split ring on lures.

[fishder]

HI I have been talking to couple off lure anglers latley and one off them said he always ues a couple ad sometimes 3 split rings to attach his trebles because off fish leavering themselves off the lure just wondering do many lure anglers do this.

[MANO]

Never done this myself, but can kind of see the logic.

My only worry would be adding more weight to the lure which could ruin the intended action, especially on jerks and gliders.

I suppose it would'nt make a great deal of difference on soft plastics other than the sink rate.

[Steve Dennington]

Not something I've ever done, nor felt the need to do, but I can see the logic.

[fossil-fish]

One of those things I have always heard recommended is adding an additional split ring to Abu Toby lures for trout and salmon fishing.

[Mark Phillips]

Yes, makes it harder for the fish to find leverage against the lure and hence get off the hook, but I can't see any need for more than one split ring per hook. You're probably doing more harm than good by using more than one - sounds like the fella doing this has a confidence issue, but I get his logic, it's just a bit flawed.

[fishder]

Cheers for the replys think it might make sence on spoons but with jerk baits id be a bit warey .

[Mr Ferox]

Yes, this is really common. And VERY important too as I'll explain shortly. Especially where trolling for salmon is concerned. I have 100's of Rapalas. Every one of them I have changed from 2 or 3 treble hook set ups to a single treble. I use a single Mustad inline galvanised 4x extra strong steel. This is attached to lure by a split ring onto a high strength ball bearing swivel then onto another split ring which attaches on to the front treble mounting point. This set up does not affect the action on these finely tuned lures but I feel adds action. The hooks tucks itself snugly under the lure and is not obtrusive in any way.

My advice is do not skimp or cut corners by putting cheap or inferior quality hooks on lures. They are the only direct contact with a possible record fish. What's the point in spending thousands of pounds on a boat, rods, reels line etc when the most important part is the hold of a fish.

I speak from 10 years experience trolling to hook a record Ferox. I did this last year and I lost it due to two trebles hooking the fish, the fished used another as leverage to extricate the other treble. I was using the best Owner super strong trebles available to me at the time. They were crushed up, buckled and flattened as if they were put in a vice. The Ferox I list was well in excess of the current record of 31lbs 12oz. I did see the fish, it stripped out 100s of meters of line.

So the advice on adding heavy split rings is well well advised.
I know because I learnt the very hard way.

[Mr Ferox]

And paid the price with the loss of a record fish.

[bencarvosso]

I have added them to sea trout lures, both inline and standard lures over the past 18 months and have found my loss rate has dropped considerably

[Lukemilnes]

Have seen this quite a bit recently. One extra split shouldn't change the action on jerks too much but remember the hook position is part of the balancing point when they're weighted. If the hook can swing about too much on the retrieve that weight can move about more than it should. No harm experimenting tho.

The leverage issue is also why a swivel is crucial on a softie stinger rig. Maybe why the linked swivels work so well.

[Stewlaws]

I changed every split ring on my lures for Bucher one's .. Bought 500 as a split purchase to keep the cost down, never let me down, some of the split rings on commercially marketed lures are shocking.

[Steve Dennington]

Have seen this quite a bit recently. One extra split shouldn't change the action on jerks too much but remember the hook position is part of the balancing point when they're weighted. If the hook can swing about too much on the retrieve that weight can move about more than it should. No harm experimenting tho.

The leverage issue is also why a swivel is crucial on a softie stinger rig. Maybe why the linked swivels work so well.

Very true. One day afloat, my boat partner noticed that his Strike Pro Buster (4" version) wasn't as lively as my one. We swapped lures to eliminate angler input and he was right - the action on his was a bit dead My lure had #5 Bucher rings and Owner ST36 hooks (1 or 1/0, cant remember which) and his was straight out of the packaging. I wondered whether his was just a duffer, so I swapped the hooks and rings and his lure then danced like good' un. The moral of the story is that the supplied hardware isn't always the best option. As you rightly say, no harm in experimenting and you may well improve the lure in doing so

[Lukemilnes]

Have seen this quite a bit recently. One extra split shouldn't change the action on jerks too much but remember the hook position is part of the balancing point when they're weighted. If the hook can swing about too much on the retrieve that weight can move about more than it should. No harm experimenting tho.

