Split Ring Or No Split Ring

[clayton86]

On crank baits do you use split rings or no or do you change them for the oval ones. I use a dou lock snaps for my cranks. Most of mine I took the rings off some have the oval ones and some still have the round ones. I'm wondering what everyone else school of though it on this.

[roadwarrior]

Split ring for all hard baits

[kylek]

I just started using the snaps for all my crankbaits. I just clip them to whatever comes on the bait from the factory.

[J Francho]

I cut them off, and use a #2 or #3 Duo-loc.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

I use Norman Speed Clips.

[mattk22]

what snaps do you guys use, i want to start using some for my crankbaits???

[retiredbosn]

If you are using clips or duo locks you should remove the split ring, the reasoning is that by keeping the split ring and attaching to that you have added an additonal pivot point which affects the action of the bait. I've used Norman speed clips they work but you need to keep an eye on them that the crank isn't working its way out,( you have to do the same with split rings) duo locks are good but bulkier. Each has its trade offs but allow for quick changing of the bait. Another thing to keep in mind is breaking strength of the duo locks you use, the smallest ones don't allow for proper action and have a breaking strength around 10lbs, the split rings from the factory aren't bullet proof, read somewhere around 17-20 pound breaking strength. The size 2 and 3 locks are fine

[BobP]

I remove the split rings and use a Normal Speed Clip. If you are a real crank fanatic, you want to test the crank with various methods and use the one that works best, be that a clip or a round or oval split ring. It's amazing you how very tiny changes to a bait can make a significant difference.

[SirSnookalot]

I use them as they come out of the box, I will use a 3/4" duolock. On some of my top water plugs I will add a split ring, so I can use a duolock with the concave face of the lure.

[baluga]

I cut them off, and use a #2 or #3 Duo-loc.

This, but just take it off instead of cutting. So I can reuse it somewhere else

[J Francho]

This, but just take it off instead of cutting. So I can reuse it somewhere else

I used to try and save and reuse them, but lost patience, lol.

[Marty]

I just started using the snaps for all my crankbaits. I just clip them to whatever comes on the bait from the factory.

I do the same.

If you are using clips or duo locks you should remove the split ring, the reasoning is that by keeping the split ring and attaching to that you have added an additonal pivot point which affects the action of the bait.

I've never been able to detect any effect on the action.

[retiredbosn]

I've never been able to detect any effect on the action.

What adding a clip to a split ring does is take a bait that supposed to wobble to a wiggle, additionally it takes out any roll out of the lure. It takes a bait that wiggles into a super tight wiggle. If you have never tied directly properly and then tune the bait you have no idea how the lure is supposed to work. If you tie directly to the split ring you should tie opposite of the split for the same reasons, tying onto the split changes the action of the bait.

Crankbaits are more art than science, out of every 10 crankbaits purchased you are lucky to find 4 that are really good uns, all will catch fish but only a small portion really shine at it. Next time you go to buy a crank look them over really really close, you will see differences between the baits from package to package. Once you get them out run your finger along the leading edge of the lip and you will feel differences between the baits, the lip should be exact and crisp at the edge, no seam where the two halves of the bait meet, you can take a file and smooth it out some, also after fishing with a crank look at it, the lip will get banged up some if you are fishing rocks, smooth it out before using it again, because any change to the lip's edge affects the action.

[.ghoti.]

Retiredbosn brought up a key point. Not all crankbaits are created equal. If you're really lucky four of ten will be good ones. In my experience it's more like one out of eight.

When I find one of those special cranks, it will get the factory ring removed and an oval ring or a duo-lok snap installed. Makes it easy to pick out the "good" baits.

One of goals for this summer was to fish cranks a lot more, and sortout all or most of the good baits. Then I could could just carry around a few proven baits. I fished so little this season that I got absolutely nowhere with that little project.

[J Francho]

Makes it easy to pick out the "good" baits.

That's funny. In my boxes the "swimmers" have the duolock already hanging from their noses.

[TrippyJai]

I leave the split rings on all my baits and use a duo-lock snap. It does not affect the action of the bait.

When I find the correct bait, I cut off the snap and tie directly. I have become pretty efficient at tying knots so this is how I've been doing it.

[retiredbosn]

I should have specified in my post that tying opposite of the actual split in the split ring only appiies to round split rings.

[Marty]

out of every 10 crankbaits purchased you are lucky to find 4 that are really good uns,

Conventional wisdom has it that wooden crankbaits differ and plastic ones are much more uniform. Are you talking about just wood or plastic as well?

[retiredbosn]

Conventional wisdom has it that wooden crankbaits differ and plastic ones are much more uniform. Are you talking about just wood or plastic as well?

The plastics are prone to have the two halves not exactly lining up, one side will be offset from the other. These crankbaits have very unreliable action and never act the same way twice, don't know why, but I assume the water is not able to pass over the crankbait in a uniform pattern and results in a unreliable crankbait. I wish I could find the article that has all the information in it that helped me in understanding the crankbait better, very informative. Like when I stated how a clip added to the split ring affects action, most of the time its a very subtle difference sometimes drastic, I know when I started practicing the information in the article my success increased exponentially. But yes plastics are every bit as different from each other as wood.

[I.rar]

i remove the ring and use a speed clip.