Need Help With Poison Tail Jig

[Kingpin]

Im just getting started pouring my own jigs. I have always liked the poison tail head and thought it would be great for use in both jig and swim jig applications. After a pretty thorough search online I have noticed people asking about what hooks will work with this mold.  The Mold was made to be used with the standard 91769BLN Mustad hook. With a little modification, people mention the Mustad 32886 hook which seems to be working well for heavy cover use.  If a person wanted to use a Gamakatsu or Owner hooks, the only options I have found are purchasing hooks with the small screw spring already attached. These hooks seem to be quite costly if purchased in the 4 or 5 hook packs. Cost is not an issue. I want the best hooks for the applications Im using them for.  After looking through Gammi and Owners hook charts, I have found several hooks that I am interested in. Im looking for a heavy Gammakatsu wide gap hook for my jig application and a thinner round bend hook for my swim jig.

  The jig hook I was interested in was the Gamakatsu Superline spring hook. Obviously I would be removing the spring but I am wondering if anyone has used this hook for making jigs and what the results have been.

  The Swimjig hook that caught my attention was the Owner Twist lock light hook or the Owner twist lock open gap centering pin hook. I am planning on using the swim jig with an attached spinner bait blade at times and I wasn't sure if the light hook would be fine with this application or if I should use something slightly heavier for these times. Any and all help is appreciated and remember, I am completely new to this so If you think Im way out in left field, let me know that too. Thank you for your time.

[Jig Man]

Mike from Seibert outdoors, Cadman or small jaw should be along.  One of more of them may be able to answer your questions.  I have the molds but just use the Mustad recommended.

[smalljaw67]

I may be able to help you as I have that mold and use different hooks but what you want to use doesn't exist, a 30 degree Owner or Gamakatsu, and you also want a heavy hook for bottom contact, well you can only go as big as the 32886 unless you modify the mold but there really isn't a heavy 30 degree unless you use the hooks in the 4 pack with the twist locks on them. Here is my take, there are 2 types of hooks, cutting points and puncture points, cutting points are made by Trokar, Gamakatsu, and Owner while the puncture points are Eagle Claw (needle point), Mustad (ultra point), and VMC (cone cut point). For swim jigs the cutting points are out, at least for me, I was testing some Gamakatsu spinnerbait hooks out a few years back and I was losing fish, that is rare so on one fish I landed I picked it up and as soon as the line got slack the bait fell out of the fish's mouth. What happens with moving baits like spinnerbaits and swim jigs is the fish often hit them from the side and as a result, the get hooked in the soft membrane, well when you have a cutting point, the fish does a head shake and it acts like a saw cutting a large hole in the membrane and as soon as any slack gets in the line the hook falls out which was happening to me so I stopped using cutting points on moving baits. I think the round bend Mustad 32886 is a really good hook and I have had zero problems with it, I think you can use that hook for all your applications but if you want a lighter wire for a swim jig then go with a Mustad 32724. The other thing is you never mention the size of bait you want to make, the reason is when you get to the 4/0 and 5/0 Mustad 91768, it is fairly stout but most anglers prefer the round bend over the EWG style hook.

[Kingpin]

Thanks, Im only making 1/2oz jigs for now. The Gammi 28* wide gap superline can be had in the packs with the coil baitkeeprs. They come in 4 or 5 per pack. I don't care for the heavy round bend hooks so that's why Im looking for something slightly lighter. Thanks,

[Jig Man]

You can heat the hooks and slightly bend them to fit a mold.  I do it a lot when I don't have exactly what I need.

[cadman]

Kingpin,

   I do have a limited number of Gami 28/30 degree hooks that are Gamis 4/0 - 5/0 hook. These are round bend hooks. The reason I call them 4/0 - 5/0 is because they are a size between a standard 4/0 and a 5/0 ( like a 4.5/0). Gami always had there own sizes and it never seemed to match normal standards (for jig molds that is). That is why you rarely see a lot of jig molds that use Gami's, unless they have been modified. Owner the same thing, very few hook options if any for a 28/30 degree hook. Anyway the Gamis I have are a heavy hook. Like smalljaw67 stated, a 32886 hook will fit that mold and it is a darn good hook. Just because it's a round bend, don't discard that hook. On the flip side I have talked to many guys that hate an EWG hook on the poison tail, because of missed hook ups. This is due to how you set your hook. Setting hooks on a round bend and an EWG is different especially on a poison tail jig. Smalljaw and I have hashed this idea around for quite some time, and found a sweeping hookset works better for an EWG hook. However to each his own.  Anyway if you are interested PM me.

