LONG LINE CLIPS

Bill McQuade

Active member
I am looking to purchase long line clips with swivels. I know some of you have posted suppliers that you use based on best price. If purchased locally, I will pay over a buck apiece. I know you guys do better than that. Any suggestions ? I have seen 5 inch with 4/O and 8/0 swivels. Does the swivel size make any difference ?
Thanks in advance.

Bill
 
hi bill, i dont know of any suppliers that sell them for less than a dollar, at least commercial fishing grade clips. i got a 50 pack at $1.06 each a few months ago from memphis net and twine. ive purchased clips from them several times over the years but this batch is crap. the biggest problem with them is that the swivel slides down to the business end of clip which causes tangles. the same thing happens with the avery clips and they dont even clip like a longline clip so stay away from them. im gonna have to figure out a way to keep that swivel from sliding down cause it is a real pain. im also in search of another supplier. thinking about trying hamilton marines clips. good luck, mark
 
I was at Cabelas today to return a christmas present and saw that they had a 48 pack of "RigEmRight" long line clips for $39.99, if that helps.
 
larger diameter dropper.....important in my opinion....nothing worse than having to cut the swivel off because your dropper won't fit through the swivel, or worse, having to drop down in line diameter to utilize the swivel........

I used to get mine from a marine supply house in Maine...can't remember the name anymore.....they were in Searsport if memory serves.........Wasson would know......the good ones are going to cost you over a buck apiece....the guys that want to pay less for them will tell you the true commercial grade longline clips are overkill......can't argue that other than to say I've had the cheaper ones break, twist, jam, rust, etc......never had that happen with the more expensive ones....one of those, "you get what you pay for" things IMO.....

Steve
 
the last ones I bought from Seattle Marine weren't the same as the ones in the picture......wire diameter was smaller....swivel was 8/0 but round and not square and not as big....crimp that keeps the swivel from sliding down the wire too wide causing the problem Mark cited.....if your going to pay a buck apiece for them they shold be the ones in the picture not some cheap imitation......

Steve
 
Sing it with me Steve in your best Elvis impersonation. "Return to Sender". I actually either pick them up in Bellingham or order them from Doctari with lines.
 
pissed me off though cause I had to swap out all of my Brant rig to rig the birds I needed the new ones for......

Doctari has the flat topped 8/0 swivels and the heavy matte finished wire?

You still got Wigeon?

Steve
 
Steve, can you post a picture of the rigging you are talking about? I have never used long lines. What are the advantages to long lines?
 
Man you are picky.

His website picture has 5 inch SS clips with a slim waist with a matte finish and 8/0 swivels, but I can't tell if the barrels are flat topped. I know the clips are strong enough that if your hands are too cold you are going to struggled to open them with one hand. In this picture its the one on the bottom.

120-60%20clips%20compare.jpg

 
a way to rig multipe decoys in deep water without having to have each line long enough to reach the bottom and without having a wt on each decoy.......quicker to put out, quicker to pick up, less wt to carry.....downside is that they tend to look a little "quack quack waddlish" since they end up in pretty much straight lines.....

There's a bunch of different techniques...some people remove and attach each decoy with each deployment...some leave them attached all the time, carefully storing them in either individual pocket bags or in bins and bins, either rigid or collapsable.......

Requires a ground line...usually 100' to 150'....a wt sufficient for the size of decoys and the current in your area...a dropper on your decoys, (3' seems to be pretty standard with some using less and some more-length will depend to an extent on dog and the type of motor you run....essentially you want the dropper long enough for a dog, (if you use one), to swim over and for a prop to clear the ground line so that you can motor through the rig).....and a clip on the end of the dropper to attach the decoy to the main line......plus whatever storage setup that you use...

Personally I'm a "on and off" with each rig person....store my 100' main lines in a 7 gallon bucket....stack my big decoys on the floor and the smaller ones are in individual pocketed bags.....run the BIG clips we have been talking about because I like a bigger dropper than most....102# tarred net line..easier on the hands and on the dog.....BIG, as in twice the wt that most people say they are using, lead pyramids on both ends of the line....(13 Cork Brant in a 12' tidal swings causes ALOT of drag and anything less than that will drag)....

I regualrly hunt in from 15 to 20' of water and with that rig and a good setter can get 12 to 13 decoys on a line and put out (7) lines in about 30 minutes....picks up in about the same time after the first couple of times.....way faster than individuals in the same depth of water....

Thats the "short" version....like I said there are lots of different ideas on the way it should be done...they all work for the person using them or they likely would have switched to a different way long ago.....

Steve
 
I am picky.....the bigger, flat topped swivel is superior to the smaller round topped one you show....if they are the same price then why not demand the better swivel? Whats your dropper on the big one? 97# or 102#?

You pretending you didn't hear the "you still got Wigeon" or were you just politiely ignoring me?

Steve
 
Oh, I've been on the east side. They got wigeon. Last time I was on the lower river we had tons of wigeon too. Did your wigeon disappear?
 
Doctari sell good clips & tar line.
http://www.doctarilonglines.com/
buy the guide series if you have fixed decoys/lines. the hunters are the same but easier to clip w/frozen fingers, if you unclip your dekes from the main line each time you move them.
 
see, that clip on the bottom is a problem. the gap on that metal hoop where the swivel is, is too wide. the swivel slips down to the other end then the line gets tangled around it. it makes picking up and setting out a pain in the a$$. especially when your in a hurry. i have 40 eiders rigged with those clips and im seriously thinking about cutting them off and sending them back. i compared them to my other clips i have from the same supplier and there is no comparison, no gap on the older ones. seem to have lighter wire too and not as much tension under the clip. the avery clips are useless. steve, your referring to either hamilton marine or mid coast marine in thomaston. visited both last month. im gonna try hamiltons clips next.
Man you are picky.

His website picture has 5 inch SS clips with a slim waist with a matte finish and 8/0 swivels, but I can't tell if the barrels are flat topped. I know the clips are strong enough that if your hands are too cold you are going to struggled to open them with one hand. In this picture its the one on the bottom.

120-60%20clips%20compare.jpg
 
Mark, send them back to Scott at Doctari. He has always gone out of his way to make things right on my orders that weren't filled right the first time.
 
hi brad, im sorry. i did not get mine from doctari. they came from memphis net/twine. do the swivels slip on yours? that one pictured sure looks like a wide gap.... best, mark
Mark, send them back to Scott at Doctari. He has always gone out of his way to make things right on my orders that weren't filled right the first time.
 
Mark,

If your are inclined to do so, it is an easy fix to keep the swivel at the end of the clip. Just wrap several wraps of braided fishing line around the narrow neck of the clip. That will give you a completely closed eye. I do this on some fishing lures to correct a similar problem.
 
+1 for John's recomendation! They had a great price and very fast service when I used them a few weeks ago. I also used www.fishnetco.com for my line. Had great service from both companies.

Gene
 
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