The leverage issue is also why a swivel is crucial on a softie stinger rig. Maybe why the linked swivels work so well.

Very true. One day afloat, my boat partner noticed that his Strike Pro Buster (4" version) wasn't as lively as my one. We swapped lures to eliminate angler input and he was right - the action on his was a bit dead My lure had #5 Bucher rings and Owner ST36 hooks (1 or 1/0, cant remember which) and his was straight out of the packaging. I wondered whether his was just a duffer, so I swapped the hooks and rings and his lure then danced like good' un. The moral of the story is that the supplied hardware isn't always the best option. As you rightly say, no harm in experimenting and you may well improve the lure in doing so

I'd imagine once a lure has gone down the factory road it's hard to keep ontop of everything and they're definitely not balanced like something handmade. Think they're vmcs on busters which have quite a big size difference compared to other hooks, almost a size out. May have been made with the owners originally

[Steve Dennington]

I'd imagine once a lure has gone down the factory road it's hard to keep ontop of everything and they're definitely not balanced like something handmade. Think they're vmcs on busters which have quite a big size difference compared to other hooks, almost a size out. May have been made with the owners originally

That's probably it Luke, a change of hardware with an unexpected effect on the action. As you know, it doesn't take much of a change to upset some glidebaits - they can be finnicky things!

[Steve Le maitre]

Yes, this is really common. And VERY important too as I'll explain shortly. Especially where trolling for salmon is concerned. I have 100's of Rapalas. Every one of them I have changed from 2 or 3 treble hook set ups to a single treble. I use a single Mustad inline galvanised 4x extra strong steel. This is attached to lure by a split ring onto a high strength ball bearing swivel then onto another split ring which attaches on to the front treble mounting point. This set up does not affect the action on these finely tuned lures but I feel adds action. The hooks tucks itself snugly under the lure and is not obtrusive in any way.

My advice is do not skimp or cut corners by putting cheap or inferior quality hooks on lures. They are the only direct contact with a possible record fish. What's the point in spending thousands of pounds on a boat, rods, reels line etc when the most important part is the hold of a fish.

I speak from 10 years experience trolling to hook a record Ferox. I did this last year and I lost it due to two trebles hooking the fish, the fished used another as leverage to extricate the other treble. I was using the best Owner super strong trebles available to me at the time. They were crushed up, buckled and flattened as if they were put in a vice. The Ferox I list was well in excess of the current record of 31lbs 12oz. I did see the fish, it stripped out 100s of meters of line.

So the advice on adding heavy split rings is well well advised.
I know because I learnt the very hard way.

I know Rapalas have always been a favourite with Salmon and Ferox anglers but surly if you are seeking the fish of a lifetime why choose Rapalas ? There are saltwater and musky baits out there in the size you fish that are purposely designed to catch and handle 50+ lb fish no problem not a bait designed for the 4lb weekend bass fisherman. It might sound brutal but they just aren’t up to the job. I’ve never targeted Ferox but have caught them on big baits.

[Chico 48 PAC]

To add multiply rings is a pain in the ass and I would say needless. Fit decent rings and life is much sweeter,the majority of factory fitted rings are not of decent quality but they do hold the hooks on. I have never been a big fan of ball bearing swivels, the rings on them are very soft and they certainly cut very easily with snips, I had to modify some ages ago and fit split rings to them, they were far better for it.

All kit we use should be tested be it line,leaders or splitrings, no point in moaning about something after the fact if we have not satisfied with the performance.

[Chris Hammond]

I changed every split ring on my lures for Bucher one's .. Bought 500 as a split purchase to keep the cost down, never let me down, some of the split rings on commercially marketed lures are shocking.

