Add a swivel to Spoons?

[Senor Snagger]

Do you guys add swivels to your MI Stingers or do you just clip them onto the snap lock?

[Rippin'Line]

Swivels.

[Big Water]

Swivel

[Senor Snagger]

Do any of you use split rings on the spoons?

[baitrigger]

Split rings on all spoons

[Rich D]

Snap lock to the spoon, inline swivel about 6-8' above attached to the florocarbon leader. Good Luck

Capt Rich

Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[on the lam]

Like Rich said,,, rings off also, just a snap. Less weight=better action. Imo

[Senor Snagger]

Thank you gentlemen.

[baitrigger]

Rings on will help to keep your spoons from getting torn up. They have no effect on weight or action IMO.

[on the lam]

Torn up? In what way.

[jason]

I run my setup just like rich d

[baitrigger]

With out a split ring the swivel rubs the paint around the hole. It is also much less forgiving in the net when a big old fall king is going nuts and your treble is two hooks in his jaw. We started using warriors a few years ago, they come with rings on all. Huge difference. We added them to all. Only way to go. IMO

[TyeeTanic]

Some of the best spoons are all torn up ones! LOL.

 

Anyhow, I connect snap swivel straight to spoon.  Snap swivel's I use are high quality ball bearing like Spro.

I use the smallest snap swivel I can get into the spoon eyelet.  Less steel between the line and the spoon, the better.

Read Captain Keating's books and you will get this advice straight from a pro.

[on the lam]

Th original question was concerning stinger spoons, which are on the light side. If your dragging mag spoons around in the fall getting reaction strikes from kings, you could pretty much throw anything at them. If your trying to finesse spring or summer trout n salmon, adding a barrel swivel, the lightest possible, and a light snap at the spoon along with 12-15# floro leader will improve your catch without a doubt.

I prefer stingers most of the year, except in the fall.

[baitrigger]

M. Stingers are a great example of a spoon that needs a split ring. They are light and bend easily. The only reason they dont come with them is the extra cost to the manufacturer. Dicks and gander carry the stingers. Box store spoon. You dont want to break the paint on those. The whole spoon will peel. They will catch fish. You' buy three of them a year, compared to good quality stuff.

[Senor Snagger]

So I decided to go to the horse's mouth. I called Michigan Stinger.

I was told that the spoons were designed to go straight onto a snap lock swivel.

When they fish them, they do not add a split ring. He did say that a split ring is personal preference.

I guess I'm going to go with the guys that designed them.

[LongLine]

It all depends on the snap you're using.  If they're well rounded then no ring necessary.  If you're using small somewhat pointed snaps then yes put a ring on your spoons.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[ontherise]

I use rings, swivels flourocarbon all the hottest lures And still can't get s consistent bite!!!!!

YO!

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I run the smaller spoons with no ring. Micro swivel between leader and the main line. Snap swivel at end of leader. Mags I used to put a ring on. Lately, i run them the way they come.

Edited January 21, 2015 by BAZOOKAJOE

[momay4000]

I'd like to add a few cents on this:

 

Without a doubt, I think much of what we do on the lake is cemented in experience, but that can also come at the expense of doing things just because "a charter captain told me so" or "because someone writes it in a blog it must be true". I think the argument of a split ring is a classic example: there are 25 different ways to skin the cat and honestly all 25 probably work to some degree (split ring vs. no split ring, tie directly to the spoon, in-line swivel with a snap-lock, whatever). That being said, I think it's impossible to know what way is best unless someone actually took the time to compare the catch rate of a split ring spoon vs. a non-split ring spoon in some sort of controlled scientific fashion (think Myth Busters).

 

In my opinion/questions:

 

1.) There's no way a tiny split ring weighing only a few grams is going to affect the action of a spoon which weighs a few ounces, especially when the pivot point for the action is the front of the spoon! Perhaps it might affect fluid dynamics of the spoon by creating more water resistance, but the weight is negligible so the argument that it will affect spoon action is weak at best. If someone wants to do a controlled comparison on their boat - ring vs. no ring - and tell me the findings, I'd love to hear the results.

 

2.) I think most manufactures don't add rings to the smaller spoons b/c it's more cost or the spoons are so thin they don't need a ring. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

3.) I think a ring simply allows the swivel to slide around a little more when fighting a fish, exactly like what Tom says above, especially on the spoons which are thicker like an NK. The cup on a DW SS is much thinner so the swivel slides around just fine in the eye of the spoon.

 

I simply use all the spoons the way they come out of the package (i.e. an NK spoon stays intact with the ring, a DW SS stays intact without). Don't overthink it.

 

Chris

[on the lam]

I absolutely disagree that adding a ring, and a snap swivel doesn't affect the action of the tip of the spoon, compared to no ring and just a snap. The same reason a Rapala knot is the way to go on a stickbait, no weight, no added resistance to the nose which allows it to swim with the most action possible. Just my opinion, I could agree to disagree.

[ifishy]

I may be alone here but replace the M. stinger with an FLT spoon for me any stinger that has caught fish  has had all the tape ripped off within a single season.  The only ones that i have that are not just blanks have never taken a fish for me.   I am not willing to spend money to replace a spoon that i havent lost.  I have a bunch of NKs from the 80s abd 90s that hold up just as well I dont know what it is about modern spoons but I have problems.  even the couple DWs i have bought have started to peel just not as fast as the stingers.  All that said smallest swivel possible on the lure straight out of the package however it comes.

[Gill-T]

Depends....If you are fishing Steelhead at high speeds, then a NK 28 with its stock split ring will allow for more spinning which is ok with the species.  If you are fishing browns, you will be fishing slower with lighter line leaders.  Fish will have more time to inspect your bait so have as little unnatural dangling and clanking off the end of the spoon the better.  Target browns and the standard is a duolock snap to the lure to a lighter line leader to a small barrel swivel.  Browns don't want spinning spoons but seem to prefer side-to-side waggling.  Guys will go further increasing the darting snapping motion by adding a bigger treble or deepening the cup (bend) in the spoon.

[fathobbit0074]

I personally run 12 lb mono to a swivel 6'up line and tie on 10 lb flouro leader and only put a snap on the end Then run a clean spoon I like to have little weight as possible taking away from lure action Biggest fish consistently come on this rig.

[momay4000]

Depends....If you are fishing Steelhead at high speeds, then a NK 28 with its stock split ring will allow for more spinning which is ok with the species.  If you are fishing browns, you will be fishing slower with lighter line leaders.  Fish will have more time to inspect your bait so have as little unnatural dangling and clanking off the end of the spoon the better.  Target browns and the standard is a duolock snap to the lure to a lighter line leader to a small barrel swivel.  Browns don't want spinning spoons but seem to prefer side-to-side waggling.  Guys will go further increasing the darting snapping motion by adding a bigger treble or deepening the cup (bend) in the spoon.

 

Not trying to be a d##k here, but how does a split ring allow a spoon to spin more since it is fixed to the eye of the spoon? The only thing which allows a spoon to spin would be a swivel.

 

Please explain this to me.

 

Also, since I highly respect many of the opinions in this post regarding spoon action and catch rate, I'm going to test all my spoons in my pool with rings, no rings, light spoons, heavy spoons, mags, etc and try and see how it affects the lure action. I'm not sure how I can do this (i.e. artificially create trolling speed) but I plan on filming it with my Gopro and slowing down the footage to see how/if the spoon action changes.

 

Thanks,

 

Chris

Edited January 21, 2015 by momay4000