JimR Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Hey all, I'm new to river smallie fishing but it only took one outing out on the Kish about 3 months ago to get me completely twitterpated with it. I'm a convert (grew up fishing Wisconsin lakes), and well, theres just no good public lakes around here short of an hour drive. My question is; do you just bite the bullet and retie 12 times a day, and do you think that a swivel destroys the action of lures in the current? I'm use to bringing a few rods with me to the lake and just grabbing one, and that doesn't work when your wading up/down stream a mile. Thanks for your help. Great community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Manthe Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 In my opinion, swivels are bad when smallie fishing. Number one, its can mess up the action of some lures, and other lures not. Number two, it is good to retie that many times. When smallie fishing you are oftrn around a lot of cover, including rocks and trees, and this will put some nicks in the line which will cause the line to break when you got that big one on. So basically I don't want to lose my lure and a fish so I retie every time I change. Ron Manthe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev-mo Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Duolock snaps. Just the snap not snap swivel. Occasionally I'll have one open when fishing with plastic but other than that I like them. You still need to retie now and again depending how your fishing (bumping the bottom with cranks). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm M Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 snapswivels if using straight shaft spinners like mepps, etc. snaps or direct tie for all else. retie often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Duolock snaps. Just the snap not snap swivel. Occasionally I'll have one open when fishing with plastic but other than that I like them. You still need to retie now and again depending how your fishing (bumping the bottom with cranks). I agree. I always have a snap on, even with plastics, even with buzzbaits with the open tie-on spot. Sometimes I even use a super small snap when fly fishing so I can fish from top to bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jude Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Hey all, I'm new to river smallie fishing but it only took one outing out on the Kish about 3 months ago to get me completely twitterpated with it. P.S. Welcome to the forums, but did you say twitterpated?!? If you continue to use words like "twitterpated" you may be banned. Or just laughed at behind your back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Trybul Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 Isn't twitterpated from the movie Bambi? The part when spring is there and they get distracted by the females. What's that have to do with smallmouth fishing rivers? There was one time I was fishing the kish and 3 young ladies floated by in a canoe. They decided to get out and stretch their legs on a sandbar just downstream. One was wearing a thong. That's the only combination of twiterpated and smallmouth fishing I can come up with. As far as changing baits, I try to bring 2 rods and my 3rd grip rod holder. If you have 2 good lures, 1 that can cover the surface/subsurface and 1 that can get to the bottom, you should be good to go. There is no magic bait to keep retying and trying for. Its more about being in the right place at the right time with the right kind of presentation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Ferguson Posted September 15, 2010 Report Share Posted September 15, 2010 I use in-line spinners a lot and never use a swivel. I don't see any more line twist using spinners than any other lure. I never use mono so that may have something to do with it. When I have more than one rod with me, one of them always has some sort of plastic tied on directly and the other has a snap for cranks/topwaters/spinners/etc. It just makes lure changing so much easier especially when wading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted September 16, 2010 Report Share Posted September 16, 2010 Here's an article I wrote on the subject of changing lures quickly and Snaps: Smallmouth Fishing is a 'Snap'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm M Posted September 16, 2010 Report Share Posted September 16, 2010 Isn't twitterpated from the movie Bambi? The part when spring is there and they get distracted by the females. What's that have to do with smallmouth fishing rivers? There was one time I was fishing the kish and 3 young ladies floated by in a canoe. They decided to get out and stretch their legs on a sandbar just downstream. One was wearing a thong. That's the only combination of twiterpated and smallmouth fishing I can come up with. As far as changing baits, I try to bring 2 rods and my 3rd grip rod holder. If you have 2 good lures, 1 that can cover the surface/subsurface and 1 that can get to the bottom, you should be good to go. There is no magic bait to keep retying and trying for. Its more about being in the right place at the right time with the right kind of presentation. pictures ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffD Posted September 16, 2010 Report Share Posted September 16, 2010 For me, it comes down to whether I'm using monofilament or braided line. With mono I can break or cut the line so quickly, tie a nice improved clinch knot, and be ready to go almost as fast as I could use the snap. With braided line it's very different, especially because I need to tie a palomar knot with it, to avoid knot failures I've experienced with the improved clinch. It takes much longer to deal with the braided line in general, and a snap is preferable in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rprice Posted September 17, 2010 Report Share Posted September 17, 2010 I agree with Ron M regarding the value of changing that last 2 feet of line frequently due to cuts and scrapes from rocks and other debris. So I've taken to using a 6lb fluorocarbon leader (about 6-8 feet) at the end of 6 lb braided line. That braid is so tough I can't break it no matter what I do, but it doesn't tie as well to my lure and really annoys me when I need to break off a snag and can't. In such cases I often loose the entire leader but that's still a pretty simple fix and rarely have to tie on a new leader more than once per day-trip. At such times, I'm usually getting tired and it affords a good chance to stop and just think a bit about how I'm approaching the fish. I tie the leader to the braid with a modified surgeon's knot adding 3 more "pass through"s (for a total of 5). I use the Palomar knot for my jig or lure. Such a quick knot to tie, I find I can tie it faster than messing with those itty-bitty swivels anyway. I love the feel I get from the braid and the quick and certain hook set. Best of both worlds. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR Posted September 19, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2010 Awesome, thanks for the tips guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bterrill Posted September 28, 2010 Report Share Posted September 28, 2010 Break braid by putting hand on bail, holding spool, pointing the rod directly at snag. Pull backwards. If you are using 20/6, the hook usually bends or the line snaps at the knot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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