Carolina Rig Thoughts

[JediAmoeba]

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRotdu9v/

 

Saw this and now I am curious - I usually use an EWG for my ball and chain.

 

Amy thoughts? 

[papajoe222]

I don't have a TilTok on my desktop, but I will tell you that I stopped using EWG hooks on my C-rigs back around the time I retired (14yrs. ago). I switched to good ole round bend, off set worm hooks and I haven't looked back since. I just seem to loose fewer fish using them. I don't know if it's because the hooks point sits farther back, or because it sits higher than most EWGs so it has more bite.  I don't know what hook he's proposing,  but I'll bet the angle from the hook eye to the hook point is the reason he suggests it.

[bowhunter63]

I agree been using a worm hook forever. Works great 

[WRB]

Straight shank worm hook the point is highest above the hook eye.

Extra Wide Gape the hook point is even with the hook eye.

Off set wide gap hook the the point may be above the hook eye or even.

Why is this important? Your line is tied to the hook at the hook eye and you apply pulling force trying to move the hook point into the basses bass. If the hook point is even with the line tie you pull the hook out of the basses mouth on a straight pulling force, unless the hook is down into the bass throat.

Straight shank results in higher hook penetration, off set with point above hook eye is 2nd, hooks like have lowest % of hooking bass, especially on a straight line pulling force ie; Carolina rigs.

Tom

[Catt]

I never have been a huge fan of EWG hooks & seldom use them except for Horny Toads & Ribbits. I do use offset round bend but straight shank round bend is my comfort zone.

[CountryboyinDC]

I mainly fish a tube on a Carolina rig, and use a Shaw Grigsby hook.  I use offset hooks for a lot of soft plastic fishing, probably EWGS mostly, because they're the main ones you find.  Never thought about how that might cause a missed hookset.

[webertime]

What an old timer explained to me...  imagine the bait is a sailboat on its keel on dry land.  The bottom of the keel is the hook bend and the point the tip of the cabin.  A ton of smallies (I imagine bigheads too) with pin the bait to the bottom in the process of eating.  Going back to the sailboat... if the keel hits the land the boat will fall to one side or the other.  The bigger the keel (deeper hook bend) the more the cabin/point moves laterally when it gets on its side.  Made sense to me and I've been using regular Worm hooks since with no I'll effects.

[WRB]

EWG hook bend can cam over then the bass churches down and end sideways in the mouth. A hook sideways is OK if the bass turns away when you hook set, or gets pulled straight out when facing you. 

Tom

[Darth-Baiter]

i like straight shank hooks with bait keepers.   i just seem to fight the worm less.

[Cbump]

Gamakatsu oshaunessy bend

[rangerjockey]

The Gammy G-Finesse hybrid is a great hook for the C- Rig. It's got enough gap for creature baits but not too much for a french fry or worm.

[KP Duty]

In cover, straight shanks serm to get hung more than EWG's, but I don't fish c-rigs in cover.  I think a lot of anglers like myself get in a rut where we are using the same atyle hook for nearly all plastics.  In the 80's, I used Tru-turn hooks for most baits.  Then the gammy 'offset round bend' was introduced and I used those for nearly everything.  Finally, folks started using EWG's for things other than tubes, and I jumped on board.  I need to get out of my EWG rut.

[txchaser]

This thread helped me notice that the mustad grip-pin EWG point sits above the eye vs gamakatsu sitting even with the eye. 

 

[Bazoo]

Interesting conversation, and one I've pondered some. I prefer offset worm hooks to EWG hooks. I use EWG sometimes, if they happen to be the size I need for the baits I'm rigging, or if I feel I need the extra gap for a thick plastic. Most of the time if I need more gap, I go to a larger hook size rather than to an EWG.

[Bankc]

2 hours ago, Bazoo said:

Interesting conversation, and one I've pondered some. I prefer offset worm hooks to EWG hooks. I use EWG sometimes, if they happen to be the size I need for the baits I'm rigging, or if I feel I need the extra gap for a thick plastic. Most of the time if I need more gap, I go to a larger hook size rather than to an EWG.

They make several different EWG style hooks, and some have the hook sit above the eye, so they hook up a little better.  You can pretty much get a hook in just about any design you want these days. 

 

About the only time I use a true EWG, with the hook point inline with the eye, is if I'm fishing something like a reed bed or water willow bed.  I've caught some nice bass in them over the years, and a Texas rigged EWG is about the only thing I've managed to pull through there consistently.  I miss a lot of strikes, but I catch more bass than if I just avoided it or spent more time breaking off and retying other hooks. 

[JackstrawIII]

On 6/5/2023 at 6:22 AM, Catt said:

I never have been a huge fan of EWG hooks & seldom use them except for Horny Toads & Ribbits.

Hey Catt, this is an old post, but can you explain why you use EWGs for toad style baits? I've been using swimbait style hooks with decent results, but curious to hear your thought process to see if I've been approaching this the wrong way. Thanks. 

[Catt]

@JackstrawIII thickness of the plastic is the determining factor for me when selecting hooks.

 

Everything else is either straight shank or offset hooks.