ones. you know the little barrel swivel with a clothes pin on the end that snaps to the lure and then proceeds to hang up on anything and everything there is in the water such as tree branch's, rocks and my favorite GRASS.

dont get me wrong i'm not trying to offend anyone if they use them its just not my cup of tee now. sure i started out with my dad tying one on my line as a child. yes they are good for beginners and children like i was wearing my dad out with wanting a differnt lure on every 20 casts and i do tye them on my sons for the same reason. i just learned one day that i got more control over how much i had to clean grass off the head of the bait without one on the front and less hang ups. we all know how frustraiting it can be to have a sweet cast with a crankbait get fouled upcause the head of the bait looks as if it is a cheeya pet and not a single strand on the hooks. i know this still happens but i belive it is far less without that extra half inch of metal on the front.

i do believe they may have they're situations that they can be used on certain lures such as a buzz bait... in open water. i do use just the barrell swivel for flukes and baits of that nature to cut down on line twists. i just wanted to clarify a little more on my topic and i love the comments. keep them comin in

[flatsrat76]

If you were caught using a snap swivel in Florida on the inshore flats you might get messed with (called a Yankee) or worse if anything can be worse . If I am fishing the flats using braid I will tie on a mono leader 20 to 30 pound test but If I am fishing for Snook I will use 30 to 50 pound test leader due to razor sharp gill plates, plus the will head for any kind of cover or pilings to break you off . I have used a barrel swivel while grouper digging to keep the weight off the hook if not using a knocker rig

Flatsrat76

P.s. Please Don't take the Yankee comment to heart

[JSC]

Small Snap --- interlock ... brass or black #2 or #3 (rosco) in front of a crank bait seems to help it get a little more action ... and lets you change in a hurry. ...... NO SWIVELE (they have there place in live & cut bait Leader Rigs, Carolina Rigging .....

Just not the 2 together

(OK so maybe on certain small In-Line Spinners and then I would want a Ball Bearing).

Some soft plastic swim baits can get improved action with the same type snap.

Everything else NO ....

Just 2 cents worth

JSC

[ROWINGADUBAY]

I some times use them to put on and change spinner blade on large spinnerbaits for muskies but not always I will also use the to rig soft swim baits with a treble hook but none of it is exposed it is buried in the bait .

I also use them to put spinner blades on the back of all kinds of baits and even big suckers!!

I use a split ring to connect the blade to where you would tie your line then use the snap to hook on to the back eye screw or hook eye.

Thanks

George

[JSC]

I some times use them to put on and change spinner blade on large spinnerbaits for muskies but not always I will also use the to rig soft swim baits with a treble hook but none of it is exposed it is buried in the bait .

I also use them to put spinner blades on the back of all kinds of baits and even big suckers!!

I use a split ring to connect the blade to where you would tie your line then use the snap to hook on to the back eye screw or hook eye.

Thanks

George

I left that one off of my list ... I use them a lot for Spinner Bait Blade swivele and the snap makes for some fast changes of Blades .... Use a crane swivel with a small interlock snap.

JSC

Edited February 12, 2010 by JSC