Different schools of thought

[Dirty Diesel]

Am I leaving anything on the table the way I rig my baits? I’m fairly new to Swimbait’s. I have been lurking on here searching threads, reading people opinions,  and from what I can tell is there are two schools of thought. Fish are line shy,they can they see braided line,  they see your terminal tackle.  Then there are people fishing strait braid or big line with big knots, using snaps, welded rings and snap rings. So SU posted on Instagram a photo of a GanCraft tied on with an AG chain knot, to a welded ring and a snap. This really just made me think if I’m doing it right. So I started searching found a tread on wild lures. They are using the same setup with two snaps. It looks cool and a little over the top. I fish braid to leader with an FG knot and trilene knot. I’m just keeping it simple. From everything I have read on here I know 90% of the responses will be improved clinch all day it never breaks or San Diego Jam knot is the best it never breaks. I have also read using a snap ring or snap gives glides better action? I know water clarity and pressure probably make the biggest difference in the way you rig. But I want to hear how you guys are doing it. I hope this starts a discussion. I tired of reading threads about I own xxx bait when should I throw it? or I want xxx bait what rod do i need? And the answers have been repeated on the board 10,000 times haha

[carlsbadbassin89]

Just keep it simple. It’s all about getting the action out of the bait that you like. Yes fish are line shy but I believe it f they’re gonna eat it, it doesn’t matter what they see. They are 100% keyed in on the bait. Those dudes in Japan are on another level. The only knot I use for swimbaits is the doubles up uni. Never had one fail on me. 

[StriperAddict]

I still dont understand that if fish are line shy then why do they eat baits with giant f$@king hooks hanging off their ass?

Getting the best action out of the lure is the most important IMO. I mainly fish for striper in gin clear water(30+ feet vis) and fish 25# mono and some baits work better with split rings at the line tie and some I tie direct.

Get all the info you can or want and pick and choose the parts you want and find what works best in the waters you fish.

[azfisher]

I don't  think the fish are as line shy as some think.  I've caught literally dozens of fish over 5  on that giant wire harness we call an A-rig.  Fish didn't seem to shy away from it. JMO.

I don't fish braid for fear of snapping off an expensive bait. I also don't like casting a leader knot thru the guides so I tend to use straight mono or Abrazx.

Fish the bait the way the maker supplied it. If it has a split ring then leave it. Or replace the split ring with a Decoy egg snap or an oval split ring. This eliminates the chance of the line being compromised by the split in the ring, but keeps the ballast close to the same.

While testing baits in my pond with an underwater camera, I noticed the when I had a snap on a glide bait, every time I would move the bait with the reel the extra weight of the snap caused the bait to rock forward or the head to bob up and down. Some glides are balanced so well that the weight of a snap can cause swimming issues. I don't use snaps for convenience any more. Only to replace a supplied split ring.

I have been using a "Mark Pack" knot, similar to a SDJK and have had few issues with it other than it collects grass.

 

What it boils down to I think, is use what you're confident in,  comfortable with and what works for you. 

[Amistoad]

The two answers above me nailed it. Use what works for you. That means experimenting. EVERYONE has an opinion, but some are based on LOTS of first-hand experience, many are based on repeating what somebody else said. That’s espeically true in the interwebs. I always use 20-25 lbs mono and either a snap or split ring or nothing, depending on the bait. Mono has great shock-absorbing properties BUT it aslo floats!! That comes in handy when, like I did a couple of weeks ago, you make a bad cast, your expensive sinking swimbait flies off into oblivion, and you feel like a schmuck. Fortunately, with floating monk, I was able to pedal my kayak over to where it went down, drag my rod through the water a couple of times, and snag the trailing mono to haul in the bait. Try that with braid or fluoro, regardless of what kind of leader you have!

[waynem]

Some of my opinions on the post:

The FG knot is as good as it gets for braid-to-leader connection.  I've been using the uni knot for the line tie knot forever and its as good as I've found.

Fish are less line shy when they are actively feeding and more line shy when they are in an inactive mood.  Also the slower the retrieve and the clearer the water the more line visibility matters.  It seems the bigger the bait the more fish key on the bait and less on the line.  I mostly use 25# line, but on smaller baits I drop to 17 or 20# more for better action than for line visibility.  Smaller glides (Deps 175, etc) swim better on 20# than 25# if the fish are reacting better to a wide glide action.  Line visibility is often really important for techniques like dropshotting or float&fly techniques where the fish get a long look at the bait, but I don't think its as important in typical swimbaiting use.

