I'm tired if losing fish with offset hooks...

[scaleface]

...  I'm going to have to go with straight shanks. What ones do you fellows recommend to use with texas rigged 5 inch stick baits? I prefer thin wires over heavy wire flipping hooks.

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m 100% straight shank this year.   Except the Owner Haymaker for weightless. 
 

im using the ReBarb and Owner Covershot.  They are similar but I think the ReBarb is just a touch thinner wired. 
 

I made the switch because I wanted to see if plastic baits stayed up against the hookeye better/longer.  It does.  

[T-Billy]

VMC has some lighter wire flippin hooks from #1 on up. The package will just say flipping hooks. The Ike approved or HD are not the ones you want. I've been very happy with em for a few years now.

[Darth-Baiter]

my friend gave me one Decoy straight shank flipping hook.  it was awesome.  the bait keeper tab was GREAT.  it doenst do a lot of damage to the plastic when it is going thru the bait.  i almost cried when i broke off eventually.  i was nursing that hook for a while.  keeping it sharp.

 

the 3/0 size which was perfect for a 5" Senko is always out of stock.  

[Bird]

I ordered them in bulk from Amazon.

" Like fish " thin wire stainless steel 4.0.

They are very sharp and work very well with finesse worms.

[Darth-Baiter]

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that isnt a straight shank hook ^^^

[garroyo130]

11 minutes ago, Bird said:

I ordered them in bulk from Amazon.

" Like fish " thin wire stainless steel 4.0.

They are very sharp and work very well with finesse worms.

 

Yeah, these are the ones giving him issues. Which honestly surprises me since my hookup percentage is great with these. EWG on the other hand ...

[TOXIC]

10 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that isnt a straight shank hook ^^^

Remember, there’s straight shank and ewg which stands for extra wide gap.  Then there is offset.  His hook is an offset straight shank.  I only use offset, ewg hooks for my soft plastics.  I prefer a thin wire and gamakatsu is my hook of choice.  I’m not loosing any due to the hook. 

[Darth-Baiter]

2 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Remember, there’s straight shank and ewg which stands for extra wide gap.  Then there is offset.  His hook is an offset straight shank.  I only use offset, ewg hooks for my soft plastics.  I prefer a thin wire and gamakatsu is my hook of choice.  I’m not loosing any due to the hook. 

that is a great point. 

[scaleface]

7 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

I’m not loosing any due to the hook. 

I imagine everybody loses some fish on a Texas rig . Lately I have missed more than usual. It might be operator error and not the hooks . Anyway . I'm ready to try something different. I've only been using offset hooks since the 1970'S

[Darth-Baiter]

@scaleface have you looked at the Owner Haymaker hook? It’s an EWG, but it’s kinda special. The hook point doesn’t point in the direction of the hookeye.  It points outwards. 
 

It hooks fish awesomely. The downside is that the hookpoint sometimes creeps out of the bait, and the rig will bring in grass or snag. 
 

it doesn’t solve my issue of the bait slipping down the shank. Some manufacturer, should roughen the shaft at that location.  I wish I had patent money. Hehe. I hope Owner steals my idea. 

[TOXIC]

I might be stating the obvious here but the trick to keeping a bait from sliding down the hook on an offset shank is to make absolutely sure the bait only covers the bend on the shank to the hook eye.  If it goes beyond the hook eye your line will slice the bait and will push it up on the offset allowing it to slide more easily.  That’s one of my main Senko rigging tips in my seminars.  And one of the reasons people think a Senko is a one fish bait.  Bad rigging.  

[WRB]

Owner 4107 Cover Shot hook is excellent strong medium wire hook with keeper. I use this hook for T-rigged worms.

Tom

[scaleface]

15 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

@scaleface have you looked at the Owner Haymaker hook? It’s an EWG, but it’s kinda special. The hook point doesn’t point in the direction of the hookeye.  It points outwards. 
 

It hooks fish awesomely. The downside is that the hookpoint sometimes creeps out of the bait, and the rig will bring in grass or snag. 
 

it doesn’t solve my issue of the bait slipping down the shank. Some manufacturer, should roughen the shaft at that location.  I wish I had patent money. Hehe. I hope Owner steals my idea. 

Nope, I havent seen them. In my home town  there is not much to choose from and I rarely order. I might be visiting a Sheels soon and will  pick out a hook there.

