So just wondering what size of hooks you guys use depending on the bait size.

 

Example:   5 inch senko: 3-5/O (for me depending on the conditions)

 

Note: Consider variables like appendages too. 

 

Generally I go with a 2/0 - 5/0 for most baits. I go a little smaller for stuff like drop shots, and a little bigger for stuff like swimbaits. I generally like 2/0 - 4/0 straight shanks for worms, the exception being 3/0 - 4/0 EWG's for senko style baits. I'll also use 3/0 - 4/0 EWG for baits like lizards, beavers, anything on the thicker size basically. I usually don't consider appendages, I usually base my hook choice off the main body of the bait and how much hook I need to get a good gap out of the bait when I set the hook. Sometimes if the bait allows it I'll also go up or down one hook size to vary the fall rate when I'm rigging weightless. 

The size I use the most is 4/0.

It really depends on the bait. I use a 1/0 EWG for real Senkos. Gary says it was designed for a 2/0, but I like the flutter more on the smaller size. For a non-salt core stick bait it's a 5/0.

 

I normally won't go higher than a 3/0 on a worm unless it is over 12". Bass head shot most things, so a massive hook isn't really getting you anywhere except making the bait stiffer.

 

There are no industry standards for hook size, and the same hook size may vary between manufacturers,

and may furthermore vary between different hook styles produced by the same manufacturer.

To accurately determine the correct hook size, you must have the bait and the hook in your hands,

then toss hook size out of the equation until you've decided on the appropriate size.

 

A common rule of thumb is to select a hook gap that's twice as wide as the thickness of the bait.

Although this is better than nothing, this approach allows the thickness of the bait

determine the open hook bite (not too cool!). In contrast, let's say that you want

1/2" open gap beyond the thickness of the bait. In this manner, the open hook bite

would always be 1/2-inch whether you're fishing a Trick Worm or a Big EZ Swimbait.

 

Roger

 

52 minutes ago, Mosster47 said:

It really depends on the bait. I use a 1/0 EWG for real Senkos. Gary says it was designed for a 2/0, but I like the flutter more on the smaller size. For a non-salt core stick bait it's a 5/0.

 

I normally won't go higher than a 3/0 on a worm unless it is over 12". Bass head shot most things, so a massive hook isn't really getting you anywhere except making the bait stiffer.

 

Straight from Gary (I'd post a link to the article but it is blocked here):

 

Weighted Flipping/Pitching - I flip and pitch a weighted Senko with 20 lb. Sugoi line around shallow shoreline cover, especially into brush or timber. Texas-rigged on a 4/0 to 5/0 straight-shank hook, with a screw-in sinker between 1/4 and 5/8-ounce, I overcast the target cover and allow the weighted bait to "swim" down toward the base of the brush, then employ the same swimming-and-gliding presentation if I didn't get bit on the initial drop says Gary. However, good cover such as this can be the obvious places for everyone to try, and can receive a lot of pressure from anglers who work flooded brush or trees from the "outside" as just described. However even with a lot of angling pressure, there can be bass tucked deep under the limbs near the base of a brush or tree are often unfished. Most anglers, their baits get hung up too high in the limbs to be effective or pendulum-fall too far out away from the base of the stem, says Gary. They will take some fish off the outside of the cover this way, but bass tucked under the limbs tight near the main trunk stem, these fish often won't come out to the edges. Envision it just like you'd tuck yourself under an umbrella during a downpour. You won't poke your head out from under the umbrella cover, and neither do these bass. So the weightless Senko becomes ineffective in this situation. A weightless Senko would not get down below the limbs but hang up too high in the brush to get a bite.

So I ease the bow of the boat directly up to or over each bush, taking care not to hit the brush with the trolling motor. Then I drop the Senko over the side, work it through the center of the brush or tree until it hit bottom, shake it a little bit and they grab it.

As hard as it can be to get the bait down through the brush, it is even harder to get the bass out. That's where the 20 lb Sugoi made the difference with its abrasion resistance. Also for flipping like this, the straight shank hook (without the offset bend in it) makes a difference as it slips through dense cover better.

Lightweight Screw-in Rig - I also use a lightly-weighted Senko. A lot. On breaklines, points, steep bluff walls, main channel bends, anywhere out away from shoreline cover, especially in mid-depths of 10 to 20 feet. I like to use either a 3/16 or 1/4-ounce screw-in sinker with a 4/0 or 5/0 straight shank wide gap hook, says Gary. I usually don't pitch it too far from the boat. I want it to fall onto prime structure I've located on the electronics. The screw-in weight causes the Senko to spiral as it falls. They say this spiral represents an injured or dying baitfish. But if you look at perfectly healthy baitfish, you see they too often swim in spirals, and the light screw-in sinker lets the Senko imitate this lively baitfish action. Once it settles on the bottom, just start shaking the rod tip, which will cause the Senko to jump one to two feet above the bottom. When you stop shaking, the Senko simply glides back down in a semi-circle. They strike it. By using a 3/16 to 1/4 oz. screw-in sinker to fish Senkos down to 20 feet deep, this is how I finished 13th at the Bassmaster Megabucks on Douglas Lake (Sevierville, TN) in May, 2001, thereby qualifying for the 2001 Bassmaster Classic. Weighted Senkos work says Gary.