Splitrings: Owner v's Decoy

[Damir Ruk]

Hi all at GTpopping. I know a lot of fellow popper/jig fishermen use owner splitrings especially the 11h which is rated for 290/300lbs. My issue is that the owners in that size, you only get 4 per pack whereas the decoys size 11 300lb you get 8 per pack at the same price. I am seriously considering the decoys for value. Are the owners twice as good or is it the name therefore owner put less in their packets. Does anyone else use the decoy. Terminals can get quite dear per lure (up to $30 plus) let alone a whole stack of lures. Just trying to save a bit here and there but not skimp on quality, if that's possible.

[Mark Harris]

I am surprised at that. In my experience, Decoys are usually more expensive, not the other way around.

If you have found cheaper Decoys, get them I would say.

As an aside, I personally think the Owner 11H size is a bit too heavy.  I tend to use size 10 (220 lbs) as standard and 11 regular (250 lbs).

[Damir Ruk]

Not here in oz. Look, in some stores the decoys might be a dollar dearer but you still get 8 as opposed to 4 in that larger size. Might also be doing a nomad inner buggatti trip soon, can't wait.

[Brandon Khoo]

Damir, i would suggest that this is a question for the distributors of Owner in this country. I use both Owners and Decoys and can't tell the difference

[Damir Ruk]

Thanks Mark and Brandon for your super quick replies. Just wanted to make sure the decoys were the same quality and as it turns out, they are. Better value for money too, here in oz anyway. One question for you Brandon, what size splitrings do you use for let say 120-150gm stickbaits and 125 and 150 cuberas. Does this also depend on type of hook rig ( treble, single or bakers rig). Cheers.

[Brandon Khoo]

Hi Damir
I like to use as strong a split ring as I can get away with but unfortunately, you have to really balance this off against deforming the ring. Gerting the split ring nto some hooks really damages the split rings. For most, I use size 10 or 11. As Mark said earlier, he uses size 10 a lot. That is because this is probably the most forgiving size.

For bakers, getting the hooks on is an art form. Size 10 is the most forgiving, esepcially with hooks like SJ41s. For most trebles, I use size 11.

My hooks tend to determine the split rings, rather than the lures.

[Mark Harris]

As an aside, I think the Decoys in Southeast Asia must be a little different to the ones in Australia. I say that as you would not say they are the same as the Owners here. Decoys use a slightly wider gauge wire relative to the diameter and have a more matt finish.

[Brandon Khoo]

I'm not sure if they are the same, only that they look the same to me. They have different finish but that is about all I can see. Performance wise, I can't tell either.

[Damir Ruk]

You guys are Awesome. Thank you. Hope to meet you out on the water one day. Maybe I could have a cast of one of you're carpenters and you could have a cast of my Daiwa Demon Blood 802XH. LOL 

[Jay Burgess]

Tried Decoys a couple of years ago and found that they deform a lot easier than the Owners, so I switched back. Dunno if it was just me but the owners felt like they were of better quality  I only ever use size 10 and 11 for popping, as already mentioned 11H are difficult to get onto decent sized trebles without deforming the split ring too much.

[Damir Ruk]

Thanks Jay.10s and 11s seem to be the go then.

[Kelvin Lai]

Hi,

Seems like there is no mention of Varivas split rings here.
May I know if they are not in the same league as Owners n Decoys....

Thanks.

[Brandon Khoo]

Kelvin, Varivas split rings are very strong but that is also their weakness. Getting them onto big hooks without deforming them can be difficult. If you like this shape, the Carpenter split rings are the same shape as the Varivas and are more flexible so they retain their shape better

[Luke Wyrsta]

Agree with all the above points.

Ease of use and strength makes Owner a logical choice.

Decoy are the heaviest and strongest but deform easily.

Varivas are high quality an strong but the easiest out of the 3 to deform.

[Glenn Travis]

Agree with all the above points.

Ease of use and strength makes Owner a logical choice.

Decoy are the heaviest and strongest but deform easily.

Varivas are high quality an strong but the easiest out of the 3 to deform.

Just another one to add to the list Luke, what are your thoughts on the fisherman split rings? I see you have them for sale at gps.

Cheers
         Glenn