Rapalla Knot or Lure Links/snaps..?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JjvtsbNZC5o

Have a look at the video above. Great lure by all accounts but surely too much ironmongery used to attach the lure to the flouro..?
Really takes away from the lure if you ask me and surely this would spook or delay a potential take from a fish..?

Just curious how many of you use links like these for lures or use a rapalla knot or similar..?
Not such a problem on dark nights or murky days but in clear conditions i wonder if it isnt worth taking the time to tie the rapalla knot..?

Links/snaps like this have always made me paranoid..!

Genie link clip. Not bulky or too much connecting to the lure, great for changing lures instead of cutting and having to tie on another.

E

There's no fish in a tank at a show like that, those Illex guys are demoing all day long and probably changing to a different twenty to thirty lures a day so its probably a solution to ease of use.

However...

If you have 8 bass in front of you between 4 and 6 lbs feeding aggressively and competitively up or down an estuary at speed they don't stop to contemplate too deeply your choice of clip or link, if you had two or three slow moving 8 - 10 lbsders under similar conditions things might be a bit different indeed.

Don't restrict your ability to change rapidly by having to re-tie a rapala knot that will eventually require you to re-tie your entire leader probably at the shore - sounds like a lot of room for error to me especially in a fast moving bass world (not always the case mind you) and you know the story..I was changing my leader in a hurry and was rushing and I didnt tie it properly and this bass from hell hit me and broke me at the you guessed it knot......

For regular fishing find a clip with a minimum of wire content no fancy bells or whistles just wire that locks into place - test its strength by tying to something solid.

One good leader one good link

Thanks Jim, its precisely those 8-10Ibers that Im thinking about..!
My biggest bass last year was approx 7Ib taken on s SG Sandeel tied without a clip as I had forgot them the morning I headed out.

I was half thinking this year of using the rapalla knot just to see if it makes a difference. I tend to fish two rods at any time so I can have one with a clip and one without. I do change lures a bit so I can see how its not practical. But my thinking was that the time taken to tie lures on could be worth it if it results in more fish. I guess the best compromise as you say would be a clip with minimum wire content.

I tend not to use a clip at all. I like the idea of the straight through connection to the lure. All that said, I found myself using clips on some occasions last year. This was to due to the difficult bass fishing. I found that I had to change lures more often just to keep my sanity. I was running through tippets like wildfire so I decided to use a clip. I divided my attention between Illex clips and Breakaway fast links.

I tend not to use a clip at all. I like the idea of the straight through connection to the lure. All that said, I found myself using clips on some occasions last year. This was to due to the difficult Bass fishing. I found that I had to change lures more often just to keep my sanity. I was running through tippets like wildfire so I decided to use a clip. I divided my attention between Illex clips and Breakaway fast links.

Tnks Jim, what knot are you using..? Similar to Rapalla to allow free movement of the lure or just a normal knot...?

Just normal...

maybe the clip is made by the same company as the lure and they are hoping to sell some of them as well
sometimes i wonder if a lot of lure fishing is more about catching anglers than fish,
actually it looks like a crimp on the trace as well, is it wire

iv been using these for the last few years....a great little clip and swivel

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Cralusso-Rolling ... 3a82071c17

E - if you're after bigger fish do everything you can to at least 'psychologically' improve your chances - confidence is a huge 'BIG' fish catcher, its what you have done to want to make you believe in the possibility of catching fish that so very often works. Yes there's no doubt that terminal tackle changes can result in better catches -

See the seatrout in the video on www.probassfisher.com just posted, watch the fishes response to the fly (and possibly the camera), at the end of the video click on the link seatrout secrets 5 spin fishing and see more of the same.

I believe that I fish with a lure that produces a way better reaction than this but does it in reality? I dont know! I also fish seatrout exclusively with a longer finer fluoro leader and NO clip because somewhere along the line this is what I began to believe in, so my catches went up....

