Help - Snelling a Tungsten Jig

[jimhaney08]

Hi Guys.  I read about snelling a tungsten ice fishing jig via in-fisherman article and gave it a try.  I just don't like how this looks.  The jig is hanging vertical.  I'm normally moving my standard palomar knot to get the jig to hang more horizontally than the approximate 45 degrees that the jig wants to hang.  I find that I get more bites with it horizontal.

Just looking to see if 1) did I do something wrong? and 2) is there a different style of jig that snelling works better for?  I cut this off and went the "if it's not broken, don't fix it" route for the time being.  Sorry for the lousy picture.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Thats actually how the jigs are supposed to sit.they balance like that in a loop knot too.they are not meant to sit horizontal

[rdhammah]

did you feed the line from the front toward the hook? supposed to go from the hook toward the front and then bring the line back to the hook shank

[DR.SPECKLER]

Heres the proper way to snell a jig.

[jimhaney08]

did you feed the line from the front toward the hook? supposed to go from the hook toward the front and then bring the line back to the hook shank

I threaded from the hook to the head of the lure as shown in the picture Dr. Speckler posted below.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Have to thread from head to hook tho.

[jimhaney08]

Heres the proper way to snell a jig.

That's the same picture that I used.  I guess that's just how it hangs then.  I used to use them as they naturally hang, but have found through experimentation that I seem get more bites with it sitting horizontal.  Maybe it's just a confidence thing.  I thought the snelling was supposed to make it hang more horizontal.  I was thinking maybe because the spikes look more tasty when horizontal?

I'll have to try it sitting as designed since I haven't really experimented since finding the increased success sitting horizontal.  Try to keep them honest.

[jimhaney08]

Have to thread from head to hook tho.

Oh.  The picture showed the main line going from the hook side out through the head.  I followed the picture since I'd never done it before.

[DR.SPECKLER]

The arrows man.. follow the arrows.lol starts from hook eye then snell around hook shank.you will get it with practice.it beats repositioning the jig constantly with clinch or others that tie on eye only.these style jigs with the hook style are not meant to sit perfectly horizontal.good luck.

[jimhaney08]

Well I guess I did it right then.  I followed the arrows.  The knot looked pretty.  I have to re-adjust my knot to get it to hang more horizontally after each catch.  Was hoping that would work here, but it doesn't hang that way.  I'll give it a try the next time I have to re-tie.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Another really nice but hard to learn knot is the rapala loop knot.the jig balances in it perfectly and i think better jig action and hook percentages.its good to learn different knots.i used improved clinch for everything but have upped my knot game in the last 10 years.

[jimhaney08]

Another really nice but hard to learn knot is the rapala loop knot.the jig balances in it perfectly and i think better jig action and hook percentages.its good to learn different knots.i used improved clinch for everything but have upped my knot game in the last 10 years.

Interesting that you say that.  I have always relied on the palomar knot, but I've learned to use the improved clinch with ice fishing since I'm re-tying leaders on my braid to fluoro with a swivel setup.  The biggest knot that I really had to take time to learn was the FG knot for my open water braid to fluoro connection.  It took me a year to learn to tie it with some level of proficiency that every other knot didn't fail.  Then another year to actually get good at it.  Totally worth the time investment though.  I thought about using it for ice fishing, but I've stuck with a swivel due to managing line twist and how thin 4lb braid to 2lb fluoro is.

I'll have to look into the Rapala loop knot.  Do you think the loop affects pressured fish from biting?  I'm just thinking that more line hanging up above the lure might catch their attention.  A lot of the lakes I fish get a lot of fishing pressure when we have good ice.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Lakes here in Michigan are as pressured as you can get really where im at.i use super light line in 1 and 2lb with 2 to 3mm jigs when they are finicky.they dont even notice the loop at all.practice tying it tho to get the loop somewhat small.ive increased catch rates using it.

[bouncin_toads]

I just recently watched a video on YouTube of Jason Mitchell catching perch using 10 lb test in a small prairie lake with a loop knot to a tungsten jig. He said there were pike and walleye in there as well, which is why he went with the heavier line. Just saying...

[eyeflyer]

I just recently watched a video on YouTube of Jason Mitchell catching perch using 10 lb test in a small prairie lake with a loop knot to a tungsten jig. He said there were pike and walleye in there as well, which is why he went with the heavier line. Just saying...

Exactly just tie a secure knot and go fishing, many putting way to much thought into catching something with a brain smaller than a pea.

[kayl]

Unpopular opinion here, but more often than not I just use a fly fishing fast snap on my jigs. I have not noticed any difference in action or catch rate.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/fas-snap-no-knot-fas-snap

I use the small size for jigs and will often use the medium size for Crappie spoons, rattle baits, etc.

[popnfish]

I use the palomar knot and adjust it so it hangs more horizontal we get more bites like that

[eyeflyer]

Unpopular opinion here, but more often than not I just use a fly fishing fast snap on my jigs. I have not noticed any difference in action or catch rate.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/fas-snap-no-knot-fas-snap

I use the small size for jigs and will often use the medium size for Crappie spoons, rattle baits, etc.

I too use the fas snaps ice fishing and for fly fishing as well.  For walleye with larger jigs, lures I use swivel/cross lock snaps.

[jimhaney08]

I use a very small snap for my spoons, jigging raps, etc.  I guess when I'm going to just tungsten and meat I try to go more natural.  I think at lot of it comes down to depth, water clarity, cover, and fishing pressure.  I have definitely seen when they will only look at a 4mm jig, but will eat a 3mm jig.  So I try to go natural in that scenario by tying direct.

[whiteymalone]

Unpopular opinion here, but more often than not I just use a fly fishing fast snap on my jigs. I have not noticed any difference in action or catch rate.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/fas-snap-no-knot-fas-snap

I use the small size for jigs and will often use the medium size for Crappie spoons, rattle baits, etc.

I will have to respectfully say I disagree 100% with your brand choice of fly snap. Fas-Snap brand snaps are finished very poorly. The eyes are almost always open enough for a knot to slide out and the wire cuts are rough. That being said, I am a huge fan of that type of snap. Mustad 77145 snaps are head and shoulder better quality. They are also made in #1, #2, and #3 (3 being smallest). Give 'em a try, you'll never go back. When using them on a jig built on a fly hook, like the one pictured above, it really helps to use forceps to change jigs as they snap on pretty tight. Sorry about the hi-jack.
 
 https://www.fishusa.com/Mustad-Hook-Snap-Model77145

 

[mbart]

Hope this helps.