DIY plastic keepers on hooks

[MassYak85]

Has anyone had success with adding a keeper to straight shank worm hooks? I really like the roboworm rebarb hooks but the 4/0 medium wire ones are just a tad small and not heavy enough wire as I'd like for some of the stuff I do. I'm looking at adding one to a 5/0 Gamy round bend to start (the tiny barbs don't do much). I was thinking of bending some wire and tying+gluing it on to the shank but was wondering if any of you had some tips on better methods. 

[looking45]

sometimes I cut a short piece of 50/60# mono and stick it thru the worm and thru the eye of the hook. Then I cut it off flush on both sides of the worm. This seems a lot easier than trying to affix a wire to the hook

[JustJames]

Have you tried the shrink tube route for bait keeper (cut 45 degree)?

[MassYak85]

9 hours ago, JustJames said:

Have you tried the shrink tube route for bait keeper (cut 45 degree)?

No but I'll give it a try, thanks!

[Dom Hendricks]

4 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

No but I'll give it a try, thanks!

This is the best way I have found. This is how they make the roboworm hooks. 

[Bass Turd]

This works really well. The only down side is the plastic disc is hard to get off the hook when you do need to replace your worm... but I guess that's the point. You put a plastic disc in one of the holes in the holder, thread the hook through the head of the worm, then push the point of the hook thru the disc all the way up to the bottom of the worm close to the eye then finish Texas rigging the point of the hook in the worm.

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Rapid_Fishing_Solutions_Rapid_Hook_All/descpage-RAPIDH.html

[DSTN]

I've been tinkering with doing this by tying a doubled uni snell knot and cutting all the tags so there was a little left to act as a keeper. I used 20 lb Big Game. It worked ok but was a bit of a pain to tie. Going to try the shrink wrap and wire (or heavy mono) route to see if that works better.

[thinkingredneck]

Similar to the line below the nose method, you can just put the line through one end of a swivel, tie the knot on the hook leaving the swivel free above it.  Put you worm nose on the hook and get it in place,  put the other end of the swivel on the hook and snug up to the bottom of the worm head.  Attach the worm over the point Texas rigged.  Works on any style hook.

[MassYak85]

Figured I'd post this for anyone else who wants to do it. I settled on the heat shrink tubing and it came out great! Just like the roboworm hooks. I did this to 2/0 and 5/0 Gamakatsu round bend worm hooks, and used size 1/16" and 3/32" heat shrink tubing respectively. 

 

5/0

 

2/0

[fishwizzard]

Nice!  I have been trying the same thing but on Owner cutting point hooks, which unfortunately have a wide enough point that I can't really get appropriately-sized shrinkwrap to slip on.  

[NHBull]

50 lb mono through the bait and eye is by far the easiest

[Russ E]

I just put a drop of super glue on the barbs and slide the bait over the super glue. 

[JustJames]

On 9/2/2018 at 3:02 PM, fishwizzard said:

Nice!  I have been trying the same thing but on Owner cutting point hooks, which unfortunately have a wide enough point that I can't really get appropriately-sized shrinkwrap to slip on.  

Have you try the 3X shrink tube? You might be able to get away with bigger tube to pass barb or eyes of those hooks.

About worm hook, the only downfall that I can see is if the hook doesn't have that small barbs on the shrank, the tube might slide down over time.

[detroit1]

I find it easier to just reach in the bag and pull out another bait....

[MassYak85]

2 hours ago, detroit1 said:

I find it easier to just reach in the bag and pull out another bait....

This isn't to promote the longevity of the bait. It's to make sure the bait stays rigged correctly and doesn't slide down the shank of the hook midway through a retrieve.