My thoughts on hook sets and pegged unpegged weights

[mrbassky]

Everyone knows you hook more fish with an unpegged sinker but do you guys know why? The reason is that when a fish eats you pegged bait he gets the weight in his mouth as well. So how does that matter you ask? Well when you set the hook the sinker hits the fishes mouth. Grasp a texas rig in you hands with the line between your fingers and pull the line (not hard) the first thing you fell is the sinker hitting your fingers. This forces the bass mouth open most times which causes the hook to skin hook the bass and not penetrate as deep. This is especially true on smaller bass and with bigger weights. When you use a unpegged sinker or crig or unweighted worm the sinker will not be inside the mouth to force it open on hookset and the worm will flex and the hook will penetrate properly. New flipping rigs have the weights below the hook for this reason. The weight is atached to the bend in the hook so the rig looks upside down. This way even with the weight in the mouth it wont contact the inside of the fishes mouth when you set the hook. A smaller diameter sinker would also force the fishes mouth open less which is why tungsten weights can increase your hookup percentage. You always hear people say you catch more fish with a lighter sinker this part of the reason. And keep in mind a hard hook set will the force the mouth open even more. When I fish around cover that isnt too heavy but I want to peg the weight I put a small bobber stop 10inches infront of the sinker. This allows me to get the best of both worlds the sinker cant slide to far down the line and sinker will not be eaten by the bass as often. This is why the force of your hook set, the size of fish, and the makeup of your rig can play a role in how well you hook fish. Just a little information I tend to think about when I decide to rig up and when I set the hook.

[J Francho]

I guess you don't use jigs then... :

[SoFl-native]

Everyone knows you hook more fish with an unpegged sinker but do you guys know why? The reason is that when a fish eats you pegged bait he gets the weight in his mouth as well. So how does that matter you ask? Well when you set the hook the sinker hits the fishes mouth. Grasp a texas rig in you hands with the line between your fingers and pull the line (not hard) the first thing you fell is the sinker hitting your fingers. This forces the bass mouth open most times which causes the hook to skin hook the bass and not penetrate as deep. This is especially true on smaller bass and with bigger weights. When you use a unpegged sinker or crig or unweighted worm the sinker will not be inside the mouth to force it open on hookset and the worm will flex and the hook will penetrate properly. New flipping rigs have the weights below the hook for this reason. The weight is atached to the bend in the hook so the rig looks upside down. This way even with the weight in the mouth it wont contact the inside of the fishes mouth when you set the hook. A smaller diameter sinker would also force the fishes mouth open less which is why tungsten weights can increase your hookup percentage. You always hear people say you catch more fish with a lighter sinker this part of the reason. And keep in mind a hard hook set will the force the mouth open even more. When I fish around cover that isnt too heavy but I want to peg the weight I put a small bobber stop 10inches infront of the sinker. This allows me to get the best of both worlds the sinker cant slide to far down the line and sinker will not be eaten by the bass as often. This is why the force of your hook set, the size of fish, and the makeup of your rig can play a role in how well you hook fish. Just a little information I tend to think about when I decide to rig up and when I set the hook.

interesting. I dont know how much a bullet sinker is going to force open a fishes mouth. I mean it is tapered obviously, and comes to a point....regardless the bite of the hook is far wider than the bullet weight.

Props on putting that much thought into it though. What ever helps your hookup percentage, you should definitely do!!! Good stuff.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I never peg, but it has nothing to do with the hook set.

I'm not convinced it makes a bit of difference.

8-)

[mrbassky]

I guess you don't use jigs then... :

Big difference. Whats the distance from the eye of a jig to the bend of a hook on a texas rig? Its shorter. And what do you think has a better hooking % a jig or unweighted worm. Like I said it matters more on larger weights like 1oz punching rigs and with small bass than larger fish. With big fish their mouth is so big it wont matter. But I recently read in FLW where a pro said he doesnt use a snap set with 1oz punch rigs because it forces the mouth to open some and you miss alot of smaller keeper size fish, JT Kenney to be exact but what does he know. So I am not the only one who thinks this. Just my in depth theory on some old sayings.

[J Francho]

You must be using tiny finesse jigs.  It's virtually the same gap.  It makes ZERO difference, unless you're using the wrong hook.  makes no difference to me, though since I only ever peg when flipping pads.

[Catt]

The exact reason you missed a bass on hook set is impossible to determine unless you're the bass.  

The last time I can remember pegging a bullet weight was in 1996 & I have no intentions of pegging one any time soon.

