Attaching a lure...

[ELLIS]

I just got into this sport this summer and have only been fishing with my kids from the shore (Ottawa area and eastern Ontario). So it has been the blind leading the blind but with tons of fun.

So here are my questions:

When (and why) do you exclusively tie lures onto the line (I am using the “improved clinch knot”)?

When (and why) do you attach lures with a snap to your line?

When (and why) do you use a ball-bearing snap swivel to attach lures to your line?

[JustinHoffman]

Hey Ellis,

Welcome to the sport - and feel free to ask away with questions like these.

99% of the time I will tie my lures/hooks directly to my line. There are a number of reasons for this:

- more natural appearance (especially useful in clear water, or when fish are finicky

- more feel (a direct lure-to-line approach will offer more sensitivity to the angler, which in turn equals more fish in the boat)

- less chance of weed fouling (swivels can snag vegetation, etc.)

An improved clinch knot is a good one to use. The palomar is another one you might want to try. Very easy to do, and is a very strong and slip-free knot when done correctly.

The one time I may use a swivel is when fishing crankbaits. You often want a bit of "slackness" when fishing lures such as these, as it will give a more natural action to the look of your baits. Tying a tight knot to cranks can often "dampen" the action you are striving for. A snap swivel also allows you to quickly change lures - one thing that happens a lot when using crankbaits as opposed to most other lures.

The ball-bearing alleviates line twist, and is useful for situations when you are trying to overcome this problem. I use both the ball bearing and regular snap, and for the situations I use swivels, I don't believe it makes much of a difference which I use.

If I could offer one bit of advice - choose the smallest swivel you can get away with. This will be the most natural. The weight of large swivels will affect the action of your lures, and will also be more visible to the fish.
A matte black swivel is also your best choice, as it will blend it more to the surroundings, as opposed to those that are shiny brass or silver in colour.

Hope this helps.

Good Fishing,

Justin

[Joey Rat]

Here's my take and it's just that mine. I'm sure you'll get more educated answers and I'll check back and probably learn something myself.

When fishing for bass and tying on hooks I tie directly to my line using a polimar knot. Why? Better action or so I've been told.

I will occassionaly use a snap with a rounded end instead of a Rapala knot to tie on a crankbait that doesn't have a split ring. It's quicker to change lures and allows the lure the freedom to move properly. With split rings I just tie on directly with the polimar knot.

I tend to use barrel swivels instead of ball bearing swivels and usually between my main line and my leader in order to reduce or eliminate line twist. I use snaps attached to leaders when fishing for pike and other toothy critters.

Like I said you'll get more educated answers than mine and you just got one of the best.

[sparky]

I rarely use snap swivels, unless I'm fishing with an in-line spinner, like a Mepps or Rooster Tail, which tends to twist your line. But I almost always use a plain snap, without the swivel. Small ones are nearly weightless, and very inconspicuous. They make it much easier and quicker to change lures (important when you're fishing with the kids -- you don't want to spend the whole day tying knots). I've never noticed much of a difference from tying direct, but some anglers will disagree.

[ELLIS]

Justin, Joey and sparky thanks for you your help and great responses. Your replies fully answer my question.

Cheers

[Bobber]

Enough said I guess on this topic I suppose, but I'll give my 2 cents as well.

In many cases, I believe it's a matter of preference for many. I personally prefer to tie directly whenever I can, if nothing else to at least avoid additional points of failure that you sometimes will get with the use of terminal tackle. If there are instances where I believe a snap or barrel swivel will not impede the action in the rig or lure that I'm using, such as tying on a worm harness or using a leader (which already has a swivel attached), I will tie one on.

I do try to avoid snap swivels as much as possible, since any weakness in the snap may cause you to have a really bad day when you lose that fish and notice your snap somehow got opened or broken. Barrel swivels are much better if you are tying line to line. Barrel swivels are also good for the smaller test lines on lighter gear when fishing for crappy, perch or smaller panfish. The lighter line with the small jigs and grubs can cause your line to twist too much if you don't use a swivel and leader. This results in casts with lighter tackle "blowing up in your face" and many precious hours of trying to get the twists and tangles out from a cast that went bad.

For me, I sometimes use snap swivels when fishing places like Quinte and running deep diving crank baits. I do this sometimes if I feel I'm going to spend a lot of time changing up my baits, but again I try to avoid it as much as possible.

Cheers,

[Steve G]

Spoons will also add a lot of line twist, and snap swivels are a good choice when using them.