Tried this rig on the river with disturbing results chasing smallies. Rig was a big bite cane stick with an o ring around the center and a fireball jig head which has a real short shank. Originally missed a couple of hits, one grabbed it good and almost pulled the bait out of the o ring and then I got very lucky.

I managed to land a 19" Smallie that was hooked just behind the eye, and luckily I was able to get the hook out easily, tissue pulled away a bit and snapped back with a little bit of blood, but watching the go pro footage the eye was undamaged. I know a bit sentimental about a fish, but I have been catching this old girl off and on for 7 years.

I switched rigs and won't use it on the river ever again, but wonder if others have similar issues with this rig. I am pretty sure smallies always go for what they perceive to be the head, do largemouth do the same? If so how do you keep from foul hooking bass?

I've never had any issues with foul hooking fish on a wacky jig. Try waiting a bit after you feel the bite to set the hook, so the bass can eat the whole worm. Usually if they just eat one end of the worm, they are dinks anyway.

No. Do I feel bad about about hurting a fish? Sometimes. Does it stop me from using an effective technique? NO!!! If that were the case I'd never use a lure with treble hooks again. Ever caught a fish on a treble hook lure only to get the treble out of its mouth and have another one hook it in the body or fins?

No. Do I feel bad about about hurting a fish? Sometimes. Does it stop me from using an effective technique? NO!!! If that were the case I'd never use a lure with treble hooks again. Ever caught a fish on a treble hook lure only to get the treble out of its mouth and have another one hook it in the body or fins?

Sorry, wasn't going strictly on ethical reasons here, just the fact that I couldn't get a clean hookup or take with the rig. Also fishing in current, so waiting is not really an option due to line drag in current and hook set issues.

Just more of a question do smallies hit a bait different then largemouth. If that is the case I have plenty of soft baits and Crankbaits to catch river smallies on and give this a shot on the lake chasing largemouth.

Also could the short shank hook have been an issue?

Sorry, wasn't going strictly on ethical reasons here, just the fact that I couldn't get a clean hookup or take with the rig. Also fishing in current, so waiting is not really an option due to line drag in current and hook set issues.

Just more of a question do smallies hit a bait different then largemouth. If that is the case I have plenty of soft baits and Crankbaits to catch river smallies on and give this a shot on the lake chasing largemouth.

Also could the short shank hook have been an issue?

The current might have drifted the bait into the fish and there is your foul hook. I don't know if hook type would prevent that. I don't really fish for large mouth so I don't know if the rig is different between them.

I use an O-ring on a 3.5" centipede bait with a size 2 octopus hook when going after smallmouth. If I use a stick worm I'll Texas rig a 5" model or do a wacky jig or flick-shake rig with a 4" model and it is for the same reason you found, hooking the fish outside the body. In the rivers I fish, if you get your soft plastic near a smallmouth and it isn't feeding or doesn't want to eat, the fish will hit the bait with a closed mouth or with its tail and it often results in a foul hook. By using a smaller bait they will sometimes suck the entire bait in and the Texas rig they will end up not getting hooked, and you can easily figure out when they are hitting like that. What you get it hard hits but you can seem to hook the fish, if that happens 2 or 3 times, move on, the fish isn't eating or even getting the bait in its mouth, it is just smacking it with its head or tail.

i am not sure why you are blaming the bait when the probability of you being the issue is just as high.  Maybe it was as subtle take and you set the hook late and as the bass was spitting it out you managed to foul hook them

     Small mouth are known to use their head to dismember prey, it hasnt happen to me, and even if it did that wouldnt stop me from using a bait that was producing fish.

Havnt messed with the flick shake in a few years...gonna have to break it back out!

i am not sure why you are blaming the bait when the probability of you being the issue is just as high. Maybe it was as subtle take and you set the hook late and as the bass was spitting it out you managed to foul hook them

Anything is possible, but couldn't have been much quicker on the set, as I have to reel constantly to keep slack out of the line and the line from dragging the bait funky through the current. They were just hitting the bait funky with the one fish almost pulling the bait out of the o ring.

I could get with the fish stunning the bait by head butting it, could look like a craw and that is there main diet, the craws are all over the river.

All I was getting was tail grab like hits other than the fish hooked outside the mouth. If I give it another shot I will either trim down the bait or use a smaller stick bait. Who knows this may not be a good moderate heavy current rig and I am trying to put a round peg in a square hole.

After getting tail hits on a tube tonight, going to switch to 3" grubs and Crankbaits for a while till they snap out of this mood. May give the flick shake rig a try again when the short strikes stop and see how they hook up. Water is around 62 so that may have something to do with it too.