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questions may reflect past and/or current product changes.
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Question and Answer Categories are:
PRO WEIGHTS (Also
Known As Snap Weights)
Q. 061113. I am looking for some replacement weights
and components for the older snap weight systems. It looks
like these products are discontinued and replaced by your
current OR20 Pro Weight Systems. I assume the OR16 Clips
and split rings will work with any weight? I just liked
the older system better than the new product.
A. We went to the Guppy Weights because they are
99.9% lead free and we found during our testing that lead
weights can be as much as 10% above or below the advertised
weight. The guppy runs the same and is environmentally safe,
so we went with it. We no longer have any lead products
in our inventory. The Guppy can be used as a keel in line
weight as well as a snap weight so you're getting more for
your money with the Guppy.
Q. 021913. OR36 Tadpoles were recently recommended
to me for use fishing for deep walleye. I have the dive
charts and have looked at much of the information, but one
thing I'm not sure of. Do you add the depth of the tadpole
to the depth of the crank bait you're using? I use a lot
of flicker shads and they dive around 13 feet on 10 pound
line. So if I add a tadpole I can reach depths to 30 feet
or more by letting the tadpole out to 17 feet?
A. The Tadpole is designed for stick baits, harnesses
and spoons. Lures that are deep diving may over power the
way the tadpole sets itself and just turn it into an in
line weight. To get deeper with the flicker shads, I would
recommend the OR20 guppy weight we make and use it as a
snap weight 20-30 feet ahead of the lure and experiment
with different links until you get the depth you need.
Q. 061912. I got the 7th edition of the "Precision
Trolling" and it has a dive curve for the 50/50 method
of snap weights. There is quite a variance in depth depending
on speed. I like to just put them 15 or 20' ahead of lure
and use heavier than 1 oz. weights though. Here's what I
do, I let the line out until it hits bottom like you would
a bouncer, pause 5 or 10 seconds, and let out again. This
gives you bottom. If its 60 feet back and I want to fish
halfway down, I now have a number to go by. I just let out
30'. If I want to fish 3/4 of the way down, then I let out
45'. It doesn't matter the weight, just put the first one
to bottom to get your starting point. Simple, yes, exact,
no.
A. Unfortunately the only information we have on
the (OR20 Series) Pro Snap Weight and (OR36 Series) Tadpole
is published on our website. We feel that covers 90+% of
the fishing situations.
Q. 061912. I am looking for more specific data for
your OR20 series snap weight and OR36 series tadpole products
than what I find published on your site. I have your published
information, but I am wondering if you have the following:
1. Information on the effect of more or less feet of line
out for the snap weights. For example, if I let out 75 or
100 feet of line out (instead of 50) when using a 2 oz.
snap weight it goes deeper than 19' at 1.5 mph, correct?
Do you have specifics on this?
2. Do you have any data for your tadpole products, rather
than the published graphs?
A. This is the best way of having some geometric
method of determining depth, especially since it is so speed
conscious. The other way (and how I do it) is to use either
the same weight and vary the line lengths on each board
or to keep the same line length and vary the weights and
let the fish tell you what they want. Repeat the one they
like on the other rods and have fun.
Q. 031212. Do you have a dive charts for your pro
weights similar to the chart you provide for the Tadpole
divers? I have your 50/50 chart for pro weights but would
prefer to use them as in line weights with the crawler harness
connected to the weight. Or are you advising against this?
I would prefer to treat the in line weights similar to my
other divers and very the length of line to adjust depth
with the same weights
A. The OR20 series pro snap weights follow the same
curve that your in line weights do at the same weight. We
put the hole in the back of all pro weights so you could
attach your harness or leader directly to the pro weight.
They also will catch weeds on them and give you a little
more time with a clean lure in the water. Their design functions
as a keel sinker as well. You should just have to carry
the 99.9% lead free, OR20 Pro Weight System and leave all
the varieties of lead products home. It is easier to look
in one box for all your weight needs.
Q. 091311. I bought the OR20 Pro Weight System.
When running 3 OR12 boards on each side of the boat, what
is the best way to set up the weight system? Do I have to
use identical weights on all three lines? If not, what weight
is placed where? IE, heaviest weight closest to the boat
and lightest weight farthest away? What is the largest variance
I can use in the weights; meaning, can I use a 3 oz. farthest
away, a 2 oz. in the middle, and a 1 oz. in close?
A. There is no answer. I usually run the same weights,
but vary the distance from the weight to the lure or weight
to the board. There is no rule. The methods you described
will all work and it is really a matter of you trying several
and deciding which is your preference. The 50/50 method
with any weight will always be a good starting point and
remember when you make a turn, the heavier weights will
fall faster so they might be best on the inside in snaggy
waters. It doesn't matter on sand bottoms. Again, no rules.
The key to any method you decide on is to remember it and
be able to repeat it. That is the most important factor
in fishing, repeatability.
Q. 083111. I usually am fishing 30 ft. or less for
walleye and using a #5 wally diver. I am very interested
in starting to use your snap weights. Is the 3 oz. weight
going to get me to 30 ft. at 2 miles per hour? Should I
use fire line or mono?
A. I usually run my snap weight about 20' ahead
of a crank bait and rule of thumb is about 5' of additional
depth for each ounce of weight. I am a mono fan, but you
will get deeper with the super lines. Mark Romanack's book
on Precision Depth Control explains more on using snap weights
for more depth.
Q. Can I troll for muskie with a 3 ounce Guppy weight
6' in front of large baits to get them down deeper? The
concern is if the fish would be able to break the hole in
the tail or fin of the Guppy.
A. The Guppy material is very hard and strong, if
anything, you would probably have a failure of a swivel
or the knot in the line before the Guppy would fail.
Q. I am just starting to use snap weights for trolling
for muskie and I am wondering how much weight I can use
on the releases to get the lures down to 20'-30.' I know
it matters how much line I let out, but I would like to
do this with as little line out as possible since the lakes
I fish receive a lot of boat traffic and courtesy does not
always apply. I do not want to go to a downrigger system;
your thoughts would be appreciated.
A. You can run very heavy weights of off the OR16
Pro Snap Weight Clip. I have used 1 lb balls for salmon
and I have heard of guys using even heavier. The recommendation
for that is to put a snap swivel on the split ring that
goes through the red OR16 clip. Then by placing the line
through the snap swivel, it will not fall off if a big fish
shakes it off the line. You have to put something above
the lure so as not to let the weight go all the way down
to the lure. I use a big swivel and then tie a leader to
my lure.
Q. Do snap weights have any saltwater functions?
Also I am going to Lake Lanier in September for stripers.
What would be a good set up? I will be trolling with 15
lb test and line counter reels using snap weights.
A. I have used snap weights in salt water, but their
primary use is in fresh water.
In Lake Lanier, I fish a 1 ounce weight about 20' ahead
of a live blue runner or shad off of my planer board. Your
equipment would be fine for most of Lanier's striper, but
you may have second thoughts if you hook one over 30 pounds.
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.
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