Little things often make a big difference in fishing. Several years ago I picked up a fishing tip from legendary trout fisherman Buzz Ramsey that would ultimately change the way I fish wobbling crankbaits.
Iconic trout and salmon fisherman Buzz Ramsey designed the Mag Lip to have a “hunting” or “skip beat” action. If you look closely you’ll note that this brown was caught by rigging using a snap on the end of the fishing line and also the factory supplied snap on the Mag Lip.
We were filming a TV episode on Lake Ontario targeting the many spring brown trout that prowl the shorelines from Niagara Falls to Olcott, New York. At the time the Mag Lip plug was very new and I had only fished them a time or two.
As we were setting lines, Buzz noticed that I removed the cross lock snap that comes factory supplied on the Mag Lip. Buzz asked why I was removing the snap and I explained that I run a similar snap at the terminal end of my trolling rods.
Buzz replied that’s okay, connect the snap on your rod to the snap the comes on the bait. Fishing wobbling plugs using two snaps may seem unnecessary, but Buzz explained that it significantly opens up the action of lures like the Mag Lip which feature a “hunting” or “skip beat” action.
Since that day on Lake Ontario, I’ve fished all my high action wobbling plugs using two snaps. Many of my favorite wobblers including the Yakima FlatFish, Mag Lip and Fat Wiggler and also the Luhr Jensen KwikFish and Storm Wiggle Wart come factory supplied with a snap on the pull point.
Fishing a pair of No. 3 snaps on high action plugs helps to open up
the lure’s action and provide more action at slower trolling
speeds or in slower current.
Other popular high action wobblers like the Cotton Cordell Wiggle-O, Heddon Tadpoly and Brad’s Wiggler come from the factory with a split ring mounted to the wire pull point. I remove the split ring, replace it with a No. 3 snap and then of course fish a second No. 3 snap at the terminal end of my fishing rod.
The moral of the story is that “two snaps fish better than one” at least in terms of high action wobbling crankbaits. This simple tip has helped me catch a pile of brown trout, lakers, steelhead, salmon and walleye with wobbling plugs.