Originally Posted by
Rick2018
Certainly an interesting conversation. But why not use a snell with <1oz? I typically use snell with all pitching/flipping - even with 1/2 oz weights. I thought it would protect the knot??
The primary reason in using the snell is to offset the impact of that big weight popping the fish's mouths open on the set. The down side of the snell is that your bait will "kick out" to the side once the big weight starts wearing on the soft plastic as it is punched - resulting in an unnatural drop presentation. This damage to the plastic can be partially offset by putting a small bead between the weight and plastic. The bead reduces the displacement footprint of the weight against the head of the plastic. The bead trick has eliminated 80% of my frustration with the snell.
With weights 3/4 oz. and less, I have found that can I get a good hookset without the aggravation of the snell. The bait stays straighter. If I start missing fish with a 3/4 oz. weight, I may snell the hook but that is a day by day assessment and is very rare.