Cat Tip of the Day: Snag Buster

[SteveD]

This is a Cat Tip I posted back in 2006. With our catfishing season just a month or so away this seems like a good time to post it again and pass the advice along to some of our newer catfishermen.

There are two of you in the boat, on border waters, with four rods out. OK - Time to move. Oh, bother!! All four rods are snagged. 80# test line, go ahead, tug those lines loose. $#&!, That hurts the hands.

Here is a little tip to help you break those snags loose. Take a healthy piece of dowel or an old broom stick and cut it into about 8" lengths. As long as you are cutting make about 3 or 4 of them. Wrap the middle of each dowel with about 5 or 6 good wraps of tape - I use electrical tape.

Next time you get hung up, give yourself about 6' to 10' of slack, get well clear of the rod tip and set your rod in a safe place. Wrap that line around the middle of the dowel over the tape you've placed there. Snug up the line, the tape helps keep the line from slipping. Back up slowly and break the line loose from the snag.

I made four of my Snag Busters and have them scattered around the boat. They are like pliers in a boat, I can never seem to find it if I have only one in the boat. They don't take up any room and you will need it most every night you fish.

[AceintheHole]

Well done !!!!!!!

[The J-Man!]

Great tip Steve. Lord knows how many of those things I have made out of tree branches while shore fishing over the years. Works great when fishing with heavy line.

[DTro]

Everyone needs 2 or 3 of those floating around in the boat. Thanks Steve.

[Scott K]

Great idea, I will have to make a few of there.

[Scott Stein]

Nice thinking! When we get snagged shore fishing,we just take a piece of firewood and wrap the line around it. I'm going to make one and keep it in my tackle box.

[Slowhand]

Good idea steve; looks like a great catch and release tool for gar as well .

[wastewaterguru]

..... looks like a great catch and release tool for gar as well .

Now that's thinking outside the box.....I like it!!!

[mainbutter]

Great tip, I've got one of these I bring with whenever I fish with braid, though wrapping with electrical tape is a great idea.

[aanderud]

Great tip Steve.

I will add...if you have a bait net with the wooden handle, you can use it in a pinch.

Also, if you don't have tape along for some reason, soak the wood in water to keep your line from slipping.

[rushing]

Must have tool when you using braid. I carved mine out of a walnut branch.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Well fancy that something that I never even thought about. I feel like an one-who-thinks-I-am-silly using my hand all these years.

[Here-Kitty-Kitty]

Oh and walnut you say huh. That sounds like it would be a cool looking item to have in the boat. I might have to steal that idea from ya.

[fishinJohn]

I always have a mallet along for pounding in my rod holders (aka 2" conduit) but I think I will add some electric tape to the handle. Thanks for the idea. It sure beats trying to find a smooth rock.

[ec30_06]

Great tip Steve.

I will add...if you have a bait net with the wooden handle, you can use it in a pinch.

Also, if you don't have tape along for some reason, soak the wood in water to keep your line from slipping.

I just wrapped tape around my bait net handle. Works good until you need to break 100lb ultra cast and you almost cut the handle off your bait net.

[hanso612]

There was a post a while back of a catman pulling a snag free and he took a sinker in the neck and had to be hospitalized. They showed the xray of the inbedded sinker. I'll post a link if I can find it again.

In all my years of pulling a snag free I have never had one fly back in my face from under the water. Trees are a completely different story.

The post about the neck shot has me thinking though. Hans

[Slowhand]

/\ouch