Terminal Tackle for rivers????

What are you guys using at the terminal end of your line when fishing rivers. I sometimes tie right to the lure for plugs but use snaps and swivels if I'm fishing spoons or spinnerbaits. Whenever my lure goes from fast current to eddy it fouls up in the swivel. Are most of you going tying right to the lure, whats the consensus. I like to change out frequently so I'm partial to snaps but open to other methods.

With plugs like hotshots I use a snap, weewarts I use a uniknot left with a little loop.

With hardware I use a BB swivel no clip and than a 20" lighter leader.

 

You do not want to impede the natural action of a lure. And sometimes a swivel can change the dynamics of a lure, like with plugs. If you use a regular swivel with a plug in fast current, it will roll and will not perform the way it was intended. For these side-to-side plugs, I'd use a bare snap like mickfish suggested. If tying directly to the lure, use a Rapala knot.
With spinners, you should definitely use swivels.
I prefer spinning gear for rivers (most of the rivers I fish are pretty small). So swivels are required to prevent line twist. Unless I'm using a finesse spoon; in which case, I'll use a barrel swivel inline above my lure (about 18 inch leader) instead of a snap swivel. [cough Lil Cleo cough cough]

Regardless of which type of gear or lure you're using, trey to get top-quality swivels. Not those crappy old brass ones with the angled snap: those screw up lure action. Get the ones with the rounded snap.

Good luck,
PK

I hear ya PK, not all that glitters is gold. I'm just like a fish, I get sold at the sight of a shiny snap swivel. How do you know if it's quality or not. Any a particular brands you like. I get commercial discounts on Pucci so I'm stocked with that.

Only swivels I buy are Sampos 2nd choice would be Spros. I use Rosco black brass barrel swivels for drift rigs.
A good test for swivels tie a piece of line to the swivel hold the other end in your fingers than pinch the line about 3" from the swivel then roll the line between your thumb and finger the swivel should keep up to the spinning if it doesn't toss it or oil it and try again.

Now that's the kinda detailed info I'm looking for Mike 

Ya, thats good stuff, mickfish! Thanks!
I really like spros. They're a little bit more expensive but I re-use them many times before they die. Whereas, brass eagle claws die after one saltwater trip....

PK

kinda detailed

For drift rigs I run 12lb Yozari Hybrid with 10lb Maxima Chemelon Leader 1/0 Hayabusa Black Nickel Octopus hooks tied on with an egg loop , and it always gets a piece of yarn all basic. I feel the most important part of the rig is the weight for a lot of reasons. I'm an old school pencil leader I love the feeling of the lead bouncing down a gravel bar, I hate slinkys and will only use them on rivers that have a lot of cobble like the Smith. Now for the detail I made a cool mod to the standard weight cinch,Ive never seen anybody else using it and I don't know why. I just take a Cabala's black cheap barrel swivel stick a piece of black surgical tubing over it wrap it with wire then fold down the end to cover the wire. I slide it on the line uni knot a Rosco Black Barrel Swivel uni knot 18-24" of leader and I'm good to go. Another trick I do is smash the eye of small bank sinkers so they fit in the tubing they get deeper a little faster than pencil lead and they tangle less on sandy bottoms. Or I could just take a picture. 

Mike do you ever use a three-way swivle?  When I used to fish the Eel, I used a three-way and just dabbed some super glue over the free swivle and then pushed the short segment of tubing up over the eye and it was simple and fast.

Used to but they tangle more,hang up more and I like the sliding sinker sensitivity. Always wondered what super glue smells like to fish.
If I run out of clinches I use a regular snap swivel tie to both ends of the barrel and hang my weight off the snap thats hanging just flatten the end of a pencil lead punch a hole in it and clip it on the snap.
If you want simple just run a small piece of surgical tubing up your line 20" stick the pencil inside the tubing,trapping the line and tie on a hook, no swivels and 1 knot.

I just started using a different sliding weight that was super simple...a piece of line off of a barrel swivel as the slider...crimp on fat split shot as needed for weight. If the weight gets snagged, the split shot just slide off of the line and its ez to adjust the weight to the situation.  Worked great! 

Another simple system I like to use for bottom bouncing is just larksfoot a rubber band around the main line and then put the rubber band through the hole in the pencil lead and loop it over. The rubber band grips the line and is easy to adjust. If you snag it, the band will usually snap before your line does.

I tried that last season Jonesz and lost a lot of lead. I was too aggressive with my rigs though. A mellower Hawk might work it this year.

For steelhead plugs I like the smallest duolock snap that will work. A loop knot works too. No leader, straight to the reel because when they hit the plug I don't think they're taking time to determine what pound test you're using. They slam it or don't, on to the next hole boys!
 For drift rigs I do something similar to what Sean mentioned, except I use 1/4" pencil lead. I pre-cut varying lengths of lead and keep them in a tight bottle. The lengths are mostly +/- an inch long. Two small pinches with the pliers and the lead stays put until it snags, in which case I pull by hand and the lead slips off before anything breaks. The short dropper for the lead is #12 Chameleon, it's stiff and I like its durability. I like to drift with spin-gear, #10 blue Stren mainline and 2 foot#8 Maxima green leaders. If the hook gets stuck the Maxima leader breaks and I still get my 3-way back. I prefer the Blue Stren because it helps me to see where my gear is drifting, not always an easy thing to do!
Now all you gotta do is find some fish...

 For drift rigs I do something similar to what Sean mentioned, except I use 1/4" pencil lead. I pre-cut varying lengths of lead and keep them in a tight bottle. The lengths are mostly +/- an inch long. Two small pinches with the pliers and the lead stays put until it snags, in which case I pull by hand and the lead slips off before anything breaks. The short dropper for the lead is #12 Chameleon, it's stiff and I like its durability.

I'm trying to picture how the pencil lead is pinched to the dropper, but cannot do it. is it slit along the length and the mono lies inside? I'm sure somebody knows what jedi-juan means here, maybe they can clear it up for me.

J