I've been experimenting with not replacing the snaps on Jackhammers as I've started fishing with a little lighter line (15lb tatsu) and a mod+ rod, so I thought more give would keep me from needing to do it.

Anyway the results of the experiment so far - partially opened snap way way too often, and the final straw was horsing a mid 6lb fish into the net caused it to open up completely and sling the bait. Bait landed in the boat (yay) fish landed in the net (yay) but the snap was comically wrecked. 

 

It takes about as long as tying a knot now. Just do it if you have any chance at bigger fish. The owner 72lb is a little big, but it's a beast, and some people like the decoy. But for the bladed jig and the crosseyes, and probably the mini's too, just do it. 

 

Failed experiments are useful too I guess. 

 

On the other hand, I have jackhammers that are now on their second replacement skirt and they still work great. Maybe even better as I think they get a little more subtle as they have been beat to hell. I did have my first one get fully retired this year though, and it was a new one. It got so beat up I couldn't get it to run straight or consistently even start up. I think it worked out to 10 cents a fish so I think I did ok. 

100% agree. For the price you pay, you would think they would use a better quality snap. I have bent out too many so they get changed out before I ever use them. I use the Decoy.

Yea I’m not paying 16-20 dollars for a bait then changing snaps etc.

 

It's ridiculous that manufacturers cannot even get this one tiny element correct. 
 

Anyway that’s just my opinion.

I'm on the opposite side of the coin, I haven't had any problems with them.

FM

Me either. Honestly this is the first time I’ve heard of it. That said, I don’t need a reason to spend money, so I guess I’ll switch snaps out now 😂😂

1 minute ago, Smirak said:

Me either. Honestly this is the first time I’ve heard of it. That said, I don’t need a reason to spend money, so I guess I’ll switch snaps out now 😂😂

Same here.

 

If you're looking for another snap option, check out the Ryugi R Snap. Very small relative to the strength. The smallest is 41lbs and it's downright tiny! 

 

 

It must be a user thing.  I've got a number of fish over 7 pounds on anything from H powered frog rods to 8# mono on poppers.  I've never so much as damaged a split ring or bent a hook.  It's the angler is doing the damage to the tackle and not the fish.  I'm not saying to change your behavior.  It's much easier to keep doing what you have confidence in and change the tackle to suit you.

 

 

3 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

It must be a user thing.  I've got a number of fish over 7 pounds on anything from H powered frog rods to 8# mono on poppers.  I've never so much as damaged a split ring or bent a hook.  It's the angler is doing the damage to the tackle and not the fish.  I'm not saying to change your behavior.  It's much easier to keep doing what you have confidence in and change the tackle to suit you.

 

 

I think the conversation is about the wire snaps on bladed jig bladed jigs.  not the split rings on poppers.   

 

I have jackhammers and I havent had many issues.  

I've had them open up on some of the less expensive Z-Man offerings like the Elite Evo and CrossEyeZ, but I don't recall having any Jackhammers open up on me. I replaced all of my less expensive ones with Decoy snaps and I do crimp the ends on them and the Jackhammers so that has likely helped.

I use Jackhammers a lot and have only had a couple issues with snaps opening or becoming deformed. None have ever cost me a fish, though. I've always chalked it up to me doing something wrong.

 

I would think a different snap might affect the action? For those of you who switch them out, has anyone noticed a difference in action?

1 hour ago, JHoss said:

I use Jackhammers a lot and have only had a couple issues with snaps opening or becoming deformed. None have ever cost me a fish, though. I've always chalked it up to me doing something wrong.

 

I would think a different snap might affect the action? For those of you who switch them out, has anyone noticed a difference in action?

 

Negative. Before I started using the Decoy snaps, I was using the Mustad Fastach clips which was stock on some of the chatterbaits for a while and I never noticed a difference between them personally. Some of mine still have that clip on them, actually.

20 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I think the conversation is about the wire snaps on bladed jig bladed jigs.  not the split rings on poppers.   

 

I have jackhammers and I havent had many issues.  

Same thing.  Bass don't straighten snaps and split rings or break you off on the hookset.  Anglers do those things and that's OK.  I recognize the user from a thread with a pic he posted of a straightened split ring on a deep crank.  He was using 20 pound fluoro on that crank which blew my mind and why I remember it.  He also has a thread up right now about breaking off on the hookset and boat flipping fish with 22 pound fluoro.  It sounds like op doesn't play around and uses big line with big rods and big hooksets in the quest for big fish.  This is going to beat up a bladed jig snap and is outside of what I consider normal use so I don't hold Evergreen at fault.  Just pointing out that this is how OP fishes and that I agree he should change out the terminal tackle to fit his needs.  