One thing I will say guy is that the specific pursuit of bigger fish and catching them regularly can be a humbling experience but isnt that where its at sometimes?

Very interesting vid, Im always amazed at how easily fish accelerate up to a lure in these vids. The trout are clearly in two minds about it and somewhat spooked alright. This is what I am thinking might also be the same with large bass. We know how cautious they are. I will be in Kerry in a few weeks and im sure we'll catch the usual number of bass etc becasue we are doing the same thing every time. I have never had a bass over 10Ib from Kerry yet I know they are there. We have seen them. I once had a surface plug followed by what was a massive bass to my feet. Another night myself and Art witnessed a huge fish tearing into mackerel on the surface. Dont get me wrong, im very happy catching 3-5Ib fish but am always looking at ways to improve and make changes to see if this helps with larger fish. I dont think by any means the ans is as simple as changing a lure link but it could be a start.

Very interesting topic, have to try both ways the next bass trip I go on

E - if you're after bigger fish do everything you can to at least 'psychologically' improve your chances - confidence is a huge 'BIG' fish catcher, its what you have done to want to make you believe in the possibility of catching fish that so very often works. Yes there's no doubt that terminal tackle changes can result in better catches -

See the seatrout in the video on http://www.probassfisher.com just posted, watch the fishes response to the fly (and possibly the camera), at the end of the video click on the link seatrout secrets 5 spin fishing and see more of the same.

I believe that I fish with a lure that produces a way better reaction than this but does it in reality? I dont know! I also fish seatrout exclusively with a longer finer fluoro leader and NO clip because somewhere along the line this is what I began to believe in, so my catches went up....

One thing I will say guy is that the specific pursuit of bigger fish and catching them regularly can be a humbling experience but isnt that where its at sometimes?

Great vids Jim. When would you expect Seatrout to start showing up in decent numbers? I've been out for a couple of sessions in the last week or so and i havent seen a sign of a fish.

I think when we look back at our recent spring times we will see a very high pressure and easterly dry/cool influence during late Feb March and into April - this years significant weather no doubt in respect of water condition and a changed coastline has more challenges than normal - this HP at the moment will help and who knows if it lasts it will hopefully bring on the fish -

I have the fly gear ready (driven mad looking at it) but am firm in conviction that I wont fish until the 20th of March or thereabouts then its day one for me!

There are seatrout on the west coast at the moment in the shallows..

I think when we look back at our recent spring times we will see a very high pressure and easterly dry/cool influence during late Feb March and into April - this years significant weather no doubt in respect of water condition and a changed coastline has more challenges than normal - this HP at the moment will help and who knows if it lasts it will hopefully bring on the fish -

I have the fly gear ready (driven mad looking at it) but am firm in conviction that I wont fish until the 20th of March or thereabouts then its day one for me!

There are seatrout on the west coast at the moment in the shallows..

Ya this week of fine weather should definately kick things on a bit, looking forward to that first bend of the rod whatever specie it may be, Cheers Jim

I have since looked at other videos of lures under water using regular illex lure clips and they dont look half as bad. Im still going to try one rod without them. One setup I will be trying is something like a megabass dot crawler or large do-live stick weedless and I wont be using a clip. I'll be working the lure slowly in amongst boulders and kelp so I want it to look ad natural as possible. It has definitley given me something to think about. We spend a lot of money on rods, reeels, line and lures, so Im thnking why not take a few mins to tie a lure on rather than the clip. I usually fish for 4-6 hours at a time, im sure I can spare 60 seconds..! Who knows how many times a fish has been spooked by a clip or something that just didnt look right.

E - just a little note to be a little more careful with 'knot impact', without a clip sometimes a knot tied direct to hook or jig head (except loop) can suffer from more impact over rough ground and hence loose some of its BS, worthwhile checking frequently....

.

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Must be the first time you have ever blanked Jim.

Yeah thats a good point.