I switched to stright shanks for most everything last season and it was remarkable how easy it was to make hooksets with thicker/tougher plastics (Rage Menace) with a light and soft rod (Light/ModFast BFS). 

 

I still use offset round bends and Owner Twistlocks for some things, mosty lures that get ripped through grass or for small swimbaits like Fat Impacts.  

 

The only thing I still really use EWGs for is flukes.  I like the VMC long shank ones as it puts the weight of the hook near the middle of the lure so it falls mkre horizontally.  I do use stright shanks on them as well and the hookups are better though. 

Anglers have their preferences for various reasons . For you newer anglers before rigging your bait hold it up next  to the hook and see how it matches . Straight shanks and regular offsets are not designed to be tex-posed or skin hooked  .You will end up with a kink in the lure and risk excessive line twist. Bury that point in the meat of the bait .   EWG's are designed for Tex-posing  and skin-hooking .  

9 hours ago, FishDewd said:

I said round bends not straight shanks... I was talking about offset worm hooks.

 

Ya don't texpose these either ?

28 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Ya don't texpose these either ?

Indeed not, I learned that one the hard way already lol. I don't use those very often cause waters here nearly always require a hidden point.

30 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Ya don't texpose these either ?

 

It took me embarrassingly long time to accept that.  I was 100% sure that I would never get a hookset with the point buried in the middle of a worm.  I also wondered why my worms kept ripping at the nose......

 

I still look at a worm rigged on an offset or straight shank and think "this is never going to work". but it most always does.  

30 minutes ago, FishDewd said:

Indeed not, I learned that one the hard way already lol. I don't use those very often cause waters here nearly always require a hidden point.

Those hooks are designed to be buried in the lure .

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

Those hooks are designed to be buried in the lure .

Ah, well I have a hard enough setting them when they are texposed... don't think I'll be trying that one. I just use those exposed if I think I can get away with it, like in an area I know I won't get snagged.

If ya can't set hook hard enough to drive a hook point through soft plastic ya may wanna consider taking up knitting!

It's not that I can't, it's a timing issue. Since bass usually take that kind of lure on the fall, by the time I've reeled in and set it, they're already gone. Plus, I'd be afraid of gut hooking one with that kind of round bend embedded rig. Tex-posing doesn't require much of a hook set when done properly. The strike from the fish should help to pop the hook tip out of the lure so you can lift the pole and set it in a controlled fashion. I will never use a power set on what I believe to be a small fish, that's just mean and unnecessary. I come from a background of catfishing.. With catfish, they just tend to inhale it, unlike bass which can take it so lightly I may not even notice until they spit it. So maybe that's the reason I don't use hard hook sets. But trust me... I can. I just prefer not to. Hence why I like drop shots, it's very gentle on the fish. I just have a lot of respect for nature and life and do not personally believe in ripping a hole in a fishes mouth just to catch it.

8 hours ago, FishDewd said:

It's not that I can't, it's a timing issue. Since bass usually take that kind of lure on the fall, by the time I've reeled in and set it, they're already gone

 

That operator error not hook design 

 

8 hours ago, FishDewd said:

The strike from the fish should help to pop the hook tip out of the lure so you can lift the pole and set it in a controlled fashion

The strike from the fish does nothing to expose the hook point! The hook point is exposed when you apply pressure.

 

8 hours ago, FishDewd said:

. I will never use a power set on what I believe to be a small fish, that's just mean and unnecessary

The lightest most subtle bite will usually be fro the biggest bass. Tighteyes have to aggressively attack the lure, big momma can vacuum it in front a foot away.

 

8 hours ago, FishDewd said:

it's very gentle on the fish. I just have a lot of respect for nature and life and do not personally believe in ripping a hole in a fishes mouth just to catch it.

With big bass (6-8#) in heavy cover ya wanna turn her head, get her coming up in one motion on the hook set!

 

Or you can let her have control, wrap you up, break you off, & leave her with a hook in her jaw.

9 hours ago, FishDewd said:

It's not that I can't, it's a timing issue. Since bass usually take that kind of lure on the fall, by the time I've reeled in and set it, they're already gone. Plus, I'd be afraid of gut hooking one with that kind of round bend embedded rig. Tex-posing doesn't require much of a hook set when done properly. The strike from the fish should help to pop the hook tip out of the lure so you can lift the pole and set it in a controlled fashion. I will never use a power set on what I believe to be a small fish, that's just mean and unnecessary. I come from a background of catfishing.. With catfish, they just tend to inhale it, unlike bass which can take it so lightly I may not even notice until they spit it. So maybe that's the reason I don't use hard hook sets. But trust me... I can. I just prefer not to. Hence why I like drop shots, it's very gentle on the fish. I just have a lot of respect for nature and life and do not personally believe in ripping a hole in a fishes mouth just to catch it.

 I think your being slightly stubborn  . This texas rig thing has pretty much been proven and perfected . 

Yea, I fish trickworms rigged on a 3/0 offset or round bend hook with a Light/Mod-ishFast casting rod spooled with 6-8lb stretchy floro.  I only tend to miss hooksets when my mind is wandering and I neglect to get all the slack out before I set.  

 

When I want/need to make a long cast or keep my line more slack then ususal, I take the hook point and skin hook it into the side of the worm.  This still keeps it mostly weedless but takes almost no force to pop it free. 

 

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

The strike from the fish does nothing to expose the hook point! The hook point is exposed when you apply pressure.

I can squeeze a bait and the point starts to poke through so I assumed that was a fair assumption to make. Doesn't take much to make it come through.

 

2 hours ago, Catt said:

With big bass (6-8#) in heavy cover ya wanna turn her head, get her coming up in one motion on the hook set!

 

Or you can let her have control, wrap you up, break you off, & leave her with a hook in her jaw.

Fair enough, but we don't have bass that large here, at least not where I fish from banks. I'm lucky to find one that's a pound. 

11 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

When I want/need to make a long cast or keep my line more slack then ususal, I take the hook point and skin hook it into the side of the worm.

I do that to .

 

When fishing an area where snags are unlikely ,I just run the hook all the way through and leave it .