[Kingpin]

 Cadman, I use different hook sets with different types of baits. For some reason, the EWG hooks have faired better for me compared to the round bend hooks offered on most jigs. Because of this I have wanted to find a stronger EWG hook than the Mustad hook designed for this mold?  The Gammi superline spring lock hook looks like it maybe just the ticket. This hook is a 28* and comes in a pack of 3 with the spring lock that I would just discard. Has anyone tried this in the Poison tail mold?  Any reasons why it wouldn't work or why you wouldn't recommend trying it?

  Through my reading, people are saying that a thinner round bend would be better for a swim jig. Do you agree or would you say the Gammi 4.5 would be the best for this application.  Again, thank you for your time.

[cadman]

Kinpin,

     I see you've looked at, and understand all your options. As far as what hook is better, that is your personal choice. If you are set on the  Gammi Superline EWG and money is not a factor, go with it and see how it works for you. I would be the last person to dissuade someone on what to fish with. You and I both know that confidence is a big factor in fishing. If you ended up using a different hook, you will always in the back of your mind think "What If".  With that said try the Gami Superline and post your results.

[Kingpin]

Thanks, I'm going to order a few up. Could you say if a swim jig hook should be thinner, thicker,? 4/0, 5/0 ? im happy to try different stuff, just wanted to have an idea before I order. I'm in MN so I'm unable to try out any hooks we have listed. I would still like to have a few ready just in case the temp ever gets above -35. Lol. Thank you.

[cadman]

Whether they should be thicker or thinner is your call. I like thinner hooks, but that is my preference and fishing style.

[RandySBreth]

I have used the Owner Twistlock Finesse with the wire keeper for a 30 degree swim jig mold and they work great. Expensive, but if you want something you pay for it, right?

[Kingpin]

I just wanted to update. I purchased a package of the Gammi Superline twistlock hooks just to see if there was much of a difference compared to the Mustad 91768. The difference in thickness was .005.  I believe the hook is compressed before hardening which makes it slightly thinner in width and slightly thicker in height. Point is its not enough of an improvement.  I will be trying out some of the  GY Gammi hooks. Cadman says they are .065 where the twistlocks are .055. Hopefully this will be enough to add some strength to the hook. Thanks

[wolfman56]

On 1/27/2014 at 11:58 AM, Kingpin said:

Im just getting started pouring my own jigs. I have always liked the poison tail head and thought it would be great for use in both jig and swim jig applications. After a pretty thorough search online I have noticed people asking about what hooks will work with this mold.  The Mold was made to be used with the standard 91769BLN Mustad hook. With a little modification, people mention the Mustad 32886 hook which seems to be working well for heavy cover use.  If a person wanted to use a Gamakatsu or Owner hooks, the only options I have found are purchasing hooks with the small screw spring already attached. These hooks seem to be quite costly if purchased in the 4 or 5 hook packs. Cost is not an issue. I want the best hooks for the applications Im using them for.  After looking through Gammi and Owners hook charts, I have found several hooks that I am interested in. Im looking for a heavy Gammakatsu wide gap hook for my jig application and a thinner round bend hook for my swim jig.

  The jig hook I was interested in was the Gamakatsu Superline spring hook. Obviously I would be removing the spring but I am wondering if anyone has used this hook for making jigs and what the results have been.

  The Swimjig hook that caught my attention was the Owner Twist lock light hook or the Owner twist lock open gap centering pin hook. I am planning on using the swim jig with an attached spinner bait blade at times and I wasn't sure if the light hook would be fine with this application or if I should use something slightly heavier for these times. Any and all help is appreciated and remember, I am completely new to this so If you think Im way out in left field, let me know that too. Thank you for your time.

 

Sometimes you watching the Spring sale at Wal-Mart they put a lot fishing stuff for half price. Good  luck 

[Big Rick]

On 12/23/2018 at 2:28 AM, wolfman56 said:

 

Sometimes you watching the Spring sale at Wal-Mart they put a lot fishing stuff for half price. Good  luck 

I doubt you'll get a response. Kingpin hasn't been on this forum since March 2014. 

[Munkin]