Ran into a guy at Dicks ( who may have been an undercover salesman) raving about Keitech Swing Impact swim baits.  Of course after hearing about all of the fish that he has caught, I just had to buy some in 4.5" Ayu.  I have had very little luck with paddle tail swimbaits for the smallies that I fish in the river but I have not really given them that much of a chance either.  One of the reasons I have not had much luck or have little confidence in them is the lack of hook ups.  What are some of the better swim bait hooks that you all use?

Depending on the swimbait, I will use 4-5-6 size owner,gama ewg hooks. If I want the bait a little deeper, go with a weighted swimbait hook.

I use different brands. The keitechs are money, at least they are here in Fl. and AL.

Not sure how your rigging them now but if your able to put them on a jig head and fish them with a open hook. I don't want to say my hook up ratio is perfect but it's in the 90% range.

I also thought that would work better especially in the river. There is very little cover to go through where I fish.   I am guessing the only reason you would Texpose this bait would be to go through cover.  Maybe a jig hook would be the way to go?

7 minutes ago, Smallieseeker said:

Not sure how your rigging them now but if your able to put them on a jig head and fish them with a open hook. I don't want to say my hook up ratio is perfect but it's in the 90% range.

 

Ya if you can get away with the open hook. I fish most of my swimbaits this way. The main cover I'm fishing is rip rap with minimum vegetation.

I use a Owner Beast Hook 5/0 or 4.5" swimbaits with the hook point hidden in the hook slot. The wide gap allows the bait to compress easily, and the hookup ratio is great. The hooks are expensive but worth it

I like fishing the regular Swing Impacts on a jighead.  If I'm fishing cover or feel the need to use a weighted swimbait hook I will move up to a larger bait or at least an Impact Fat.

I use both VMC and Gami swimabit hooks. I prefer the length and design of the VMC swimnbait hook, but Gami still has the better hook point. 

Swing Impact Fats (4.5-4.8") use a 4/0 Eagle Claw Lazer swim bait hook.  1/8-1/4oz depending on depth, cover, temperature.

With the Kitech's if you can, as others have said, fish them on a jig head. If not, a good small weighted swimbait hook should do the trick. I haven't had much of an issue with hookup percentage on any swimbaits I throw as long as I choose an adequate hook. 

5/0 Owner with the centering pin

 

Mike 

I have been following the comments on this thread because I fish a lot of swim baits and want to see what others are recommending wondering if anyone would mention the Mister Twister Keeper hook series. I have tried a lot of different hooks too. But one I keep coming back to that flat out works for me is this one:

 

 

I know, it is called a worm hook, but for rigging weedless swim baits this one works well for me. I like how the point is angled out of the bait and upwards rather than straight forward. When I go to set the hook I am driving the point out of the rubber bait, not deeper in to the rubber as the hook below shows. I avoid hooks with this shape which are also made by Mister Twister, a hook with the point facing the eyelet parallel to the bait:

 

Owner beast hooks , either weighted or un-weighted , best hooks for paddletail plastics and buzz frogs period .....

try the 4/0 hook size .

if going with a jig head , try some Revenge headz ...