Avoiding snagging - tips

[HawkesburyParadise]

Hi there,

 

What are your best tips to avoid snagging or losing hook/swivel/sinkers in the rocks?

 

Cheers

HP

[BigHorse]

Guessing you are talking about land based,

maybe try using a small float if sinker is needed but is sinker isn't needed (small current, tide or waves) just skip the sinker and the bait will drift down slowly and won't feel the weight of the sinker wedging itself inbetween rock.

If a place is too rocky or weedy it might be better going somewhere else. It can be very annoying i know....

[HawkesburyParadise]

Yes, land based at the moment. 

[JonD]

You could simply fish over sand close to rocks.

[campr]

One way to lessen snags is to use a posternoster rig with sinker on the bottom with sinker dropper long enough to keep hook clear of bottom. However there are a couple of sneaky tricks to try.

1. Put a small runnig float about 2 or 3cm round on sinker dropper under hook trace to hold hook off bottom.

2. If sinker is getting snagged a drop shot rig can be tried.  This is just a split shot clamped on end of sinker dropper so that if sinker gets caught a steady pull will slip shot off the end of your line releasing the rest of your rig.  If more weight is needed just put a ball sinker on 1st above the shot.

This is the real original meaning of the drop shot rig, not a means of vertically working soft plastics.  I have only used this trout fishing in an area covered with round river stones and it worked well.  May be worth a try.  Ron 

[Smobaby]

Use a float set at the required depth. Fish typically don't eat off a rock your bait will be lying on. A single hook paternoster style rig may help. Use a lighter line for the sinker, that way you'll only loose the sinker.

[noelm]

Fish better locations, use lighter gear, alter technique, just guessing you are using a decent sinker, a big bait and casting it out as far as possible, then just letting it "sit there"?

[JonD]

Before sinkers were so expensive you could use breakaway systems that would snap off the sinker which was attached on lighter line via the breakaway. To add to that we used fine wire hooks that could bend enough to release from snags. To be honest though both methods could be avoided by not fishing snaggy areas.

[Fab1]

Don't go fishing like I do and all your terminal tackle will last a life time.Circle hooks tend to snag less I find.