"Upgrade your Split Rings". Yeah right. Whatever...

[PhishLI]

Not that I've ever kept count, but I've lost count of how many times I've heard the Tactical Bassin' guys urge to upgrade split rings. I'm busy. Lot's of things to do before I can steal away to a fishing hole. I 'aint upgrading no stinking split rings!

 

I hit a lake with my brother on Saturday for a night session. We had some wild weather earlier and it was perfect out with a light breeze and fog, but we struggled for a while to find anything but dinks. I motored us back into a long cove where we've had some luck in the past, but the bite was still tough. I saw golden shiners skittering across the surface a ways down a bit, so I chucked a few shallow running cranks, but had no takers. I remembered that I had a BBZ-1 shad then asked my brother if he had one too. I had a feeling. I chucked it out near a stand of pads and reeled it slowlyyyy back in, then BAM! You know by the feeling in your forearm when it's a good one, and it was. This fish did not want to be caught and was energized. As I brought her next to the boat my brother said "That's a big fish" and I said "Finally".

 

The angle was odd for netting her while sitting in the Jon boat, so I decided to just grab her with my large fish grippers. I pulled the line closer then began lifting her enough to insert the gripper, but with one violent head shake she was gone. I looked at my brother and said "That counts, right?" He said "Definitely". I casted the BBZ-1 again right away, but this time I snagged some floating grass. I was picking it off carefully in order to avoid the hook when I realized that it was gone! No hook or split ring! OMG! NO WAY! But yes, it happened. I have a filthy mouth, so you can only imagine the sounds I was making and inventing on the spot. I'm glad that it wasn't one of those times where the fish's top and bottom lips were pinned shut by the trebles. I would've hated that. She'll probably be OK.

 

Lesson learned though. I'm gonna straighten this issue out. Not going to happen again. Man oh man this still really bugs me.

 

 

[Dens228]

I watch 99% of their video's but must have missed out on changing split rings.  I do remember them talking about changing hooks.  What is their reasoning for the split rings?  I do know I prefer the oval to round but don't change them out. 

 

[PhishLI]

3 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

I watch 99% of their video's but must have missed out on changing split rings

They recommend Hyperwire Split Rings often and link them.

[Born 2 fish]

I had a bass in Florida pull the split ring enough on a whopper plopper 90 that the hook came off. And I lost the fish it was partially my fault for using braid and a mh fast rod tho.

[TnRiver46]

Eh, if it’s only happened to you once I’ll just keep rolling the dice haha. A lot of things can happen, not worth me changing 2-3 split rings on every plug I own. So far I’ve never had a split ring failure but I’ve dropped a rod in the water and I don’t go around with glue on my hands 

[Tennessee Boy]

Replacing an undamaged split ring with another more expensive split ring make no sense to me.

 

Recommending that others replace their split rings and being paid money by the manufacturer of the split rings you are recommending makes more sense.

[Hewhospeaksmuchbull]

My BBZ-1 did the same.

 

These aren't budget baits, don't think it's too much to ask for quality hook and hardware.

 

My solution, bought a Bucca Baby Bull Shad.

 

 

[plawren53202]

Most of the places I'm able to fish, a bigger issue for me is whether fish will be big enough to get hooked on a crankbait sized treble hook. ?  If only--I'd love to worry about fishing somewhere where fish could bend out my split rings. 

[scaleface]

I dont think I ever experienced  a split ring failure . If I had its was very rare .

[tkunk]

Based on my experience with catching pike on bass gear, if I had any shot of catching a 10 lb bass where I need a tight drag, I'd upgrade the split rings and hooks on all of my baits.

[schplurg]

I used to wonder about changing split rings until I started changing out hooks on my cheap plugs.

 

I have good split-ring pliers but sometimes a cheap split-ring gets mangled or won't close up properly after I've pried it open. Maybe it's my technique, but that is the only problem I've had with rings (so far).

[DitchPanda]

I've only had one split ring failure I can recall and it actually happened this april. It was a stock split ring on a Cordell super spot...luckily the fish had both hooks and the other one held. The fish was close to 7lbs and I was using a heavier rod than normal...both of those must be the cause for the failure.

[NHBull]

With big baits, add a split ring or braid loop so the leverage of the shake can’t bend or break rings. Truth be told, 2 small ones are stronger than many big ones.....and you will land more fish

[rtwvumtneer6]

On 7/14/2020 at 5:00 PM, schplurg said:

I have good split-ring pliers but sometimes a cheap split-ring gets mangled or won't close up properly after I've pried it open. Maybe it's my technique, but that is the only problem I've had with rings (so far).

