Advantages to using a snood versus not

[Blast n Cast]

I live on and crab the norther Severn River and use two 600 foot lines with my bait pushed into the braided line. I typically do pretty well (i.e. a bushell in about 3 hours of crabbin), but have read so many snood posts that I am contemplating taking the plunge. My questions to the Board is what advantage is gained in snooding? Should I expect to catch a greater number of crabs? Will baiting chicken necks be harder or easier? What else should I consider before possibly switching fro a striaght line?

In closing I would greatly appreciate and advice anyone can offer on rigging snoods to my main line.

Very appreciably,

Jerry

[whynot]

Trying 2 ways to get you .This and bmail . Figure this will come up on your email. Crabslayer informed me that you set up a trip to the science lab last year for blue crab forum . TFers are going to try to do the same . One of our guys left a message forsomeone named BARB but no reply. Wondering if you could give us a few pointers before we approach her again. My board name is whynot ..Phone # 410 254 1459

Thanks Tony

[crabber5]

TF's

This year I'm going to do 600ft of snoods and use 600ft.of regular trotline and really do a comparrision. I will post results later this year. I"m expecting that the snoods will do better from the feedback I have received form the experts, However let the study begin.

SCott

[POLECAT]

The best way to do an experiment of this type would be to use one line and alternate the two methods:
Snood..... No snood..... Snood.... No snood, etc. Otherwise the location of the two separate lines would/could affect the results.

It would also "sharpen" one's dipping abilities.[grin]

[POLECAT]

No need to get into an urinating match as to whether one method is easier/faster to bait/unbait than the other method.

Prior to my using a snood line, I used #4 & #5 Locktite (type) line and tied baits directly to it. There are several different knots that can be used to attach baits and I have tried them all. One knot in particular, which has no name that I know of, is especially fast, easy, and reliable. Having tied it thousands of times over the years I can do it much faster than I can attach a bait to a snood.

Familiarity with baiting snoods eventually increases speed of same. With the "New Improved Jerry Snood" I am certain that the speed in which I can bait/unbait a snood will be increased considerably. I know FOR ME this is a certainty!

Does this mean that now I can bait/unbait a snood line faster than I can a non snood line? Not necessarily, but I will be able to do that task faster than before.

It is also possible that any given individual can bait/unbait one type of line easier/faster than he can the other type. When it comes down to the real nitty gritty, it basically depends on the individual and his abilities.

[Porter316]

POLECAT originally wrote:
Otherwise the location of the two separate lines would/could affect the results.


excellent point...i was just about to write that and then i saw your post. if you are running a snood in one spot and a regular line in another spot, then that's not a true comparison, because you have 2 lays in 2 spots and one spot may be more productive than another.....i always see differences in my 1200' line.....certain spots are hot, and others are dead.

overall, the crabs are easier to dip off of a snood......and when the crabs are finicky, they seem to hang on a snood longer.....cold weather/bright sun/etc.....you will probably catch a few more on a snood.

as far as baiting, i can bait my regular trotline pretty quickly - a snood might be faster, but even if it is, it can't be that much faster to make a difference....and really, a slipknot is just about the same as placing the bait in the snood....in both instances, you place the bait in the loop and pull tight. for a slipknot, you have to loop the knot (but that takes 1 second), and for a snood, you have to loosen the snood and remove the bait. to me, i think this comes down to personal preference.....i've baited both, and i think a regular line is easier. just my preference.

for storage, i don't see how a snood could be easier.....if you snap your necks off (and even if you don't), you have one continuous line that is easy to spool or lay in a bucket (this is what i do). with snoods, you have the main line, plus hundreds of snoods dropping down.....

for me (a rec crabber), there's no need to make a snood.....i usually catch my 2 bushel without a problem - if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!! for the original poster, i don't think a snood line will turn your bushel catch into 2 bushel......maybe if you add some snoods to part of your line, you'll get used to it and decide if it is worth it to change the remainder of the line.

either way, good luck!!!! if you sample some snoods, please post your results!

just my .02

porter

[Black Irish]

I only know of one person who actually tried the "Jerry" snood, no snood, snood, no snood line last summer. His opinion was that snoods vs. no snoods was pretty equal.

[Dennis1]

Last year was my first year using the snood line, I think one advantage that I noticed was that we were getting a good deal more 2 and 3 crabs in succession on the snood line which I think was because when you net the crabs there is less movement on the other baits when using the snoods as oppossed to hitting the main line as when I used the 4 locktite with baits 9' apart tied direct. And maybe we caught a little better average size of crabs after culling because of more crabs in the box to sort.

[crabber5]

Jerry,

Your snood- no snood on the same line is a much fairer way of apples to apples. Thank you

Scott

[shellfishshucker69]

snoods can keep the bait in the water longer , easier for a crab to hang onto when the line comes off the bottom(straight line can jerk the bait compared to a bungee snood stretching first) easier to bait, no threat of strectching line too much and cutting off ur bait