RAY SCOTT OUTDOORS™
Presents
Bob Cobb
The Proof’s In The Creel
Rube Goldberg
Gimmick or Better Bait?
PINTLALA, AL –
Suffice it to say the intent of “field testing” the spinnerbait was without
prejudice. Despite the boastful
claim by the lure manufacturer: “You
hook ‘em…you land ‘em.” Actually,
hardly a true test. Spring and spinnerbaits
go together like, well, pizza and suds.
It’s Bass Fishing 101 for pro and non-professional anglers
alike. Recognize the signs of the times. Spring flowers – the redbuds and dogwoods
– in bloom. Basic bassin’ rule: the fish are on the banks.
Pre-spawn or spawn? The
answer usually depends on water temperature. Readings
inching into the low-60s, trips a largemouth’s trigger to seek out the shallows.
More basic spring pattern stuff: fish the north coves. These areas warm up first. Also, smaller bodies of water (i.e. ponds, tanks,
lakes) will shake the winter doldrums ahead of larger reservoirs.
Most small ponds can be fished effectively from shore. However, be smart.
Stalk the bass. Be a hunter as
well as a fisherman.
Easing along the dam, a slight swirl was a give away to the
largemouth’s location. A rubble of rocks
flanked the slight shelf dropping into deeper water.
The 3/8-ounce, tandem-bladed lure with the odd brand name of
“Snap Set Spinnerbait” hit a point beyond the swirl. The 12-pound test monofilament cut the surface as
the white-skirted, willow-leaf and small Colorado blade combination reached the dark
shadow by the rocks.
“This hook is so effective,” vowed John Murphy, the
lure designer, “that for the first few hits…DON’T set the hook…and see
what happens.”
The line jumped sideways, and the bass cut toward the depths. Just as suddenly five-pounds of leapin’
largemouth splashed across the surface…tethered by the strange hook setup. The Snap Set hook had done the trick…on its
own power.
First cast. A
five-pounder caught and released. Blind luck? Repeat the steps.
Re-load the 3/0 hook with the inch and half of heavy line into the rubber
holder on the base of the standard-looking leadhead spinnerbait frame.
A hula-hoop idea for a lure.
A gimmick? The strange
contraption, for sure, looked like a Rube Goldberg gadget with too many surplus parts.
“It’s a serious hooking system for serious
fishermen,” claims John Murphy, a Platteville, Wisconsin angler. “There will always be those who fish with
dull hooks, frayed line and worn guides. This
Snap Set System isn’t for those types. This
is for the fisherman who wants to take advantage of every edge he can.”
Quit while you’re out front, a small voice echoed. But, the second cast was on the way…parallel
to the same rocky outcropping. Slow, steady
retrieve with the blades just out of eye-sight.
Okay, relax. Remember,
don’t set the hook. Let the bass catch
itself. And, that’s exactly what
happened. The line jumped. The fish whirled toward the drop-off, and the
hook-up was dead-perfect.
As described by John Murphy, the pressure pulled the hook out
of the rubber sleeve, the abrupt halt – like a sudden drop on a rope at a hanging
gallows – snapped the hook into the fish’s jaw.
The tethered-hook rig has a bonus feature. With the weight of the 3/8-ounce lure not on the
end of the line – but away from the hook – there is no possible means for the
bass to rock and roll and throw the lure by using the bait’s leverage to sling the
spinnerbait on the jump.
Three times the six-pounder tailwalked trying to rid itself of
the pesky Snap-Set hook.
A foolproof, new hook-setting system? Two casts. A
perfect two-for-two with over 11 pounds of bass caught and released. Maybe John J. Murphy has not heard of
“Murphy’s Law.” Normally, in
bass fishing “anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
Mr. Murphy had sent the package of “Snap Set Lures”
to Ray Scott, seeking the founder of the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (B.A.S.S.)
blessing, as to the “no more lost fish” claim.
Ray’s reaction was predictable. “There’s a lot of good spinnerbaits on
the market. Most of ‘em – if you
throw in the right spot – will catch bass. Looking
at this Snap Set feature, I’d put it in the category of a well-made spinnerbait with
a ‘gimmick’.”
There’s no foolproof guarantee. But the hook system works. It’s hard to prejudice the results: In a matter of around 30 minutes, we caught and
released nine bass – taking turns casting with the same rod, reel and spinnerbait. Ray anchored the creel with a solid eight-pound
largemouth. But, don’t discard your
standard spinnerbaits just yet. “Hook
‘em. You Land ‘em?” Not always. Out
of ten strikes, a feisty three-pounder did manage to toss the Snap Set hook.
Since that initial field test, we’ve been chunkin’
and winding with the same lure. Trying to
determine if the 80-pound tether cord would fray and break off. Suffice it to say – after catching and
releasing over 100 pounds of bass – we suffered “Murphy’s Law.”
You know the rule of Basic Bassin’ 101: Check your line. Retie, Dummy. The 12-pound mono snapped. Not the Snap Set line.
John J. Murphy, also, offers the Snap Set hooking system in a
buzz bait model and has received three U.S. Patents issued on his “gimmick.” Maybe a better description is “unique”
system.
TRAILER TACKLE TIP – John Murphy’s Snap Set hook
system is, also, a bit unique when the need arrives to try a trailer, not a “trailer
hook,” but a plastic split-tail or curly-tail add-on.
Normally, adding a trailer is just a matter of putting the
point into the plastic and threading it on the hook.
With the Snap Set System, put the hook point through the
trailer, work the plastic up the hook shank, past the hook eye, and position it on the
heavy 1 ½-inch tether line.
The “trailer” swims below the hook and adds action or
life-like appeal. With the curly-tail,
position the plastic so the tail swims upright.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: If
you have comments or a “Snap Set hook” experience, write, fax or E-mail us at
Ray Scott Outdoors™ 238 Whitetail Trail
¨Pintlala, AL
36043 ¨334-281-3661
¨Fax:
334-286-9186¨e-mail:
ray@rayscott.net |
