smalljaw67

Which Owner hook are you bending out? If you are bending out the 5317 there is a heavier hook. I know Owner says that is a 3X hook and under normal circumstances it would be enough but I know of a strong 2X strong hook. Just like rods there is no industry standard when it comes to hooks so you have to look at the wire diameter as well as the type of wire. The 5317 isn't Zo-wire so it has a standard wire diameter which is .064" according to Barlow's and that is for the 5/0. Mustad came out with one late last year, the 32824 which has a wire diameter of .070" for the same 5/0 size or go to a 6/0 and it goes up to .083", that is a beast of a hook. I think modifying your mold to take that hook would be easier and less expensive than trying to make a mold or have one made that takes a large Siwash style hook.

I use both 2/0 and 3/0. The funny thing with that hook is there isn't a big difference between the 2/0 and 3/0 size.

It could be 3/16oz but even if it isn't that is a close guess if it is 1/4oz. As I said, just from that picture it really looks like a poison tail head with a 3/0 round bend hook. The head color looks like green pumpkin with dark olive and chartreuse craft fur both of which I have as well as the mold and the hooks. The hardest part is there could be a good chance I'm wrong and with something like that it could be wrong in a way that it doesn't perform the same way.

That looks like a poison tail head, if it is then it is more likely 1/4oz as you said it was 3/16oz. The hook looks to be a round bend and not a light wire hook either. So if it is a poison tail with a round bend hook, it is a 1/4oz and I'm going to guess it is a 3/0 Mustad 32886 or EC 3886, or Gamakatsu 345. I could actually make that jig almost exact but I won't do it without knowing specifics because too much of a difference might render that useless to your friend. It is hard to know just from that picture so there are several things you can do. Ask your friend if he knows any specifics about that jig at all, if it is his favorite he should know at least the hook and head size. If he doesn't know that then find out where he got it from, if it is or was a mass produced product it should be easy to find.

It depends on the situation. The Lil Nasty is what I like to use for lighter heads, 1/16oz to 1/8oz, fished on a medium or medium light power spinning rod with 6lb to 8lb line. For general use with 8lb to 12lb line on medium power spinning or casting I like the Owner 5313, 1X strong and wicked sharp, one of the best 90 degree jig hooks there is.

What size is it? What size hook is it? Other than that it should not be hard to make, it looks like craft fur in either brown or dark olive with some chartreuse.

Allen, they are used for replacing treble hooks on trolling lures and spinners. They are mainly used for salmon, lake trout and things of that nature. They ended up on the bass scene when anglers started putting trailer hooks on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, the large eye on them made it easy to slip over the main hook. Now Siwash hooks come in many specialized models but I never saw one that was bent at 30 or 60 degrees. The one the SK uses is a custom hook that you can't buy as it is made specifically for SK. What makes theirs different is the eye is turned, so if you wanted to make a jig like that just modify a mold to use a heavy duty straight shank hook. The only other options are to make a mold out of the SK jig with a similar hook or have a mold made which is going to cost you. To be honest I think the reason they went with a Siwash hook was because it was cheaper to have the Siwash hook that was already made to be slightly modified rather than have a 30 degree swim jig hook made with extra heavy wire. Perhaps there is more to it but the only advantage I see to that hook is the straight shank and heavy wire, nothing else really special about a that style of hook. VMC currently makes a 3/0 and 4/0 heavy wire 30 degree hook which is the only heavy model with a round bend that I know about.

Here is how I do it.

I have a lot of square bills and each seems to have their time and place. My favorites are the Mann's Baby X, which are the same as a 1 minus only they have a square bill and dive to 2' -2.5' depending on line size. I really like it because the lip isn't as wide as others and the corners aren't rounded off, they are sharp. The lip resembles more of a rectangle than a square and it causes it to deflect wildly. The slightly bigger square bills I really like the Xcalibur/Booyah XCS 200, they are consistent from bait to bait. What makes these one of my favorites is that I can reel them in at a fast pace and it will cause them to deflect hard but they never seem to blow out. That wide deflection combined with the size consistently draws strikes from larger than average fish.

