Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/3607
For most casual anglers who, like me, enjoy the pace and fish-finding attributes of trolling, yet don't want the expense or trouble of working with a downrigger to get baits to the depths where fish are found, there is an easy alternate: snap weights. Unlike traditional inline trolling sinkers that must be threaded onto the line each time you need to change weights, or bead chain sinkers that must be tied into line, snap weights are simply sinkers attached to small spring-loaded snaps that are pinched on the line. Fitted with rubber pads on their gripping surfaces to clasp the line and hold there until removed, snap weights are incredibly easy to use, simple to change and have made precision-depth trolling much easier for an- glers who want to keep things simple and still catch their share of fish. To use snap weights you simply select what size sinker you think is needed to get your bait down to the desired depth, place it on the split ring at- tached to the snap, and pinch it on your line anywhere from 10 to 50 feet ahead of your bait. That bait can be anything from spoons and crankbaits to worm harnesses and minnow rigs. Any lure or bait that you can troll traditionally with or without out weights you can use with snap weights. I keep a half dozen weights of different sizes handy, already attached to the snaps so I don't have to slip them on split rigs each time I adjust my weight. I also usually have my lure drag- ging in the water behind the boat, pay out 30 feet or so, and then snap on the sinker and continue to release line until my presentation is 100 to 150 feet behind the boat. If I am pros- pecting; or "blind" trolling, and not trying to get baits down to a precise depth where I have spotted fish on my sonar, I will set up several rods at dif- ferent depths using different size snap weights to see what depth works at catching fish, and then set all the rods with that weight and that bait. When I get a strike I fight the fish and reel the line in until the snap weight is a few feet from my rod tip and I reach—or have my fishing partner reach over, and un- snap it and fight the fish the rest of the way in. Granted, the pre-landing process is when it gets tricky when us- ing snap weights, for it takes an extra hand sometimes and you need to keep ten- sion on the line when un- snapping the sinker, but with practice it becomes routine. As does catching more fish that want their baits presented right in their face! Troll Hunter. Simply seeing fish on your sonar is only half the battle toward getting one in the boat. You need to be able to get—and keep— your bait to the depth where the fish are feeding, which is tricky when your are trolling. EZ on. Clip-on snap weights come in a variety of sizes and are a 'pinch' to apply to your fishing line to vary the depth that your baits are being trolled. If you are handy you can make your own snap-on weights using tiny spring-loaded clamps, split rings and dipsy sink- ers. Or you can order the real thing from Offshore Tackle of Port Austin, Mich., at www.offshoretackle.com or by calling 989-738-5600. Depth Exceptions Most of the time, the depth at which you find fish on your sonar screen is the depth you want to place your bait—but not always. For example, some predator species will use the thermocline to hide their presence from baitfish cruising in the more oxygen-rich water just above the temperature break. Walleyes and salmon will often wait under the thermocline, which interferes with their preys' ability to see or sense them, and attack from below. If you see the arcs of big fish on your sonar screen, get your baits to that level, and if you still don't get hits, you may want to try presenting above and below the fish's actual depth. Some fish such as crappie actually prefer to rise to a bait no matter what depth they are found, and it always pays to fish a little "high" when pursuing "paper- mouths." hooked 21 November 2009 house boat magazin