On 6/26/2025 at 9:12 AM, Bigbox99 said:

  I recognize the user from a thread with a pic he posted of a straightened split ring on a deep crank.  He was using 20 pound fluoro on that crank which blew my mind and why I remember it.  He also has a thread up right now about breaking off on the hookset and boat flipping fish with 22 pound fluoro. 

Haha yeah 100%. I'm lucky to live in the *** fish, and except for some offshore stuff, it's definitely a combat style fishing - it's always either heavy weeds or timber if it is less than 15fow. Amongst the people I fish with some of them think I'm nuts at 15 and 17lb line. 

 

If I had to guess, I catch a lot of fish on a bladed jig so they get a lot of volume, and many of us have snaps open up from time to time, even if just to the partial open position. I should probably check it after I catch a fish, but I am just checking the knot and the line. So lots of chances to fail in my case.

 

Funny thing is I use 25lb paperclip style snaps on most cranks and have never had one bend even a little bit.

 

I still think that split ring had to have been a catfish, probably just rolled it off. 

 

 

 

On 6/24/2025 at 10:41 PM, txchaser said:

On the other hand, I have jackhammers that are now on their second replacement skirt and they still work great.

I’ve replaced some of mine 7 or 8 times now since I originally bought them. The plastic trailer and the skirt are the two soft items that get ruined by pike here the quickest.

 

Never had a snap fail on one, but I’m not catching 6 pounders here either. I have caught some sizable pike and muskies on one by accident though.

On 6/26/2025 at 10:12 AM, Bigbox99 said:

Same thing.  Bass don't straighten snaps and split rings or break you off on the hookset.  Anglers do those things and that's OK.  I recognize the user from a thread with a pic he posted of a straightened split ring on a deep crank.  He was using 20 pound fluoro on that crank which blew my mind and why I remember it.  He also has a thread up right now about breaking off on the hookset and boat flipping fish with 22 pound fluoro.  It sounds like op doesn't play around and uses big line with big rods and big hooksets in the quest for big fish.  This is going to beat up a bladed jig snap and is outside of what I consider normal use so I don't hold Evergreen at fault.  Just pointing out that this is how OP fishes and that I agree he should change out the terminal tackle to fit his needs.  

I get what you're saying and I somewhat agree.  Most people don't use gear heavy enough or fish for fish big enough to really put everything to the test.  That doesn't mean that they don't exist.     

QC isn't perfect especially on certain plugs and companies.  Bigger fish will expose weaknesses you never considered.  Anyone who has chased trophy fish long enough will tell you to change out stock rings, hooks and retie often to give yourself the best chance at landing a trophy.  I've had a half dozen open catching average sized fish, never to the point of failure, but continuing to use a ring that has 3mm of gap is asking for heartache. 

Ive bent loads of trebles on FW bass with M power gear and quite a few heavy hooks on bigger game in SW.  My gear is quality, but things slip through the cracks.  I straightened a Gami EWG 3/0 on ML gear a few years ago and I NEVER would have assumed it was possible.  It must have been a defective hook, but ultimately it failed. 

I dont like clips at all.  I think theyre bulky and unnecessary if you can tie a knot, but for chatterbaits they're useful.  I think the fastach is almost impossible to open up by accident, sheds grass, doesnt foul and Ive seen them hold up to pelagics, so I know they're very strong.  Decoy, VMC, Ryugi, Spro, TA all make good terminal.  Even the tiny snaps are rated to 50lbs.  Theres no way that you should be able to generate the 70+lbs of pressure it takes to bring a decoy snap to failure.  If it was a fluke it wouldn't happen so often.  Evergreen is charging a premium for those baits meaning they should look elsewhere if the failure rate is 1 more than 1 in 50.

Personally, I got on chatterbaits very early, like pre pro mod. 2 early.  I've always thought the major weakness of the bait was the blade.  Some baits there hardly more than a MM of material connecting the blade to the eye and that has to stand up to all the pressure put on the bait.  Having said that, Ive never had a single bait fail and the bladed jig accounts for likely 3/4 of my biggest fish caught.  I need to take them out when the gorilla blues are around.  A 12+ blue will find a weakness if one exists on its first run.