I bought a huge batch from Rollies on Mark P's reccomendation and have never needed to buy any since. Not that I would have picked up on the leverage thing particularly myself but nearly every one of my lures has hooks attached by split rings.

[CraigG]

I change all split rings and hooks on both custom and shop bought baits. Personally, I check the hook size against the lure first. If the hook points are masked by the width of the bait I will change them out for a larger hook. I also tend to put a slightly larger split ring on all lures too.

[Mark Phillips]

I change all split rings and hooks on both custom and shop bought baits. Personally, I check the hook size against the lure first. If the hook points are masked by the width of the bait I will change them out for a larger hook. I also tend to put a slightly larger split ring on all lures too.

I am finding these days that most (quality) lures I use for pike come with decent split rings, very rare I feel the need to swap them out. It wasn't like that with a lot the American baits I used to buy back in the day. Hooks are better as well - many of the lures I have bought of late come with BKK as standard. The only thing I do tend to add, is a split ring to the front of the lure to help negate any leverage from fish. That front split ring isn't always present, even on some of the modern hard swim and jerk baits. Buchers are what I use, but also now use the same 9mm branded versions you'll see on lures like busters, guppies and what not. I'd also add, with some lures, you'll land more fish or lose less, if you double split ring the hook - only really necessary on quite wide bodied baits that mask the hooks, but it's just a little tweak that makes a big different with some larger lures.

[CraigG]

I change all split rings and hooks on both custom and shop bought baits. Personally, I check the hook size against the lure first. If the hook points are masked by the width of the bait I will change them out for a larger hook. I also tend to put a slightly larger split ring on all lures too.

I am finding these days that most (quality) lures I use for pike come with decent split rings, very rare I feel the need to swap them out. It wasn't like that with a lot the American baits I used to buy back in the day. Hooks are better as well - many of the lures I have bought of late come with BKK as standard. The only thing I do tend to add, is a split ring to the front of the lure to help negate any leverage from fish. That front split ring isn't always present, even on some of the modern hard swim and jerk baits. Buchers are what I use, but also now use the same 9mm branded versions you'll see on lures like busters, guppies and what not. I'd also add, with some lures, you'll land more fish or lose less, if you double split ring the hook - only really necessary on quite wide bodied baits that mask the hooks, but it's just a little tweak that makes a big different with some larger lures.

It's more of a confidence thing tbh Mark. Just like you I use Bucher split rings. I mainly use customs so the majority don't come with hooks but like yourself I have just started to invest in BKK hooks but I mainly use Owners and the original SG Y-trebles.

[Mark Phillips]

I change all split rings and hooks on both custom and shop bought baits. Personally, I check the hook size against the lure first. If the hook points are masked by the width of the bait I will change them out for a larger hook. I also tend to put a slightly larger split ring on all lures too.

I am finding these days that most (quality) lures I use for pike come with decent split rings, very rare I feel the need to swap them out. It wasn't like that with a lot the American baits I used to buy back in the day. Hooks are better as well - many of the lures I have bought of late come with BKK as standard. The only thing I do tend to add, is a split ring to the front of the lure to help negate any leverage from fish. That front split ring isn't always present, even on some of the modern hard swim and jerk baits. Buchers are what I use, but also now use the same 9mm branded versions you'll see on lures like busters, guppies and what not. I'd also add, with some lures, you'll land more fish or lose less, if you double split ring the hook - only really necessary on quite wide bodied baits that mask the hooks, but it's just a little tweak that makes a big different with some larger lures.

It's more of a confidence thing tbh Mark. Just like you I use Bucher split rings. I mainly use customs so the majority don't come with hooks but like yourself I have just started to invest in BKK hooks but I mainly use Owners and the original SG Y-trebles.

I really like the BKK UV hooks - have added them to a number of baits, really seems to give you a little more in lower light conditions.