Barlow's no longer sells fine cut silicone and they only had it in a few basic colors.

I absolutely love that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is 1/16oz, it is designed for light tackle not for 30# braid and a heavy powered rod.

Very nice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The issue with the fluke in colder water is depth control. Make a cast with the jerkbait and give it a few rips and it is at depth and then stop it and it stays there. The fluke is cast and then you have to let it sink to depth, give it a few rips and it is too high in the water column. Russ E also mentioned the other part, the treble hooks, and that is a big part. A lot of those jerkbait bites are just fish swiping at the bait, you won't hook them with a fluke very often. When fish are more active the fluke works well but there is a reason more will use a jerkbait in colder water instead of the fluke.

The reason you hear about throwing square bills in the spring is because of fish position during the pre-spawn. Bass will move up shallow and are often feeding aggressively which makes for a good square bill bite. When the water warms in the summer a lot of bass move offshore into deeper haunts so deep diving cranks, drop shots, c-rigs and so on will get more attention. That doesn't mean you can't use them in summer, as others have said, they work all year depending on the climate where you live. I use them a lot in summer but only when conditions make it reasonable to do so. For example, I'm not going to throw one under bright sunny skies with dead calm water, it would be the last bait I'd try. If we have partly cloudy skies with a little breeze and some chop on the water then I will have one tied on for sure.

Shadow Raps sink slow, adding a heavy 1X or 2X strong hook will cause it to sink like a rock. I like Owner ST-36 hooks for replacing jerkbait hooks but they are also light. You may want to try the Gamakatsu TGW nano finesse trebles as they are marketed to be a light hook that is stronger.

Around 1990 or 91 I was introduced to a technique a lot of guys were using for river smallmouth. It was a 4.5" Slug-O rigged on a small 1/8oz ball head jig with a 1/0 hook. That tactic is highly effective so it is no surprise to me that the fluke on a football jig works, congrats!!!

I know that the weight of a jig is just the head weight. I don't even concern myself with actual weight, I just use the given weight of a jig as the profile size. That said, I use MH rod for jigs in the 1/4oz to 3/8oz range, 1/2oz and larger I opt for a heavy power rod. The only exception is for heavy finesse type jigs like light wire football jigs and Eakins type jigs that are 1/2oz. For those types of jigs I'll stay with the MH power rod regardless of the lure ratings.

What a lot of angler don't realize is the 110 was originally designed for spinning gear and 6lb line. If you look back in the archives on Tackle Tour you may be able to find that info, they did an interview with Yuki Ito who designed that lure. I use a medium power casting rod with 10lb line for most of my jerkbaits and when I hook up I take my time and I don't have issues with bending hooks. As others already mentioned, if you are having issues bending the hooks out then you need a different set up or different tactic. Try using a rod with a softer tip, or use lighter line and loosen the drag and don't cross their eyes on the hook set.

I like the 3.8 and I don't use the Keitech brand baits for trailers. If I'm using a swimbait trailer on a chatterbait or swim jig in that size I like the Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad, they are tougher plastic and will last a lot longer but they still have great action. Keitechs are better when they are the primary lure as the action is there even at super slow speeds. For a trailer the bait doesn't have to have the best action because the lure will help the trailer.

They are on ebay, smells like fish is 100 correct. You have to type it in the search exactly how he has it.

I have more Rapala baits than most others but it would be tough to have to have just one. If Xcalibur was still a brand they would right there, good components and I've had success with all their baits whether it was a lipless crank, square bill, jerkbait, or topwater.

Underrated fish catcher without a doubt!!!!!

This^^^^^!!!! If you are working the bait on slack line and feel you are struggling to catch up to fish when they strike then you need something faster. My guess is you are fine, 28" is pretty good considering I remember fishing them when 5.1:1 gear ratios were considered fast. BTW, on a 100 size casting reel, 28" per turn is probably a 7.1:1 gear ratio.

Something that we do in my area is fish them on a small ball head jig. Rather than swimming it you hop it, let it hit bottom and pop the rod and repeat. The smallmouth will kill it like that when they won't even look at it when fished traditionally.