San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Looking for some guidance on clips when using lures. I know some guys don’t use them and some do. I like to change lures often so what are some recommendations do you suggest for low profile and easy/fast exchanges.

IMHO, no clips. Fresh knots can be a blessing in disguise. If you need a loop for a lure to swim free like a jerk bait or top water, learn the rapala knot. Super quick. And you can even tie a double rapala knot for heavy stuff with lighter line. Never had the rapala knot fail. My pb 13lb bass was on a rapala knot on a lunker punker and have caught many 50 and up tuna trolling rapalas with a rapala knot.
I prefer the action of that knot even over a split ring like on a jerk bait or a depps 250. I pull all my split rings off and use the rapala. You can make the loop small or big.

I’ve witnessed many fish including my own being loss from being lazy to re tie. Clips keep you from retying a worn out knot. Even just from constantly casting and not catching, your knot will wear. Re tie often

Are there any scenarios that you would recommend using a clip with lure ? Soft or hard bait ? Or no clips at all

Sure, if you like to change lures often. And I have had knots fatigue and fail when tied directly to a hook but few if any knots fail tied to a snap (I assume that is what you mean by a clip).
I use this style: https://www.amazon.com/JL-Sport-Pack-Lo ... 693&sr=8-5

I also find that a cone sinker on a Texas rig can beat up the knot too. Retying often (especially after catching fish) is a good habit, even if I don't do it often enough.

But other than when I want to change baits often, I don't use snaps. On crankbaits, I don't think it discourages bites. On soft plastics that are fished slowly, I would avoid any excess hardware.

No clips for me. I don't find them to be appreciably quicker than tieing a new knot. And adds extra hardware. And action seems to be different from stock. Angles of a clip vs stock split ring aren't the same, alters action. I prefer to tie new knots and trust that the stock ring was engineered for a reason

No clips for the win this morning at Harbor Island. 3 Barracuda and 1 Mackerel within an hour. It pays off to be patient.

i have been curious about this as well. well i guess ill stick with my knots as well

Depends honestly. I don’t use snaps for 90% of my hard baits, but for a lot of my bigger glide baits I use a heavy duty SPRO snap. On the Deps 250 I replace the split ring with a snap. Like the action a little bit better with a snap than a split ring or direct tie.

That said, I pretty much use a snap per bait in that case so I’m still re tying rather than using one snap for everything.

Clips or no clips re-tie often.

Rob that used to be on here used clips all the time and seemed to catch a ton of fish, also used straight braid for almost all of his presentations too.

I use decoy size 2 egg snaps in the bay but always use knots for everything else.

Back in June I started using speed clips for my calico bass hardbaits (Waxwings and Current Snipers). After that went ahead and tried them on my daytime tuna jigs( poppers and snipers). I was worried about the clips maybe straightening out at first, but not anymore. It takes me time to tie my knots so being able to quickly change lures in a hot bite can make a day. Next season I will be trying them on my surface irons.

I’ve seen he snap swivels rated 800lb straighten out. Stuff happens. What’s funny, the knot on the straightened out snap swivels was perfectly fine. Especially on a surface iron, you cannot go wrong with a double San Diego. I personally think clips are just a form of laziness and just one more thing to fail or tangle. To each their own.

I like to use snap swivels with baits like spoons or in line spinners that can twist line. As others have mentioned, they are great for saving time and making lure changes more simplified. For other baits like jigs, crankbaits and other hard baits and plastics, I don't use them. If you do use snaps or swivels, just remember to re-tie every so often, or else you will lose your lure or even a fish when you least expect it, after the the knot gets a little weak from all the load that casting, retrieving and landing fish can put it.

Okay...float tubing the bays with 6 or 8 lb test...

If I know I'm gonna be dedicating one rod for throwing plugs (topwater, hard jerkbaits, crankbaits), that rod gets a clip when I'm setting up the night before. And if a lure has a split ring, I take it off. Between my poor eyesight and bobbing around in a float tube, tying a knot (especially on a plug with a couple trebles on it) can become an ordeal. I check the line freqently, and retie now and then.

I like the rounded duoloc style clip, figger the action is most like a split ring.

But for spoons, I overcome my knot aversion and tie in a swivel a foot above the lure, and tie the "leader" to the split ring on the spoon. If the spoon spins a lot this reduces line twist, and if I pick up a bit of eelgrass, it stops at the swivel and the spoon keeps merrily wobbling along.

So yeah...it depends.

Knots don't wear out if you tie them properly, and check your line often.
Clips are a very valuable tool for hard bait fishermen, especially when fishing shallows as conditions change.