We’ve had several comments and questions regarding some of our choices in terminal tackle. The one that we’re going to address today is about snaps. A bunch of y’all have noticed that we use these on a regular basis which is completely accurate.
Let’s look at the Gamakatsu Finesse Tournament Snap.
I’m just guessing here but more than likely, a good percentage of you have tried snaps at some point in your angling. After all, they do make changing lures easier and quicker since you don’t have to retie every time you put on a different plug.
Some of you may use them on a regular basis while others may have decided that they’re a worthless pile of —-, insert whatever name you would like for excrement.
Still others have incorporated them into your arsenal depending on what type of bait your throwing at the moment. We fit into the latter group.
What Makes a Good Snap?
What makes snap A a good one while snap B is only reserved for something to give to that guy who occasionally tags along with you, uninvited?
Pragmatism.
First off, is it made of good steel? Then, does it open and close easily? Does it stay closed or is it prone to open while your fighting a fish? Does it collect snot because it has some pointy ends sticking out? How much of that glop is acceptable?
So with that in mind, let’s take a close look at the Tournament Snap.
It has a good shape which makes it easy to tie to and it’s made of very good steel. Since we’ve been using the Gamakatsu, not even once have we been able to put enough strain on it to alter its shape. Have we tried? Oh yeah, we just couldn’t do it even when it was tied to 80# braid and intentionally snagged on a log.
As far as the ease of opening and closing, you have to take a close look at the pictures of the snap as well as the directions that are provided on the back of the package. You don’t open or close this snap.
It is designed so that you attach it to the line tie by twisting it one direction. To remove your lure, you reverse the process. While it may sound a little complicated, it takes very little time to recognize just how this functions.
Once you understand that the end of the wire that is on top, nearest your knot is the focal point for the process, as long as your eyes are fair, you can attach and detach lures in no time flat.
One of the features of this design is that the Tournament Snap doesn’t pick up as much glop as other products do because the ends of the wire don’t stick out very far from the body of the snap.
The Gamakatsu Finesse Tournament Snap has proven to be a handy, relatively simple product to use anytime we’re throwing baits that call for a snap.
When To Use A Snap
The parameters that we employ for using a snap are usually crankbaits, which we like to remove the split ring first if a bait comes with one. Soft plastic swimbaits when we are using a belly weighted version with some kind of screw lock keeper for the lure. Topwater walk the dog style baits whose line tie isn’t recessed. And hollow body topwater baits that we use braid for.
The Tournament Snap doesn’t do well with baits that have a recessed or shrouded line tie because there isn’t enough room to maneuver the lure into the snap.
If you’re looking to try these, keep in mind that there is a learning curve, albeit a very short one. Play with it at home in broad daylight. Attach a lure slowly so that you see the path it takes then reverse the process. It will become very apparent fairly quickly.
The Gamakatsu Finesse Tournament Snap is available in a few sizes but as of this moment, only one color. Could we see a black nickel version in future? Who knows but it would be something we would welcome.
| Gamakatsu Finesse Tournament Snap | |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |    |
| Solidly built, and very strong | |
See ya’ on the water …