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You can also make your own quick-change locking snaps with little trouble, using stainless steel single-strand wire. Use the finer wire for freshwater snaps and heavier gauges for salt-water snaps. For the fresh-water snaps use the small round-nosed pliers. Form an eye, as described in the section above on making leaders, but slip on a barrel swivel before you close this eye permanently by making about two twists. Next, grab the wire with the round-nosed pliers about a half inch or so from the eye. The actual distance will depend on the size of the snap you want. Now make a round bend at this point, turning the wire toward the eye. Next, grab the wire again with the pliers, near the eye, and make a sharp bend to force the wire back toward the twists next to the eye. Finally, take the short end of the wire with pliers and form a catch. In other words, the wire starts from the eye, runs straight for a half inch or so, curves to form a round end and runs back parallel, curves sharply, and meets itself. The drawings in Fig. 140 will show the various steps in forming the snap-swivels. Snap-swivels in various sizes for fresh- or salt-water fishing can be made up in advance, say during the winter months, for the coming fishing season. They are much cheaper than those you buy in a fishing tackle store, and they are just as strong and efficient. Most important, if you lose a few of them while fishing they are easily replaced at little cost.
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