Smith Niakis

A few years ago I got a nice compliment on the site from a truly international angler who has fished all over the world. However, he said that he didn't understand why I didn't stock the Smith Niakis spinner. I replied that I had a bias against spinners because they cause line twist. He said the Niakis doesn't. In his words they "genuinely don't twist line and are lethal on panfish, bass, trout you name it. Clever design, built in power swivel and offset bodies. These Smith spinners are the real deal, fished them lots on mono, no line twist."

Smith Niakis 3 gram gold spinner

The Smith Niakis is obviously not the same design as the Palms SpinWalk Clevis but both share several design elements that I believe set them apart from the spinners that are readily available here in the US.

• Built-in swivel to reduce line twist
• Stirrup rather than folded clevis (spins more easily)
• Single hook (micro-barb), split ring attachment

It is very rare to see a split ring to attach the hook on a spinner but it is valuable for two reasons. First, it allows you to change the hook if it gets bent, broken or dull. Second, it acts like a universal joint and greatly reduces  the chance that a twisting trout can get leverage to twist the hook out.

The Smith Niakis comes in more weights and colors than I could possibly stock. I started with the a few spinners in the 3 gram weight (just over 1/10 oz). The 3g Niakis comes with a size 1 blade and a size 8 Gamakatsu hook. The 6g Niakis comes with a size 6 Gamakatsu hook. The 3g spinners outsold the 6g by a wide margin, although I think much of the Finesse-Fishing customer base fishes modest streams for modest trout.

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Smith Niakis