Piking snap tackle

[Dunk Fairley]

Although I'm loath to have a go at any tackle supplier, I've had Fox treble hooks snap on me (and fish) so I won't have them in the house any more.

 

I use drennan hooks, drennan trace wire with decent swivels (Not Fox. But again, I won't slag them off, but I've had them break).

 

Bear in mind when crimping, don't crimp too hard. The crimps are made of brass, and the wire of steel. All you're trying to do, is crimp hard enough to stop the wire slipping. You're not trying to stop the Titanic from hitting an iceberg. So just flatten the crimp in a couple of places, so it grips the wire. If in doubt, fill a bucket with sand, then hang it off one of your crimped traces. If it doesnt break and the wire doesn't slip, then that's OK. If it snaps, it'll snap at a crimp, where you've crimped too hard.

 

As far a knotting or twisting goes. A lot of people say that if you heat the wire, it makes it malleable and you can twist it. Ok, but it also softens it and you lose tensile strength (the important bit) unless you know what you are doing.

 

Knotting should onle be used on wire that is described as being "knottable".

 

Just my humble opinion.

[argyll]

The crimps are made of brass

 

Copper these days. Some big game crimps are still made of brass.

 

'Crimping' isn't the same as 'crushing' and most crimping tools 'crush'. This can damage the wire, usually at the ends of the crimp and particularly where multi strand wire is in use. Very few crimping tools work well, the Fox crimper being an exception. A proper crimping tool require very little pressure since it merely dimples the surface of the crimp and thus excessive pressure will rarely lead to the wire being damaged.

 

For best results the tool should be used on fairly long crimps like Drennan Slim Crimps (the Fox crimps are shorter) and pressure should only be applied to the centre portion of the crimp, allowing the ends of the crimp to flare. This reduces the chance of the wire being damaged on the sharp edge of the crimp.

 

As for hooks, buy them from a hookmaker, not a tackle company that may have got them from a cheap and cheerful source. That way at least you have a reasonable idea of their pedigree. I hear continual stories of Fxx and Dxxxxxx hooks breaking, but they rarely have a name like Eagle Claw or VMC on them. I can't remember the last time a treble hook accidentally broke on me. I use straight point 2x hooks like Eagle Claw 974s (VMC equivalent is 9649) and Owner 36s. Never let you down.

Edited July 18, 2006 by argyll

[Russell Fitzpatrick]

i use the fox crimping pliers too,cant find a fault with em at all,i love em,never had a crimped trace part on me...at all.

[Dunk Fairley]

I also use fox crimping pliers and I've hod no trouble. They squash the crimp just right (drennan slim crimps). So not all products from that company have let me down.

[Steve Burke]

One tip I'd mention if you use semi-barbless trebles. Put something like a fluorescent red Bait Saver on the 2 barbed points. It means quicker baiting-up (especially if like me you're "of a certain age"!), plus it's easy to spot the hooks when they're on the ground etc. Finally, it may even attract the fish.

 

Another tip I'd add is to tie a snap swivel to the end of your reel line. This allows you to quickly unclip the trace when you land a fish and thus move the rod out of the way. It also saves time when you're tackling up/down or changing a trace.

[Anderoo]

I always make them. You know exactly what materials are used and you can make them to your own specifications and standards. I'm a crimper rather than a twister, which suits me fine