I don't think a split ring or snap on a big bait turns off many fish.  However it is surprising how much it can affect the action of even a large swimbait.  When I had my turn with the Traveling Slammer I used it the first day and had a great day.  The line tie was pretty rough (along with the rest of the bait!) so that night I added a Decoy egg snap.  The next day I immediately noticed the difference in action.  After a fishless hour I removed the snap and started catching fish on it.  Perhaps that was a coincidence but there was definitely a difference in the action with just the addition of a small snap on a big, fat 9 inch Slammer.  Now I usually test out any new bait with and without a snap/split ring and go with what seems best.  Some glides swim too tight with a direct tie and need the snap.  Others give a more natural swim with a snap.  You need to try it both ways.  Just my 2 cents.

[danthefisherman]

A big mistake I often make is assuming that all bass live and act in the same ways regardless of what body of water they live in...or even what part of the lake they haunt. My home lake is more of a small crystal clear manmade pond that used to get heavy fishing pressure from residents that live around the shoreline. I've fished there for all my life and have seen the fishery change drastically. Barely anyone fishes there anymore and yet the bass are harder to catch than ever. They're extremely line shy when not in the right mood...even a little surface disturbance with mono and they spook. Perhaps this is why I always have my best days when it's overcast or in low light conditions. Learning to read your target bass' mood and the environmental is key.

[Fallof74]

I have used #30lb Max down to #17lb floro. Gotta say that regularity of getting bit never changed between what line I was throwing. I know Mike Gilbert is big about #20 Floro, as is some other big sticks, but I think what it all boils down to is confidence. You can definitely maximize your shot at a giant by combining stealth, location, time of day, time of year, and weather. But never underestimate sheer luck and confidence. 

[steezykane]

Depends on the size line and what bait I'm throwing. I go up to #30 izorline down to 15 izor or some other brands. Some baits I use a split and not a snap, most of the time I use a snap for easy swapping of baits and because I think it helps impart more action on most baits.

Baits I like Snaps on (Decoy Egg#5,4,3, Owner snap #3):

--Glides-- I feel like its more range than a split ring and I don't have to tie to the ring where if the knot slides into the area where the rings don't overlap it can rub against them. That has always gotten in my head a bit.) 

--Wakes-- For the most part it helps with a billed bait especially unless I'm trying to crank It down with more control I'll move to a split ring or direct tie.   I like it when I'm fishing baits slower for sure, that's the only time ill use it on freestyle topwaters.

 When I don't necessarily use snaps:

--Soft baits-- never unless I'm just flipping a bait around brush and the fish just react.

--Crank downs--  pretty similar to multi jointed, if its a bait that stays down better and I'm not always burning it I use a snap. (I like snaps on Pats, tiny klash for the most part unless burning) 

--Multi-joint-- I direct tie unless I'm going slower or want to make the bait act more like a glide. I really like a snap on the hardgills though, can make It glide out erratically.

 

I use split rings on my toxic baits, and like I said above, if the bait Is designed with it I normally opt to try that first, I will experiment but I noticed that most garage bait makers have them well tuned that way (Toxic, Sly, 316).

 

hopefully this helps, kind of messy but I'll come back and clean it up after work.

[mjw2121]

i Used to use straight braid and never noticed a difference in bites from when I would use fluorocarbon or mono.I also have smashed them in waters that were clear enough to see the bottom In 18 ft of water on a-rigs.Thats just been my experience though.The fish I catch are typically highly pressured and not dumb by any means.Thinking from the outside it really doesn’t make sense how a fish would be willing to eat a 12’ bait with giant treble hooks and massive split rings with one or multiple seperated joints in the bait but than shy away because the line is too obvious.Although the counter to that would be you want to eliminate as many factors as you can that would alarm the fish.And I can make sense of that as well.I am sure there are finicky fish that it would make a difference on.

[rossco7777]

if you see fish caught on all these methods and people swearing by one or the other that means its all personal preference. if im fishing super clear water im throwing clear line straight to my lure. if its murky go ahead and do what you like, braid, mono, snap, ring, whatever

[VolunteerSwimbaits]

I think it is 100% about confidence, if you don't think you will get a bite on braid or 25# line, then you won't fish effectively. But if you have eliminated all of the "what ifs" and you have 100% confidence that your light line and small hooks will not be seen by the fish, then you will fish the bait better. 

Basically if you are thinking in the back of your mind "crap, i know these bass can see my line" which distracts you, and doesn't allow you to fish it properly. 

Just my 0.02