KY lake report / hook ups

[stickbait]

I went strictly to wide gap hooks a couple of years ago and I have gone back to the offset worm hook. I have lost more fish in the past couple of years to make you sick. By looking at the wide gap you would think you would get better hook ups, but it has'nt been the case w/me. I mainly fish lizards b-hogs and senkos.

[stevec]

switch to #5....I had the same problem till I switched..I can count on 1 hand the number of fished I have lost in the last 2 years since I switched

[kc]

I will have to try using standard offsets. I have plenty of them in my box but I too have gotten the mind set that the wide bite hooks make more sense for tubes. I didn't do it the other night but I even considered using a standard straight-shaft worm hook to give me a different hooking angle. But I thought that they might tear up a lot of tubes.

kc

[kc]

I don't have any 5s in my box but that can change quickly. The only quirk I can think of is I have been using a lot of 3" tubes and a #5 might be too big for the smaller tube. But they will work fine on bigger tubes.

kc

[James]

#5 EWG Gamakatsu hooks! I would put it on a banner and fly it if i could. Best move ive ever made! Superior hook, extremely sharp right out of the package! I fish alot of tubes, usually 4", and 7"+ worms. Anything 3lb or less gets swung into the boat without a second thought!

Go out and get a couple different brands of hooks and try them for yourself and figure out which one works best for you!

Hope this helps!

Skeeter James

[Fishhead]

Back a few years ago when the bigger, thicker tubes became popular I was having the same problem with T-rigged tubes. It seemed to me the problem was the tube sliding down the hook and bunching up on the bend which would stop the hook from getting a good bite. I swtitched over to the Shaw Grigsby 3/0 and 4/0 EWG hooks, the ones with the clip on the top, for all my T-rig tubes. The clip stops the tube from sliding down the hook.

I also cut a small slit in the tube at the opening all the way up to the bend of the hook. The slit helps the tube to slide UP the hook and out of the way faster and still keeps it weedless with the point just skin hooked in the tube. IMO I get better penetration with the hooks now and lose less fish.

For T-rigged tubes in deep water I prefer a heavy set up with a 6'8" or 7 ft rod with a fast taper and heavy action. The reel is spooled with a low stretch 15lb test. With this set up I can move a lot of line fast and lose very little of the power of the hook set with low stretch line in deep water. That extra few seconds can make the difference between sticking the fish and missing the fish.

[Dave Stewart]

Kevin: When Texas rigging the tubes sometimes the tube will slip down on your hook when you set the hook causing a bad hookup and thus a lost fish. One way to cure this problem when T-rigging a tube is to put a small piece of shrink tube on the offset bend and melt it onto the hook. This will keep your tube in place and give you a much better hookup.
Dave

[kc]

I used the Shaw Grigsby hooks this spring fishing tubes shallow with good success. I liked the way the clip held the tube on and you could catch a bunch of fish on one tube. It also helped with "softer" tubes in that they would last longer. I only have one pack but with BPS close they should have some on the shelf. Something to try.

Your comment on those extra few seconds comes to light after last week end. I was so desperate to get away I had just come back from a business trip on the west coast, arrived home at 4 am Friday morning, crashed for a few hours before getting up, loading up, and heading west for a couple of nights on the lake. I was falling asleep in the truck before we even got to the lake. Needless to say my reflexes were not the quickest Friday night and I am sure that had a little to do with my lack of good sets. Some times you just have to play the hand you are dealt. It sure felt good to get my line stretched and that 4# smallie around 4 am Saturday morning did give me a second wind. I hope next time I can go after them a little more rested!

Thanks for the insight!

kc

[kc]

I have heard about this trick and that sounds interesting for the offset or wide gap type hooks. Do you prefer wide gap hooks for tubes or are you still using the Shaw Grisby hooks? I remember a post you made some time ago about the Shaw Grisby tube hooks and that prompted me to buy a pack and give them a try. The first time I used them I didn't hook up too well but I believe I was going too light with my tackle. When I tried them again this spring I beefed up (I prefer spinning tackle on tubes) and didn't have any trouble with hook ups.

But this experience was LM in the bushes on Barkley. SM at night on KY is a different trip. It seems to me that SM tend to slash at the baits more rather than inhale them making for trickier hook ups. It sure is frustrating getting bit well but not putting many in the boat.

kc

[Dave Stewart]

Not me on the Shaw Grigsby hooks...I use Gamakatsu EWG hooks.

[artcarney_agr]

Gamakatsu EWG all the way! They may cost more, but it's because they are chemically sharpened which provides a far more superior hook.

Could it be your rod doesn't have enough give??? I used to lose a lot of fish on heavy action rods...started buying lighter action and it hasn't been an issue since.

[kc]

I definitely will try the Gamakatsu EWG. I have Gamakatsu hooks but I don't believe they are EWGs.

As far as the rod action goes that could be an interesting thought as well. I have been using Loomis SJR783s (med heavy) and a CBR783 but I tried my heavy action jig/pig rod going in the opposite direction and didn't fare any better. Maybe I should try a medium action rod and see if that helps. I also noted that the way I play fish has a big impact. For the most part I am talking about smallies which go absolutly ballastic most of the time when hooked. I wonder if at times I am not keeping good rod pressure on them allowing them to throw the lure. I focused on that some this week end and I thought it made an improvement. I guess I am just getting rusty these days! I get out so infrequently that I am losing my touch!!!

kc