Gammy EWG hooks: Hookup problems

[fmoore]

I fish a lot of t rigged craws and this season I've started using Gammy EWG hooks. It seems like since I switched from what I used to use (Owners) to the Gammys my hookup ratio has gone down the drain. It's terrible. Like a few fish for every 10-15 bites. I've never had this problem before. It's extremely frustrating.

Has anyone else had this problem with these hooks? Today I watched a bass shoot out from a mess of sticks and eat a Chigger Craw, close his mouth and start swimming away and when I set the hook the bait just slid out of his mouth like the point wasn't exposing itself out of the soft plastic of the bait. I've tried setting the hook right away, waiting longer than normal, different agles on my hooksets, everything.

Could my troubles be due to the size of the hook? The way I'm rigging the bait? Or did something in my technique change over the winter?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[Wayne P.]

Like all hooks of that style, the hook point is in line with the hook eye. If you want to successfully use that hook, open the bend some to expose the point more.

[Gamec0cks5]

I've never had problems with the EWGs that's all I use??

[roadwarrior]

Nope...I use both.

However, fish the Owners if that's your confidence

hook. They are both great, but you should not be

fishing something you don't like.

-Kent

8-)

[DINK WHISPERER]

Never had issues with Gammys at all. I have recently started to open the hook point up a bit too though(just for peace of mind). For heavy cover pitchin'/flippin' i will use a Denny Brauer flippin' hook or similar.

[Tin]

Gammy EWG in 3/0 or 4/0 for the Chig + Tough inner mouth of smallie (judging by your pics) = Fail

You either need to go heavy wire and punch it through or needle point and pinch them if you want to land them. Go back to Owner or try a Gammy G Lock.

[Big Bait Fishing]

I fish a lot of t rigged craws and this season I've started using Gammy EWG hooks. It seems like since I switched from what I used to use (Owners) to the Gammys my hookup ratio has gone down the drain. It's terrible. Like a few fish for every 10-15 bites. I've never had this problem before. It's extremely frustrating.

Has anyone else had this problem with these hooks? Today I watched a bass shoot out from a mess of sticks and eat a Chigger Craw, close his mouth and start swimming away and when I set the hook the bait just slid out of his mouth like the point wasn't exposing itself out of the soft plastic of the bait. I've tried setting the hook right away, waiting longer than normal, different agles on my hooksets, everything.

Could my troubles be due to the size of the hook? The way I'm rigging the bait? Or did something in my technique change over the winter?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

that is your problem !!! why would you go from a great hook to a semi-good hook ??? you best get them Owner hooks tied back on the end of your line , doesn't seem like a difficult fix to me . give the Gamakatsu hooks to some one that doesn't have much tackle , that's what i did when i found that Owner hooks are alot better than Gammies .........

[Jason Penn]

Are you burying the hook inside of the bait or texposing it? 

I use the ewg's a lot and don't have any problems with them. They seem to always hook the fish near the side of the mouth for me.  That makes it easier for me to remove the hook.

[dave]

Take your needle nose pliers and twist the point to make it out of alignment with the line tie.

[Catt]

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

[Triton21]

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

I wonder why people won't listen to us about the straight shank Owner hooks Catt.  Could be a good thing, more wins for us.

Kelley

[senko_77]

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

[I.rar]

all i really use are gammy ewgs and while a few fish have come unbuttoned , i wouldnt say its a problem.

ive been meaning to give the straight shanks a try , but whenever i go hook shopping , i always grab the ewg gammys. mainly because i fish around ALOT of rocks and in the back of my mind , i think i will loose my bait to a snag every cast.

could you post a pic of how you rig the plastic with a straight shank?

[Red Bear]

i have had better luck with eagle claws than with gammys. also i rarely use the EWGs unless im using something thick like a senko, seems i miss more fish with the EWGs...

[Big Bass Chaser]

I'm glad this came up. I honestly hadn't considered the mechanics of the hook eye/hook point to the bass' mouth.  I had thought the EWG ALWAYS provided easier hooking but I can see where it easily cannot. It is so painfully obvious now that people have pointed it out in this thread and I just read a few hook articles, I feel stupid for not realizing this earlier :-[ . During a tournament recently (which I thankfully won even though I was using the wrong hooks) I visibly lost two fish while hopping a texas rigged chigger craw across the bottom in the shallows where I saw the bait come fully out of the bass' mouth. Needless to say, today after work I will be buying some straight shank and offset 2/0,3/0, and 4/0 hooks.

[fmoore]

Are you burying the hook inside of the bait or texposing it?

I use the ewg's a lot and don't have any problems with them. They seem to always hook the fish near the side of the mouth for me. That makes it easier for me to remove the hook.

I'm not texposing it because it would get hung, but it's just about as close to texposed as you can get. Just barely putting the point of the hook back in the bait enough so it won't get hung.

I think I'll pick up some of the old standby Owner's today along with some straight shank hooks and see how that works out for me. I'd rather just have hooks that work period. I shouldn't have to do modifications to get the thing to work!

Thanks for the help guys.

[bweave09]

Senko, would you mind posting a picture of that? It sounds fairly simple, but I'd like to see a picture if you have one.

[Drewhop]

I bought some Gammy EWG RB today. I really liked them. I bought 1/0 and 3/0. I was targeting some small fish and I did notice I was hooking farther out on the lip but it was still a solid hookset.

[Gamec0cks5]

which owner roundbends are y'all talking about I don't see those on TW's website?

[Triton21]

which owner roundbends are y'all talking about I don't see those on TW's website?

Google: Owner Straight Shank Worm Hooks.

Kelley

[=Matt 5.0=]

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

I was taught this technique back in '84 by my grandfather.

[K_Mac]

I just re-stocked my worm hooks with 25 count bags of Gammy EWGs in 2/0-5/0. They are all I use and I have never had any problems with hook-ups. I use them for everything from Trickworms to Fat Ikas and beavers.

[fishfordollars]

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

Add me to the list. No hookup problems with these hooks. One of the old school methods that continue to be a better option.

[The Bassinator]

Someone put a picture of the straight shank hook rigged with a toothpick on here please

[SirSnookalot]

Only soft baits I use are flukes and switched back from EWG to a standard 4/0 worm hook, hook up ratio has greatly increased.