Better than Knots: Expert Tips on Paperclip-Style Snaps

• Steve Dougherty is Managing Editor of Florida Sportsman magazine.

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I’m an offshore angler at heart, where we’ve relied on paperclip-style snaps for years when building artificial dredges to tease up sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin.

However, my recent explorations into Florida’s remote backwaters have revealed yet another valuable application for these small, bent pieces of metal—fishing topwater and suspending hard baits above rocky limestone and oyster-laden shallows.

Artificial lures, and even many live bait presentations benefit from a non-slip loop knot at the terminal end, as opposed to the tag tied tight with a fixed connection like a uni or palomar knot. This allows a tad more freedom of motion for lures to execute their designed maneuvers and is essential when the retrieve calls for a pause to let a lure finish its gliding motion.

While many professional bass anglers opt for lure snaps to swiftly change crankbaits, innovative inshore saltwater anglers have been exploring various lure snaps to replicate the functionality of a loop knot while incorporating several key advantages.

Captain Doug Howard, who fearlessly navigates the Chassahowitzka River, often presents hard baits tight to the mangrove shoreline in pursuit of snook at their northernmost range. Given the snook’s razor-sharp gill plates, Howard reinforces his leader with a 10-inch, 50-pound-test fluorocarbon bite tippet. This added security at the critical end helps prevent break offs caused by fish or sharp underwater structure littered throughout The Chaz.

During an early morning adventure with Howard, the darkness still enveloped us as we began blind casting toward the mangroves. Armed with X-Rap Twitchin Minnows, we cast into the obscurity. As dawn broke, we could discern snook trailing our lures, shadowing them right up to the Gheenoe, only to veer away at the last moment. We experimented with different retrieve speeds and frantically switched lure colors until we managed to outwit a cunning snook into committing to a strike.

Howard’s clever inclusion of a 25-pound Rosco EZ Clip facilitated swift lure changes without sacrificing the length of his bite tippet, ultimately affording more time spent fishing during low-light conditions when snook are more inclined to strike a surface lure. Retying every time you desire a change in color, cadence, or retrieve style would inevitably lead to a dwindling length of leader and less time spent fishing. And with a limited arsenal of rods, quick-change snaps keep lures in the water, potentially resulting in more fish brought to the boat.

The EZ Clips, designed in a paperclip style and offered in stainless steel and black oxide finishes, come in six different breaking strengths. Simply slide the lure’s eye onto the small wire tag and rotate it around to the tapered end. These clips don’t require any opening or closing, and despite their compact size, they boast remarkable strength.

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• This article was featured in the December/January 2024 issue of Florida Sportsman. Click here to subscribe.