hook snoods

[spacemonkey]

Im prob not in the best of knowledge but I use Amnesia for my snoods, think thats 12lb and I find its pretty good.

Anyone agree? or am i barking up the wrong tree here

[john-boy]

I agree about favouring "bendy" hooks over the use of a light hook snood.

For one, a light hook snood is less abrasion resistant than a heavier one, it's also more prone to tangling, and generally doesn't work as well if you're using a pennell or wishbone.

I stick to either 20/25 or 30lb amensia, dependent on size of hook, use of a pennell, wishbone etc ... never any lighter than 20, unless I'm going for mini-species with my carp rod for fun in the summer.

I've never used memorex, but I assume generically speaking, it's the same as Amnesia, i.e. memory free. All these type of snood lines are supposed to be more resistance to tangles and kinks, and I'm sure that on the whole they are.

Whether or not the fish can see the snood line (or would worry about it), I'm not sure, but I always stick to white, even though I think all of these snood lines are supposed to be invisible under water. Just makes me feel better!

Cheers,
JB.

[Old Smoothound]

Hi all my thoughts on snoods and losing gear on rough ground.


Mainline
I tend to go for the stronger main line up here on the channel 18-20lb is the norm. Some very rough ground on some marks.


Reels
I always use my Daiwa Slosh20 for heavy ground, with a counter weighted handle you can reel in very fast over kelp and over the top of near in rough ground, if fishing on cleaner ground further out. Plus it has the “grunt” that some other reels just don’t have for rough ground fishing.


Snoods
For snoods I use either Varivas Flurocarbon that is very stiff line. Or Memorex/Ultima Snood, either of these are memory free, and you can straighten the length out before you tie it in as a snood.


Colour
As far as colour of snoods is concerned it depends on the clarity of the water. In the Bristol Channel it dosen’t matter, so coloured all of the time the fish can’t see it anyway. They hunt by scent not sight. If further along the coast of North Devon, then on some marks I use clear, others I use black and on very sandy bottoms yellow. When boat fishing on the North Devon Coast one trick is to use red snoods as an added attractor. I never use it from the shore, apart from when targeting plaice. In really deep water fish can only see certain colours, when fly fishing black is an excellent colour, so I believe through this experience, that fish see black better in really deep water as the amount of light available is minimal so they see a silhouette rather than specific colours.

Rigs & Hooks
Like some other peeps I will use thinner wire (bendy hooks) that will spring out if caught up.

THE rig to use on really rough ground as Kiwimarty says is a pulley rig. If you are still having trouble try putting a lead lift on this rig as well.

Leads

I always take plenty of leads and use breakaway leads, sometimes the wires stop the lead from falling too far through rocks, but in any event if its going to get snagged it will.
I have to say I prefer a breakaway lead release and 10lb line for a faster get out of jail card.

Going for a break

If you decide to go for a break, don’t wrap it around your hands or arm, it will cut them to hell. Either use a wet cloth or as someone pointed out to me the other weekend, take the wife’s rolling pin or some other suitable round bit of wood, and wrap the line around it and go for the break. If you use the rod and reel in a straight line, you will “bed in” the rest of your line on the reel or at worst have some of the gear come back at you at high speed and hit you in the face.

If you keep getting snagged up and losing lots of gear…… move to a new mark.

Hope this helps.

[Ben]

i tried pulling my way outa a snag once, it worked, hook snaped off, and sent lead and remaining hook flying towards me at some force stoping afew meters infront of me, wont be doing that again

[delboy]

so how are you going to get it off if your not going to pull it? just cut your line?

[Ben]

well, pull a little bit, if that dont work pull with bit of wood
the reason it flew back so far was cause the rod was almost bent double

[Ben]

old smoothy, red snoods as an attractor wont make ajot of difference, the fish will be less likely to see them than other line, red is the 1st colour to be absurbed in the light spectrum under water, see i learnt something useful from college
all my snoods are gonna get phased out to red now

[Hooker]

Well im not sure about the memorex yet, aint tryed it that long.

If i dont like it i will go back to amnesia.

Best hooks to bend out are kamazan b940's.
Brilliant hook.

[Ben]

if you get the fine wire cox 4 rawle 1s they bend out easily

[Old Smoothound]

Originally Posted by Ben

old smoothy, red snoods as an attractor wont make ajot of difference, the fish will be less likely to see them than other line, red is the 1st colour to be absurbed in the light spectrum under water, see i learnt something useful from college
all my snoods are gonna get phased out to red now

MMMmmmmm maybe the plaice we caught last year of the sandbanks didn't go to the same college as you Ben. But there again we only ever use them in short lengths, so i'd better throw my red 8mm beads away!