My Latest Attempt at Sword Rigging

[clt_capt]

That snell knot sure looks a lot easier to tie for heavy line - may have to do some conventional and some like this and see how they test out.

Thanks for sharing.

[Capt. Mark]

Instead of the beads and pool float to keep squid from sliding down , try a drinking straw (cut to length) and a float in the mantle of the squid .. you can trim the straw for each individual squid so the the hook lays right no matter how big or small the squid is ..also .. we have had much better success with the Gamakatsu HD Live Bait Circle in the 12/0 size over the larger EC Or Mustad

Mark

[Fish Dad]

Instead of the beads and pool float to keep squid from sliding down , try a drinking straw (cut to length) and a float in the mantle of the squid .. you can trim the straw for each individual squid so the the hook lays right no matter how big or small the squid is ..also .. we have had much better success with the Gamakatsu HD Live Bait Circle in the 12/0 size over the larger EC Or Mustad

Mark

Capt Mark...that is a great idea. That is one of main reasons for making posts like with hopes that those with more experience can give me ideas for improvements. Thanks.

[BlueH20Boss]

looks great fish dad. It is funny you guys all mentioned the snell.That is the first thing i saw when i looked at it. Hey if it holds true for you, use it. Anything that heavy i Crimp, Actually i crimp 80 sometimes, i guess i am a sucker for crimps. Good luck with them, i hope you get to test one out.

[Captain Fred Archer]

Fish Dad,

I'm with BH2o, except I call what most call "crimping", "swaging". I swage just about everything, including my swordfish rigs. We do a pro stiff rig that stiffens hooks on mono very well. But I actually much prefer to have my circle hooks for swords free swinging, so that they can move around in the fish's mouth. I believe that I get the optimal jaw hinge hookups better that way. You can reverse the hook rigging in the picture either way that you please. The stiffened method does an excellent job of stiffening a hook, much like a snell does.

To me, as I write in my books, "Knots are not!"

Good luck with Elvis!

"Small baits bridled on big circle hooks get the job done great."

[Fish Dad]

Fish Dad,

I'm with BH2o, except I call what most call "crimping", "swaging". I swage just about everything, including my swordfish rigs. We do a pro stiff rig that stiffens hooks on mono very well. But I actually much prefer to have my circle hooks for swords free swinging, so that they can move around in the fish's mouth. I believe that I get the optimal jaw hinge hookups better that way. You can reverse the hook rigging in the picture either way that you please. The stiffened method does an excellent job of stiffening a hook, much like a snell does.

To me, as I write in my books, "Knots are not!"

Good luck with Elvis!

"Small baits bridled on big circle hooks get the job done great."

So why snell this rig of yours....just trying to understand the difference.

[N2theBlue]

So why snell this rig of yours....just trying to understand the difference.

nice one :thumbup:

[Captain Fred Archer]

Dad,

Please understand, I write books about big game fishing, along with articles for the major saltwater print media. And in both, I rarely show just one way of doing things. In fact, the ways that I have been taught and have stumbled across on my own are often viewed as pretty radical by some. So I show my ways and other, often times in fact more popular ways in the books.

There are two bottom lines here. The first is that I post a large number of photos, rigging and pattern diagrams, etc. here, many of which have nothing to do with what I sell. They are from the books and magazine articles that I work my ass off to write, illustrate, etc. They are my "product", but I give a great deal of it away here on this site because I have such a high regard for it and most who come here. I'm not picking on you or anything like that, just saying what is so and that's it. I ain't saying that I'm some kind of hero, or whatever, just pointing out what I do.

The other bottom line is that the Internet is wonderful in many ways, but the fact remains that the very best and fastest ways to gain in-depth knowledge about any multi-faceted activity like big game fishing is to read books that cover the subject from A to Z and that include various alternatives to doing many things.

The Internet is the now...books are the how.

[Fish Dad]

Capt Archer,

I apologize if you thought I was sniping at you. I am well aware that the internet is full of idiots and haters just looking for something we said just to use it to smack them upside the head. This message board is full of them as all the other message boards out there.

But in this case, I was asking a legitiate question. It was just last week that I started a thread about hooks for swords. And you posted your snelled hook response to my thread just last week.

Best Hook for Swords

I do apologize if you thought my question was some sort of snipe, it wasn't. I am just trying to understand. I mostly use crimps on heavy line too so trying to understand when sword fishing when a crimp is appropriate and when a snell is better.

r/ Mike

[Questsportfishing]

and if you have time pull the hooks fwd snelled or crimped to see yourself how they move on corners and see what the difference on hookup is.. only you will have to in vision bait also on the hook or hooks etc. ... snell just usually makes the ring and hook set differently and without being able to foul backwards.