[Cbump]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

...  I'm going to have to go with straight shanks. What ones do you fellows recommend to use with texas rigged 5 inch stick baits? I prefer thin wires over heavy wire flipping hooks.

Roboworm rebarb or owner cover shot 4/0. And don’t look back. 

Cover shot has a better keeper. 

[Captain Phil]

Gamakatsu #58413

[Catt]

Mustad Straight Shank Round Bend 

 

4.3 UltraPoint® Technology

Opti-Angle Needle Point

1X Long shank 

Nor-Tempered

Black Nickel Finish 

 

 

3/0

Wire dia. .052 in

Gap 17 mm 

 

4/0

Wire dia .056in

Gap 18.7 mm 

 

5/0

Wire dia 0.06in 

Gap 20.4 mm

 

[Mike L]

I’ve been using the Trokar TK100 offset for  most plastics on the smaller end and the Lazer Pro V for everything else including swim worms. 
 

I’ve used most all brands over the years but nothing hooks or holds better. 
 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

I prefer straight shanks too.  The 2/0 G finesse heavy cover might be the most versatile hook I've ever used.  The big bite of the hook wroks well with bulkier and ringed baits, but doesnt look out of place on a senko typical sized worms.  The wire is like a stout med, but is as strong as any heavy wire I've used.  With the smaller dia, slickness of the wire and super sharp point I have no issue setting the hook with a M power rod using #12FC.

I really like the Cover shot as well, but its just a little thin to be a do it all hook.  Curious about the HD Cover shots, will try them in the future.

[TnRiver46]

4 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I might be stating the obvious here but the trick to keeping a bait from sliding down the hook on an offset shank is to make absolutely sure the bait only covers the bend on the shank to the hook eye.  If it goes beyond the hook eye your line will slice the bait and will push it up on the offset allowing it to slide more easily.  That’s one of my main Senko rigging tips in my seminars.  And one of the reasons people think a Senko is a one fish bait.  Bad rigging.  

So leave the round eye sticking out of the worm? 

[RRocket]

9 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I’m 100% straight shank this year.   Except the Owner Haymaker for weightless. 
 

im using the ReBarb and Owner Covershot.  They are similar but I think the ReBarb is just a touch thinner wired. 
 

I made the switch because I wanted to see if plastic baits stayed up against the hookeye better/longer.  It does.  

 

The Roboworm ReBarb light wire hook is indeed an outstanding hook.

 

That and VMC Finesse Neko hooks are the only ones I use.

 

Both outstanding hooks.

9 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I’m 100% straight shank this year.   Except the Owner Haymaker for weightless. 
 

im using the ReBarb and Owner Covershot.  They are similar but I think the ReBarb is just a touch thinner wired. 
 

I made the switch because I wanted to see if plastic baits stayed up against the hookeye better/longer.  It does.  

 

The Roboworm ReBarb light wire hook is indeed an outstanding hook.

 

That and VMC Finesse Neko hooks are the only ones I use.

 

Both outstanding hooks.

 

Also, when I do weedless on a work with one of the hooks, I just skin hook it on the SIDE of the worm rather than going through the top. Seems just as weedless this way.

 

Anyone else do the side skin? 

[TOXIC]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

So leave the round eye sticking out of the worm? 

The “perfect” rig will have the bait right to the end of the hook eye.  The amount of movement the line has in the hook eye itself isn’t bad but if you extend the bait up the mainline any it will split. 

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, RRocket said:

 

 

Anyone else do the side skin? 

I experimented with the side skin hook last year. I always came back with no worm at all even if I just swung and missed the fish 

[Darth-Baiter]

I’ll side skin hook only if the middle of the bait is too torn ragged to hold the barb.  Eventually the bait will come off and I get a mild overrun on the reel.  It’s like playing chicken looking for that last successful cast.  

[RRocket]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I experimented with the side skin hook last year. I always came back with no worm at all even if I just swung and missed the fish 

 

2 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I’ll side skin hook only if the middle of the bait is too torn ragged to hold the barb.  Eventually the bait will come off and I get a mild overrun on the reel.  It’s like playing chicken looking for that last successful cast.  

With Z-man baits (Elastec) the baits absolutely do not come off due to the excellent keepers on the previously mentioned hooks.

 

So good are the keepers with the Elastec that you really have to tug and take some effort to get them off. 

 

I have yet to lose ANY Elastec bait in combination with those keepers