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SNAP WEIGHTS

Q. What rod and reel combo would you recommend for the following conditions? I'm trolling Oklahoma lakes for walleye, striper and hybrid using 12 to 14 pound monofilament line usually trolling no deeper than 20 feet. Only using snap weights occasionally off of your side planers. I've been using spinning reels with 6 1/2 foot ugly stick with medium action. My line twists too much with the spinning reel and the rod seems to be a little limber. What do you suggest?

A. I would recommend a good level wind reel so you can keep track of how much line you have out. Of course a line counter reel would be the best and you will go to them eventually. You can count passes to know your line length in the meantime.
Rods are not real important. I use a downrigger type rod; however, there are rods specifically for planer boards. Anything in the 7 to 8 1/2 foot range with a fairly stiff backbone would be fine.
The line test you are using of 12 to 14 pounds is perfect. Remember, the key to trolling is being able to repeat the exact setup you caught the first fish on. Anything you can do to help there will get you more fish in the boat.


Q. I'm getting started on snap weights and have several pairs of OR16's. I'm trying to target the fish according to the Precision Trolling book latest edition and with your snap weights I'm using a loop around the snap on and an 8 ounce weight. Several questions arise. How much water drag is on my sinker with 10# monofilament or 10/4 FireLine? I can tell on my graph that 1mph will raise my weight up from 28' to 24' but, I don't know what happens at a faster speed such as 2 mph. Also when I put a lure on such as shad rap or rip stick how does that affect the trolling zone? Are there any charts or a place to check on this? I'm trying to get consistent in 30 to 40 feet of water.

A. I seldom use the snap weights the way you are. I normally send out several different combinations and let the fish tell me what is the proper presentation. With 8 ounces, you're nearly vertical at 1 and will probably go up quite a bit at 2 or 2.5.

With stick baits or harnesses you would search a lot of water with the raising and lowering of the weight in turns, but with bigger lipped baits you're not getting that much action.

When I run deep divers, I put 3 ounces up about 20' from the lure and let it out until it hits bottom. That would be about 5 feet up at 1.5. I let it out again after a few minutes until it hits bottom again and that gets me pretty close. I have never run 8 ounces other than with harnesses so I am not much help there. I know it can be done (your doing it!).


Q. I'll be trolling a 4'' spoon @ 2 mph with a 3 oz snap weight with 14 pound mono; could you tell me the approx. depth this spoon will run?

A. It is hard to get a concrete depth from a snap weight. My best guess would be that with 100' of line you would be in the 15' range. The big fish catching secret of the snap weight is the depth you will cover on turns. That is what makes it so effective. If you want to reach a specific depth, one of the divers on the market set at "0" would be better. The searching of the water column of the snap weight will catch you a lot of fish though.


Q. I am interested in your snap weight system and have a few questions:

1. Is the OR20 sufficient or is the heavy duty clip (OR16) required for salmon?

2. Can these be used instead of downriggers for salmon/lakers and how deep will they go?

3. Are there any stores in the thumb area (Fort Gratiot, Lexington, and Port Sanilac area's in Michigan) that sell your products?

4. Are they secure to the line or do they have a tendency to fall off when you get a strike?

A. The OR20 comes with 4 of the OR16 clips. It is not designed to replace downriggers and is merely used to get lures deeper than they normally will go. The Precision in Depth book by Mark Romanack has a dive curve chart for different combinations of snap weights with lead core, FireLine and monofilament you can reach depths of 40 or so feet with the right combinations.
The OR16 has a pin in the center of the pad which greatly reduces the chance of them coming off while fighting a fish. Most Gander Mountain stores carry the kit and any place selling Off Shore products can get them for you. You can also order them online from us if you can not get them locally.


Q. Can I use your boards for offshore salt water trolling? How about snap weights?

A. You can use both the snap weights and the boards in salt water. We use them for the FLW striper tour and when fishing in the Gulf. As with anything in salt water, care must be taken to wash all the salt water from the snap weights and the boards. I would recommend the OR31 Side Planer for your application.


Q. I'm interested in using your snap weight system for flat line trolling for trout. I use monofilament, firewire and braid. As I reside in Australia, I was wondering if I could minimize postage costs by ordering snap weight clips and use bomb type sinkers rather your lead weights? Is this ok? If so, what clips do you recommend? What are the correct replacement pads?

A. The clips are all you need if you have access to various weights. The correct clip is the red OR16 and the replacement pads are product number ORRP16HL. The OR16's have a pin protruding through the middle of the pad which you put the line behind this pin to minimize their falling off the line. If you can catch trout just flat lining behind the boat, you would double your catch with a side planer. They are awesome for fishing high in the water column.


Q. I have been using your snap weight system while trolling in the spring on the Chesapeake Bay. The 8 oz. weights are enough in the spring but I'd like to use them in the fall when I might use up to a 24 oz. in line trolling weight. How much weight can I put on the snaps in the snap weight system?

A. Are you fishing striper? What speeds are you trying to run while fishing? You can use heavier weights. I would recommend placing a snap swivel over the line and not totally rely on the pin in the OR16 to keep that much weight on. We have had some anglers using 24 oz. weights for salmon here in the Great Lakes with success. Whew! That is really taking the snap weight system to extremes.


Q. How deep can the snap weight system go? I fish a lake where I only need to troll about 20-30 feet down at most, and I don't want to buy a downrigger for that. Also, what equipment is necessary with the snap weight system besides the system itself?

Is there another method for getting down to 20-30 feet besides a downrigger or a snap weight system?

A. You can easily get down to the 20-30 foot range with snap weights. Depending on what speed you're going, you should be able to reach those depths with a 3 ounce weight and 40 to 60 feet of line after you put the weight on. I would recommend the weight to be 20 to 50 feet ahead of the lure.

Nothing additional is needed with the snap weight system and you can learn more about fishing with the OR20 Snap Weight System from some of the articles posted on this site.


Q. Does the snap weight system work when trolling without planer board systems?

A. The snap weight system will work without boards. Place a different weight on each road and let it out the same distance. The 50/50 system is a good start but don't be afraid to vary that to get to different depths. It is a trial and error method that lets you develop the combination that works best for you in the water you fish.