Pitching & Flipping Beaver Baits - How Do You Rig?

[n8cas4]

Instead of rigging with a straight shank hook where the hook point is buried in the beaver plastic, does anybody rig it Texas-rigged? For example, a big off-set hook that has the hook point tex-posed or laying flat in that middle ridge on the back of the beaver?

I've tried both ways and have had success with both, but wanted to know a better way to keep the hook from being exposed to weeds when T-rigged or tex-posed. I usually pull the plastic over and skin hook the point, but it comes out all the time (at least the reaction innovation beaver does). Some beavers are made of more pliable plastics and some have a deeper ridge or even a tiny pocket on top - but I still manage to pull up weeds when using the ones with the pockets for t-rigged hook. Any advice for t-rigged beavers- style soft plastics?

[Siebert Outdoors]

a big off-set hook that has the hook point tex-posed or laying flat in that middle ridge on the back of the beaver?

 

That is how I have always rigged them.

[n8cas4]

I get snagged when casting to wood and I get grass often when working grass. It's almost like every cast I'm reskinning the hook with the Reaction innovations beaver.

[gobig]

Personally I do not like offset worm hooks when I texas rig. I use a straight shank with a shrink tube barb. Another way that I like to rig beavers is with keel weighted swimbait hook that has a twist lock to hold the bait. This gives it a real nice gliding action.

[ColdSVT]

I almost always texas rig my beavers with a gammi or laser sharp wide gap. usually a 3/0.

bullets depends on structure and depth.

sometimes however I go with a weighted swimbait hook around trees and docks. actually I always have one rigged just not always tied on. the swin bait hook works great on most creature bait to provide a "glide in" approach

[CPBassFishing]

I don't use EWG hooks for fishing grass or wood. Go for an offset straight shank or a straight shank with a keeper.

[BrettD]

I use a straigt shank hook tied with a snell knot and its seemed to help my hook up ratio. When I put the hook in the sweet beaver I dont push it all the way throught just enough to hold the point of the hook in the bait. When you set the hook with a snelled hook the point of the hook will drive throught the bait into the fish.

[Mike L]

When it comes to craws I only use the Reaction Innovation. Especially for punching with a 3/4 to 1 oz pegged tungston weight.

I also only use the 5/0 Owner straight shank fipping hook with a screw keeper.

 

When I rig it the hook is laying flat in the groove on the back and then tex pose it. I don't seem to have the same problem you have.

With that hook I've found that if I bring the hook point out all the way to the end of the body and bring it out from there, it stays put and the beaver stays perfectly straight.

 

The 5/0 is pretty big.

A 4/0 would work also but I like the the bigger hook for throwing it in heavy to med cover which is the only place I use it.

 

Mike

[K_Mac]

I use a Gammi EWG (3/O or 4/O) hook and skin hook it in the center groove of the bait. Care has to taken to make sure it is rigged so as not put any stress on the plastic. Once I figured out how to do that I rarely have any trouble. 

[n8cas4]

Thanks.  I bet with some fiddling around I can get it to work t-rigged.  I guess my last question on the matter is when would the t-rig approach be more beneficial than the straight shank approach?  

[Jrob78]

Thanks.  I bet with some fiddling around I can get it to work t-rigged.  I guess my last question on the matter is when would the t-rig approach be more beneficial than the straight shank approach?  

 

You're tx rigging it either way.  I think what you're talking about is tex-posing, that's where you push the hook point all the way through the bait.  Either hook should work fine, a lot of people feel like you get better hook ups with a straight shank hook.  I use more straight shanks with beaver baits now than I used to.  I always bury the point in the bait, it should be weedless and allow for good hook ups.  When I use a EWG hook, I like the Gammy Skip Gap hook in a 3/0.  It keeps the bait up on the hook and has better hook ups than a regular EWG hook.  I fish the Skip Gap tex-posed.

[ww2farmer]

Depends on what I am doing with them. Pitching and flipping around docks, shoreline brush/laydowns, shallow scattered grass, I t-rig them on a 3/0 EWG super-line hook, with, usually  3/8's oz. tungsten sinker pegged to it. Punching mats, or fishing deeper thick milfoil, I peg a 1/2oz-1oz sinker (depending on how thick the grass is) and use a 5/0 Trokar straight shank flipping hook.  I also drop shot them, use them as jig trailers, fish them on a football head, etc.....no wrong way. Next to a senko, they are about as versatile as it gets.

[n8cas4]

You're tx rigging it either way.  I think what you're talking about is tex-posing, that's where you push the hook point all the way through the bait.  Either hook should work fine, a lot of people feel like you get better hook ups with a straight shank hook.  I use more straight shanks with beaver baits now than I used to.  I always bury the point in the bait, it should be weedless and allow for good hook ups.  When I use a EWG hook, I like the Gammy Skip Gap hook in a 3/0.  It keeps the bait up on the hook and has better hook ups than a regular EWG hook.  I fish the Skip Gap tex-posed.

Yeah, sorry I didn't clarify. I guess it's as simple as straight shank or offset. Because the offset would need to have the point laying flat on top in the ridge skinned.

I did notice that the havoc line uses the plastic that seems to be easier to skin. Or rather, the plastic stays on the hook point longer than reaction innovation. Although, the RI must have better action than say the havoc pit boss.

[joejoe352]

i personally use a 1/2 to 1 ounce tungsten weight pegged with a bobber stop or toothpick, tied up to a lazer trokar hook, at first i didnt want to spend the extra money on the hook but man am i glad i did, i got the 4/0 flipping hook and it works great! they are extremely  sharp and strong ( snagged at least a 10 foot gator when pitching and held up until my line broke an hour later!). but this set up works great for me here in florida!

[papajoe222]

I go with a straight shanked hook also. The trick to rigging with these style hooks is to NOT start out rigging your plastic as you would with an offset style hook.  Try this: Start by laying the hook over the plastic the way you want the hook's point to end up, say skin hooked. Note the angle of the hook shank through the nose of the bait and where the hook point re-enters the bait and note that it will also be on an angle.  Now rig it and try to duplicate the angles of entry. You can rig Texas, Texsposed, skin hooked, and even exposed by just remembering how much plastic to bite into at the nose and at what angle. A drop of superglue at the point where the shaft exits the nose of the bait will reinforce any style of 'keeper' you use.