Nope, not you.  I upgraded my split ring pliers thinking the same thing and it continued to happen.  

 

Currently using Texas Tackle split ring pliers and my replacements are Owner Hype Wire.

 

Unless you have a giant pile of miscellaneous lures from every company known to man, you'll figure out pretty quick which come with decent hardware and which are not so great.  

 

[Lyar John]

I’ve had hooks bend out and split rings open enough to lose a hook. I don’t replace either of them unless they’re really cheap. 

[JediAmoeba]

5 hours ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

My BBZ-1 did the same.

 

These aren't budget baits, don't think it's too much to ask for quality hook and hardware.

 

My solution, bought a Bucca Baby Bull Shad.

 

 

A bbz-1 is definitely a budget swimbait....

I never have to worry because I don't catch big fish.

[PhishLI]

6 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Replacing an undamaged split ring with another more expensive split ring make no sense to me.

It's a newer bait. Nothing jumped out that indicated the split ring might be damaged. Changing them out made no sense to me either, but now it does. You should've seen that bass.

[Bluebasser86]

I change all my hard swimbaits to hyper wire split rings. I've had some split ring failures, it's pretty impossible to guess which ring is going to fail and when. It's worth the investment when tossing big baits that aren't going to get many bites in the first place to avoid losing them when they do bite.

[PhishLI]

7 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I don’t go around with glue on my hands 

That's a relief!

2 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I change all my hard swimbaits to hyper wire split rings. I've had some split ring failures, it's pretty impossible to guess which ring is going to fail and when. It's worth the investment when tossing big baits that aren't going to get many bites in the first place to avoid losing them when they do bite.

I'm all in now.

6 hours ago, Hewhospeaksmuchbull said:

My BBZ-1 did the same.

OK. So it might be a thing with this bait.

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I change all my hard swimbaits to hyper wire split rings. I've had some split ring failures, it's pretty impossible to guess which ring is going to fail and when. It's worth the investment when tossing big baits that aren't going to get many bites in the first place to avoid losing them when they do bite.

^^^^^ Yup ^^^^^^

I have been swapping out stock hardware for a while.

Trebles, Split Rings & Line Ties.

Works for me.

A-Jay

[Dirtyeggroll]

I bought some VMC split rings and used them to change out all the round bend trebles to short shank ewg.

 

I wish I wouldn’t have, I have had about a dozen on them bend out. They weren’t cheap either!

[livin2fish]

I have not had any lost fish due to split rings on hooks, but have had two with split rings on line ties when using straight 15 lb braid.  The knot was still there, unbroken, but everything was gone.  My guess is that the split ring did not break, but the line worked its way through the split ring during the fight.  I'm a slow learner, it should have happened only once!

[A-Jay]

1 hour ago, livin2fish said:

I have not had any lost fish due to split rings on hooks, but have had two with split rings on line ties when using straight 15 lb braid.  The knot was still there, unbroken, but everything was gone.  My guess is that the split ring did not break, but the line worked its way through the split ring during the fight.  I'm a slow learner, it should have happened only once!

Oval and pear shaped rings at the line tie seemed to have reduced that for me to a point where I don't even think about it any more.

A-Jay 

 

[Tennessee Boy]

Sometime in the 1990s I was fishing with a Manns 20+ crankbait and got it hung on something.  I dropped my lure retriever down and was able to get it attached to the lure.  I pulled as hard as I could and nothing would give.  At this point I've got an expensive crankbait and a lure retriever hung on something.  I tied the lure retriever string to one of the boat cleats, started the outboard, and started pulling.  Something broke and when I reeled everything in I had my lure and lure retriever.  Both split rings had broken and saved me a lot of money.  That's the only time I've had one break.  I don't give much thought to my split rings but if you do you might want to consider that you may want them to break in some situations.   

[fishballer06]

2 hours ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

I bought some VMC split rings and used them to change out all the round bend trebles to short shank ewg.

 

I wish I wouldn’t have, I have had about a dozen on them bend out. They weren’t cheap either!

I bent out 3 split rings on the Rapala Shadow Raps in the first month when they were released. Those rings are absolute garbage. 

 

Rapala owns VMC, so those are the rings that go on their baits.