[Trevor in Burke]

8-)

[Trevor in Burke]

[BassinBoy]

I understand where your coming from but we all have our points we want to prove.  I think that a pegged sinker gives you a way better connection from your rod to the bait and then to the fish because the line becomes more taught and quicker when you set the hook.  But in the end you shouldnt change your technique of pegging your weight or letting it slide just because of a theory about hook setting.  Interesting topic

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

I mean how the hell do you guys fish THICK almost unpenetrational cover without a pegged weight. It can't be done I don't care what your argument is. The pegged weight pulls the bait behind it, if it wasn't pegged it would get snagged in the cover and not go with the weight all the way down.

x1000  The one that gets me is when fishing through brush and the weight falls on one side of stick as your coming over and want to let the bait sink again.

Ever try to skip an unpegged bait.A joke.

I understand the differences in peg vs. un and the reasons why I would want either one but I don't really think it has anything to do with hooksets though.

[J Francho]

I mean how the hell do you guys fish THICK almost unpenetrational cover without a pegged weight.

With a jig.  8-)

[Danny1991]

I only peg my weights when throwing around HEAVY cover or pitching/skipping under docks. But I haven't really noticed much difference in hook up's between pegged and un-pegged.

[Cravin]

I peg , I always have. I don't think that I've ever put any thought into it till now though. I read roadwarriors post and agreed with it, Then I read Bassin Fanatics post and agreed with it! i don't like the weight flopping and slidding around I guess but I'll have to also respectfully disagree on the effects of hookset.

[flechero]

Everyone knows you hook more fish with an unpegged sinker

not everyone...

If you could scientifically separate a reasonable sample of bites with each scenario, you might be able to draw a conclusion...  

The biggest problem with your train of thought is that your position requires that the hook gap be less than the diameter of the weight and  that the hookset be in a straight line at jaw level which can't happen.

I would still counter that your argument, even if it were true, does not account for the fact that in cover you will get more bites with the pegged sinker.  (since you spend less time hung and do not disturb fish in the area)  not to mention that you have a straight line connection with a pegged weight... with unpegged, the fish can take the bait off in any direction and the weight's position could create slack on the hookset.  

Oh, and any argument on hooking should consider hook design and the relative position of hook point to eye.  It does matter.  

[32251]

Bill Murphy addressess this weight thing in his book.  He uses the split shot rig. When the fish picks up the worm it computes to being more natural and he will hold on to it.

Also he does not like the way the worm looks on the bottom Texas rigged or pegged.

Carolina rig is a good compromise. The weight is well in front of the worm. Worm is  weightless.

[Catt]

Y'all ever actually watch a Texas Rig fall to the bottom?

How far back is the worm from the weight? 5 foot? 10 foot?

When Flipping or Pitching thick cover how deep are you normally fishing?

When your bullet weight is on one side of a branch & your worm is on the other y'all ever rock it back-n-forth until the worm flips over the branch only to have a hawg smack it?

As for the bullet weight forcing the bass mouth open how do you know for sure unless you are the bass or you are underwater watching? You don't, it could happen or it could be you were a tad slow on the hook set or the bass tasted you on the plastic or determined you offerings were not real; you see where this is going?

[Muddy]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

[Bassin_Fin@tic]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

[Pitchinkid]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

Sure you can with jighead designs today. Havent you ever used a worm as a trailer on a jig? slim profile. Maybe only use a 40 count skirt or less? anywhere you can fish a worm/tube /craw, i can fish a jig

[Catt]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

Huh and to think I have been doing it for 30+ years

[Sam]

I peg when fishing cover/structure and grass.

I have not had any problems.

In my humble opinion, I would think that a sharp hook is more important in a hook set then the sinker.

But good philosophical discussion on the topic.

Happy Thanksgiving.  

[roadwarrior]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

Huh and to think I have been doing it for 30+ years

Wow Catt!

And to think you've been doing it wrong all these years...

Come to think of it, I might have done that a time or two myself.

:

[Muddy]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

i don't know about that one, I have only been jigging for a season, but I really can put them in places other biats can not get near, including tight spaces

[Catt]

Yea FISH A JIG ;D

Another disagree,sorry. You can't quite put a jig,any jig,into the places where you can put a slender low profile craw worm,tube,creature.

Huh and to think I have been doing it for 30+ years

Wow Catt!

And to think you've been doing it wrong all these years...

Come to think of it, I might have done that a time or two myself.

:

See that opening beyond the lily pads in the buck brush kinda to the left & behind the flowers?

I can put a jig or un-pegged Texas Rigged Lizard in there!

Still aint had no one answer my questions