Split Decision

[cow tamer]

I've heard it both ways. When attaching a Finnish swimmer to a snap,
leave the split ring/ loose the split ring.
What is your experience?

[stripadan]

I don't use snaps. Tie direct with at least 2x split rings. Except on Redfins. I don't use a ring on Redfins, because I want it up at the surface, no extra weight. Loaded Redfins get a ring.

[striperjerk1]

i leave the split ring, doesn,t make any diff in action of the plug.
in fact i actually had to add split rings to some of my plugs cause i couldn,t get the snap on the eye of the plug. especially on deep throated poppers.
my .02 and my experience.

[Joe]

Split Descison is a apt title for this query. I think less hardward is better. I really don't see the need for a snap when a plug has a split ring.

Make sure your Finish Swimmer is not a trolling lure. I miss Nils Master - they had no split ring, but I recall fishing them direct most of the time.

Gather opinions, there's no harm in it. But in truth, I think you're better off asking a question like this directly to someone whom you know, who fishes where you fish with a similar style, and who has had success.

[baldwin]

A split ring allows the plug to swing, giving it better action. If you use a snap, you can ditch the split ring. Use a snap with a rounded front to allow the plug better freedom of movement.

[libassboy]

I almost always use a snap so i take the split rings off, i learned this the hard way years ago when i had one unwind on a small redfin, the bass was HUGE.... If you using snap you dont need the ring there, its just annother thing to fail. Annother reason i take those rings off is a guy i learned alot from when i first started always took the rings off, and he bailed fish, so i trust him.
I will downsize my snap size depending on the plug, you dont wanna use a 56 snap on a small 5/8th oz plug, wont swim right.

[cow tamer]

I had read where one should remove the split ring when using a snap for the basic reasons stated. I recently attended a Steve McKenna seminar and he attaches the snap to the split ring. I asked Steve about it and he suggested trying it both ways and see which way results in the better action. I thought this to be sound advice but I first wanted to seek the experience of others.

[Joe]

Most of those type of issues have nothing to do with whether the fish hits the lure or not. The odds are good that if you swim a crankbait by a striper, its gonna take it.
It's when you run into the fish of a season or a lifetime, that's when things start to get dicey; cheap split rings unwind, cheap hooks open, frayed leaders fail, etc, etc.