Snap Weights

Just wondering what everyone else uses for snap weights?

I use the offshore releases with various sized/shapes of weights. I really like using the pencil weights for a few reasons. One, they seem to be less prone to twisting. Two, they added length does a better job of catching and holding debris that’s floating in the water that would otherwise hit the line and slide all the way down to the hook (one of the main reasons I prefer long-lining mono with snap weights over leadcore in the fall). Three, the shape seems to also do better as a “bottom bouncer” when accidentally running too shallow and hitting bottom. Four, it has less drag which helps it stay lower. In short, they keep me fishing at the right depth and with my crankbait running as it should more often than not.

I usually clip them on at about 50′ of line out, but if there’s a lot of debris in the water I’ll go as close as a dozen feet to keep crap from hitting my lure.

With the fall trolling bite going and the walleyes staying deeper it seems this year than others I figured this might be a timely topic to help guys boat more fish trolling this fall.

I look forward to finding out how other guys rig theirs up.

-Zander

Pic is a snap weight of mine rigged with a 1.5 oz pencil weight.

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Where can a guy buy these? Is there rubber at the pinch point or does it hold fine without it. I couldn’t find any at cabelas last time I looked. At least not like the one you got pictured.

Fleet Farm sells them now. I used to order them directly from offshore after finding out about them while fishing the great lakes out East.

They’re not cheap and run about five bucks a pop but they’re well worth it.

Do Not buy the black ones. Those don’t have the plastic punch and are meant for use on planer boards where they release once a fish hits them.

The red ones (OR-15’s I think???) have a plastic pinch point that goes along with the rubber-type matting….and will Never come loose on mono OR braid. It’s actually kind of mind-blowing how well they stay on your line wherever you clip them.

I’ll use them like a bottom bouncer as well. It’s nice being able to rig them a couple dozen feet up your line from your live bait rigging.

The biggest downside to them is having to unclip them while bringing in a fish. Honestly, I’ve only ever lost a couple fish throughout all the years of using them while unclipping. You get pretty quick at it after a little practice and can do it without creating slack in your line.

My dad uses the off shore brand. I got 2 sets of the cabelas snap weight kit for like $15 for both and couldn’t pass up the deal.

To be honest, I see no difference really. Both have different clips that both work well.

I troll with snap weights a lot. You may want to consider using the OR-16 snap weight clips(there are OR-18s and OR-19 also if I remember correctly), especially with braid, otherwise you may have trouble with them slipping off of your line and they are fairly pricey. There are replaceable rubber pads on them and there is also a pin in the middle of the OR-16 clips that help keep the line from slipping off. I usually buy them at Cabela’s (sometimes online because they aren’t in my local Cabela’s) or my local Scheel’s. They’re easy to find online. With the OR-16 clips, all I do is I make a loop around the clip, making sure it’s under the pin and close the clip. They rarely come off of my line by accident.
I also started using Cabela’s brand snaps this year that work pretty well also. The key in getting them to work with snap weights is to wrap the line around them several times before snapping the latch on the clip shut. They do work though and they are quite a bit less expensive than the OR-16 clips.

I pour my own weights and I generally use 8 oz. weights. Using heavy snap weights is very, very simple. If fishing in 30 feet as an example, let out 30 feet, attach the snap weight, let out 30 more feet of line, troll at somewhere around 2 mph and catch fish. It’s that easy. The method works really well and I’ve been using it now for probably 7 or 8 years. It’s by far my favorite way to catch walleyes and I’ve caught a lot of walleyes using heavy snap weights.
I started using heavy snap weights after reading the attached article in 2010 and all I can say is the method works.

The attachment didn’t show up. Try this link:

https://www.flwfishing.com/tips/2010-05-22-it-s-a-snap

Chris Messerschmidt wrote:

My dad uses the off shore brand. I got 2 sets of the cabelas snap weight kit for like $15 for both and couldn’t pass up the deal.

To be honest, I see no difference really. Both have different clips that both work well.

Chris, assuming you’re talking about this kit? The reviews are so bad with repeated reports of the snap “trigger” or “lever” breaking. At less than half the cost of the comparable OffShore kit, it’s certainly tempting. You’ve used them a decent amount without issue?

I was considering buying 1 of the Cabela’s kits for $15 and adding a two-pack of Offshore OR-16 clips for $17. That would still be $8 cheaper than the Offshore kit.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

If fishing in 30 feet as an example, let out 30 feet, attach the snap weight, let out 30 more feet of line, troll at somewhere around 2 mph and catch fish. It’s that easy. The method works really well and I’ve been using it now for probably 7 or 8 years. It’s by far my favorite way to catch walleyes and I’ve caught a lot of walleyes using heavy snap weights.
I started using heavy snap weights after reading the attached article in 2010 and all I can say is the method works.

Does that same system scale up? Example, 50fow, let out 50 feet of line, snap, then 50 more feet of line?

EDIT: Nevermind, question answered in article.

I used Cabela’s clips and the OR-16s side by side all summer and I didn’t have a single Cabela’s clip fail, but I did lose a few until I started wrapping my line around them several times before clipping them to eliminate the problem.

Does that same system scale up? Example, 50fow, let out 50 feet of line, snap, then 50 more feet of line?
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That’s how I do it and it’s always worked for me but if you open the link and read the article, there are variations on how much line to let out between the snap weight and the crank bait. Keep in mind that if you are bringing fish up from deep water, survivability of the fish is questionable if you release them.

Karry Kyllo wrote:

That’s how I do it and it’s always worked for me but if you open the link and read the article, there are variations on how much line to let out between the snap weight and the crank bait. Keep in mind that if you are bringing fish up from deep water, survivability of the fish is questionable if you release them.

Thanks Karry — yes I did check out the article. I had asked the question before the link showed up.

And DEFINITELY on the depth thing. I was actually thinking more in terms of Lake Trout when I threw the 50ft out there. Not so much a concern with trout & salmon.

I use the red OR-16 clips trolling for king salmon out of my kayak all the time. They work great. I generally use the 8 oz and 12 oz torpedo divers that I have attached to the OR16 clips with a 12″ leader (easier for me to reach when I need to take them off while fighting fish). Very stealthy way to fish on Lake Michigan for kings – I even caught two 27 lb kings while fishing Salmon-a-rama this year out of the kayak. One of them won the kayak division, the other ended up 13th in the boat division. Got a 27.95 lber last year that took 7th overall out of the kayak as well. If I need to fish really deep out of the kayak (80 ft down or deeper), I’ll throw on 1 lb balls.

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Have used snap weights for a while, both the 50/50 method or the 20 plus method and going with the 20 plus most of the time. Article refers to 1oz weights only but below is for 2oz and 3oz weights as well, running from 1.5-2.5 mph.

1oz = +33%
2oz = +50%
3oz = +67%

https://www.offshoretackle.com/articles2002.html#20plus

I also know Precision Trolling also has info on certain baits using what they call a 50 plus 2 method (50 foot lead, 2oz weight, 100 feet back to the rod/board) on their app so that’s another way to go.

I have not tried what Karry and Mark are referring to with the super heavy weights, using them more like an inline downrigger, but that’s only because of lack of equipment on my end. Will be getting some MH trolling rods this winter and plan on giving that a run next year. Hope this helps, good luck.