Weedless Hooks Worse At Avoiding Weeds Then Regular Hooks?

[tcbass]

So when I fish Senkos I normally use Gamakatsu 1/0 Offset Shank Worm EWG hooks. About every 4th cast I have some weeds on the hook (I am using 3/8" tubing to attach the Senko to the hook). Well, these weeds are almost always able to be shook off with just a few jiggles of the rod. I always fish Senkos wacky style.

 

Well, I thought, how about I try some weedless hooks for once to see if it works better. So I picked up a pack of Gamakatsu Wicked Wacky hooks and attached the Senko once again with the 3/8" tubing. Well, this way caught even more weeds and I had to hand pick them off almost everytime.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's going on here?

[Catch and Grease]

A soft plastic rigged Texas style is more weedless than a wire weed guard to me...

EDIT: my mistake just noticed you were wacky rigging.

[tcbass]

A soft plastic rigged Texas style is more weedless than a wire weed guard to me...

EDIT: my mistake just noticed your were wacky rigging.

 

 

Yeah, for me T-Rig has always been less weed prone but also far less productive.

[Fishes in trees]

That particular is a drop shot hook.   Why they call it a wicked wacky hook - I don't know - a marketing naming mystery, I guess.   It is relatively weedless when rigged as intended, i.e. tie knot with a long tag end, thread tag end through the small tube wrapped to the hook shank.  Then decide on a dropper  length and attach drop shot weight.  When the hook is oriented like that, it is relatively weed free, otherwise it isn't.

 

What you need is one of those  wire weed guard, mouse trap type hooks.  They work better.

 

For instance, on page 311 of the 2014 BPS master catalog, Gamakatsu makes a weedless split/drop shot hood which would work.  Their weedless finesse wide gap hook would work better.  I know that Gamakatsu make a wire mouse trap style weed guard hook because I have some, but they aren't show on that page.

 

Moving on to page 314 in the Eagle Claw hook section the weedless worm hook/ long shank/stainless wed guard works very well and is the design I'd choose first.

 

My favorite senko hook isn't carried in the BPS Catalog.  I like the Falcon Weedless K wacky hook with a 1/16 weight molded on to the hook shank.  The slight weight helps you get a more vertical drop, which I think is important with a wacky senko when you are trying to drop in into the shade pocket of whatever object you are throwing at.

[Comfortably Numb]

Not sure any hook will help bring a wack stick through weeds. 

 

I also only fish wacky (no weeds here) but would fish texas if we had them.

[olegs]

When I fish Senko Wacky rigged I use Owner wacky weedless hook 2/0

http://www.basspro.com/Owner-Weedless-Wacky-Hooks-Model-5172/product/97831/

But when I fish heavy cover I use T-rigged Senko with 4/0 EWG.

[Darren.]

I think of "weedless" hooks less as "no more weeds" and more "not getting stuck on stumps and such quite as often".

 

Personally, for wacky I prefer smaller profile hooks. I never use TX rig style hooks (round, o'shaughnessy, EWG) for wacky. I know some do, and that's their preference.

 

Fav hooks for wacky include Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse (sizes 4 - 2/0), Gamakatsu Split/Drop shot (sizes 2 - 1/0).

 

I make my own "weedless/snag-less" hooks using some 20 pound coated Malin wire snelled + drop of superglue + shrink-wrap.

[F14A-B]

I tryed those Gammy w/ nylon guards....

[Nelson Wormefeller]

I use the type with the full guard and have a lot of luck with them.   The metal wire ones especially have not picked up weeds.

 

[buzzed bait]

I use the type with the full guard and have a lot of luck with them.   The metal wire ones especially have not picked up weeds.

 

i've used this type and had really no problems with the weeds as well

[K_Mac]

None of them are very good in grass. They do work well in wood though. I will usually work pockets and the weed line or above submerged grass wacky. In the grass I will go weedless with an EWG hook.

[FrogTosser88]

Wait... You're supposed to put the line in the tube?...

[FrogTosser88]

You are correct... Gamakatsu recommends using the tube for dropshotting larger baits.. Interesting, because I have been using them for regular wacky rigging with an O ring on the senko for some time now.. Lol

[hatrix]

the Gamakatsu weedless wacky hooks are a total joke. Its a plastic guard and it is tied around the shank of the hook and that slides up and down the shank. It is not even locked in place to keep the guard from coming off the barb. It makes no sense and I think who ever came up with that one should be fired for wasting people time and money. You need ones with a real old school wire guard. I am not actually sure about wacky hooks but I have hard some really serious ones on things like jig heads. You actually need to grab the hook with pliers and bend it towards the guard while you squeeze the guard to make it as long as possible and get it over the barb. They are on there good and wont come off. Sometimes it could almost be to good where you would miss a fish if you tried to swing on it with your purse.

[michang5]

I agree with DarrenM, the weedguards are really more protection from stumps and throwing your rigs into trees.

I've done extensive testing with two of the mentioned weedless hook options:

1) Gamakatsu weedless finesse wide gap -- I started with these. The guards lose their shape/tension after a few fish. After a few more fish, the glue that holds the guard to the shank weakens. The guard will then slide down the hook. A drop of super glue will repair it for a few more fish.

Annoying to have to re-hook the guard below the barb every few casts.

2) VMC weedless wacky -- Friend gave me his after he complained about missing fish (kinda like "This milk's gone sour, will you taste it to make sure?"). The metal weedguards was UNBELIEVABLY rigid. It took a lot of pressure to push it down and off the hook barb. I threw them in the trash.

3) Owner weedless wacky -- Different guard design from the other two. The stiffness of the V-shaped guards seemed sufficient and were durable after many fish.

---

With #1 and #3, I would usually bring in weeds and have pick them off. If the BOW was choked with grass, the entire wacky setup was pointless.

However when you skip/throw them into branches like I often do, I would say they have a slightly higher chance of dislodging with a pop of the rod versus a open-faced wacky hook.

I say "slightly" because I was forced to buy the regular Owner wacky hooks at Cabelas one day when they were out of the weedless. I went out with them and really had no more tree snags than with the weedless ones. I've since fished them exclusively from the banks and my kayak.

Finally, I thought about the economics. The weedless Owners are quite a bit more per hook over the regulars. Even if I snagged and broke off the regulars at a (slightly) higher rate than the weedless, it wouldn't justify the extra cost.

[bigbill]

I use every plastic with the eagle claw 249W weedless hooks. I never had a problem. But I stay away from the slimey stuff. But in the weeds it does awesome.

Just wacky rigged the weedless hook is ok. The standard hook wacky rigged comes up full of weeds every time.

My brushogs, my creaturebaits, my worms are all rigged with weedless hooks.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Try a small circle hook it wont stop them all but most it will.btw when u use a small circle hook wacky rigged use the same method as live bait let the fish hook itself and no hars hooksets.just put pressure on it and keep it steady

[FrogTosser88]

I have been fishing with the gammy wacky hooks for a bit.. Apparently not how they were intended. Seem to work fine... Haven't caught anything huge on them bit the rig has been catching fish... In the weeds.