Gut hooking bass with wacky rigged Senkos...troubling situation....

[Bassnajr]

Hey all....

I have been using octopus hooks for wacky rigging senkos. They work great but by the very nature of this bait and its presentation, it leads to gut hooking. I have tried to remove hooks several times and did more harm then good. I have started cutting the line and leaving the hook in as opposed to hurting or possibly killing a fish. I am going through alot of hooks.

Anyone have any other ideas on this "hook" situation??

Thanks,

ajr

[maseyferguson05]

You could try setting the hook earlier?

[aggiebassin]

not trying to sound like a smart arse, but just pay more attention.  i had this same problem when i first started wacky rigging senkos last season.  this year i am not having the problem.  

the solution i came up with, is i have become a tedious line watcher when fishing this way.  any twitch or something other than the normal fall of the bait i reel up and set the hook.  every now and then there won't be anything on the other end when you reel up/set the hook.  but i will take a swing and a miss over gut hooking a fish.

[Lucky Craft Man]

You should learn the gut hook removal technique.  Below is a link to a very good explanation of it.

http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/articles/if2806_HookRemoval/

Whenever I gut hook a fish, this technique is very easy and I think really helps the fishes chance of survival.

[Glenn]

Try this next time:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1128002349/22#22

Works like a charm!

[Bassnajr]

I am paying attention.....but I understand what you are saying. I am watching the line and sometimes set the hook on air. Maybe as I get more experienced with this technique, this will be less of a problem. Thanks all and I will check out the articles mentioned.

Thanks 2x Glenn...great information.

ajr

[Garnet]

Normally if you are gutt hooking fish it's a school fish situation and a change in bait will catch just a many fish.

I allways carry offset side cutters and cut as much hook out as possible, and on larger fish remove the hook thur the method above.

Garnet

[Wayne P.]

An easy and effective way for hook removal. I use the Octopus or Mosquito style hooks and highly recommend them for wacky rigging. REMOVE THE BARB. I use Trick and finesse worms wacky style most of the year and catch many hundreds of bass with that presentation. Most are hooked at the base of the throat due to the way the fish takes the bait which is weightless.

Without the hook barb, all I have to do is turn the hook 180 degrees and it pops right out. I use curved jaw hemostats to assist with the removal. The lack of a barb does not result in any lost fish either.

[.dsaavedra.]

that diagram is a real life saver!!!!

it works every time.

the text on that diagram aint so good, but the pictures really help.

how i interpreted that diagram was to notice which side of the mouth the bend of the hook was, and then go in thru that gill, grab the bend of the hook, and twist it so that the eye of the hook is pointing straight back down the fish's throat.

thats what i do and it works every time, and thats what i taught my dad and now he's getting the hang of removing gut hooks (80% of his fish are gut hooked).

[Avalonjohn44]

REMOVE THE BARB.

My pal and I have been experimenting with mashing down barbs this year.  The results have been Great.  I have more fish so far than last year, so losing fish is not a problem.  And gut hooks with a mashed barb come out very easily.  We are not clipping the barb, but mashing it as flat as possible against the hook.  I would never have believed that I would land as many fish as I have.

[Wayne P.]

When the barb is mashed down on a quality hook, it will break off most of the time and if it doesn't, just maintain pressue with the pliers and rotate the hook a little and it will be gone. A Gammy Octopus or Owner Mosquito hook are my choices.

[flechero]

I have been using octopus hooks for wacky rigging senkos.

Why not use the same hook in a circle design, they work fine for wacky rigging and you won't gut hook them anymore. Seems like a safer and better method than learning how to (semi-successfully) remove the gut hook.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp;jsessionid=B5BBJXQOO0FMBLAQBBLCCONMCAEFAIWE?id=0046150313207a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0310507&cm_ite=0046150313207a&_requestid=29659

[Bassnajr]

I am going to buy some of these circle hooks right now as I head out to battle "The Bait Monkey". I am also going to "mash down" the barbs on the hooks I still have. That's why I ask. The folks here never disapoint when it comes to giving great help and information.

Thanks,

Alan (bassnajr)

[Wayne P.]

If you use circle hooks, let us know your hookup ratio of hits to catches. Of all the hook types available, that is the least desirable type of hook I would use for artificial lures.

[flechero]

Just remember that a traditional hookset doesn't work with circles.  You need to just reel in until tight and then give a little pull, nothing sharp.  Most of the time, the fish sets itself.

[Sam]

You are letting them run too long.

Once your line starts to move, count 1,000 and 2,000 and maybe 3,000 and set the hook over your head, hard and fast.

[Bassnajr]

I didn't say this before and should have ...I am watching the line, I am paying attention...when the line as much as twitches, I set the hook, a lot of times on thin air.  I feel the hook I am/was using may be too small or the wrong kind, that's why I posted.

I bought some Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp "Circle Sea" hooks in 2/0 size. They seem a lot like the octopus hooks, but I will give them a try....AND pay bettter attention. Thanks all,

ajr

[Megastink]

Its not the hook, its the angler (no offense). You have to pay attention to your line/lure when its in the water. Set the hook immediately on a strike.

They are swallowing it because they have too much time between them inhaling it and you setting the hook. Ive been down this road before. You have to keep a little tention on the line and try your absolute hardest to set the hook quickly!

-TIGHT LINES!

[Hookemdown.]

I also use circle hooks.  I fish a senko so slow it's almost like catfishing.

[Fishingelbow]

With a TRUE circle hook (no offset), you don't even have to pay attention.

I use them for wacky rigging senklones and turn my granddaughters loose with them. When they eventually notice that their line is moving off, they just crank away and get a fish. Never gut hooked, 90% bite/catch ratio too. Of course, it's really boring, but if it'll save you from the skunk...

Bassnajr, I hope you got the L702 rather than the L787; the latter has an offset than CAN catch in the stomach.

[Megastink]

I fish them in the "falling" technique:

let them sink to the bottom, give them three solid pops, let it sink again.....i dont pause for that long, just until they hit the bottom.