one of my preferred baits in summer is the shakyhead with a trick worm.

this year I switched designs.

prior to this year I always used the strike king tour grade shakyhead. it worked well, but the worm did not last long, with just the barb to hold it.

I switched to the Owner  screwlock shakyhead this summer to hold the bait better. it has also worked well, but I have had 4 large fish on and then spit

the bait without the hook ever penetrating through the worm.  (A large fish in my books is over 4 pounds)

this never happened with the non screwlock design. I use the same rod and line and always use a long sweeping hookset.

I don't see a difference in design that would cause this.

Thinking about switching back to the strike king design.

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep - ditch the screwlocks...personally, I never use them. YMMV

That’s funny. The rig looks pretty much identical. I would switch back to the hook you were having luck with. Once the bait is torn, bite off about a half inch of the head and re-rig it. Shouldn’t make any difference. Unfortunately, this is the price you have to pay to fish soft plastics. 

its funny, never had a problem with 1-2 lb fish, its just the big girls.

it seems to me the jighead is not going past the teeth during the hookset. 

when the fish surfaces near the boat it opens its mouth and the bait goes flying.

 

whatever is happening, I am going back to the Strike King design.

 

I started using the strike kings a couple years ago after watching Shaw Grigsby explain why he used them.

don't remember the exact words, but it went something like this:

"You Don't need screwlocks on shakyheads.  The fish don't care about that balled up plastic behind the head, this bait flat out catches fish"

I pour my own with the screwlock. The 7.5 I caught in January on a shakyhead was on a screwlock shakyhead, followed by a 6.75 an hour later. Hooking them hasn't been an issue for me, keeping up with them can be though.

26 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I pour my own with the screwlock. The 7.5 I caught in January on a shakyhead was on a screwlock shakyhead, followed by a 6.75 an hour later. Hooking them hasn't been an issue for me, keeping up with them can be though.

I have caught 2 over 5 on the owner, but I have probably lost 4 that size. not sure what the issue is. very seldom ever lost a fish on the non screwlocks.

I here you on the keeping up.

I was dragging a shakyhead across the flat east of the swimming area, today at Shawnee. A 3lb smallmouth picked it up and ran right at me. Cranked as fast as I could to catch him. Tomorrow the speed demon arrives. Getting anxious.

 

one of the 5+lb bass I lost on the owner, was today on the same point I caught the 3lb smallmouth.

felt like a solid hookset. got her next to the boat. when she opened her mouth the bait went flying. hookpoint was still inside the trickworm.

Edited September 18, 20187 yr by Russ E
include what I actually intended to post

What line are you using? 

10lb power pro braid with 6ft. of 10lb high seas grand slam leader.

only use the leader at Shawnee , Wyandotte, and Olathe. 

use straight power pro at La Cygne.

I have lost a couple with and without the leader.

I was running braid to a leader but had too many break offs on hooksets and then the problems with feeling fish when the wind was blowing. I've been running straight 8lb Hi Seas Grand Slam since last fall and have had really good luck with it. 

I use Spotsticker Pro Series with the screwlock.  Very few baitkeeper problems.  I use a 5 inch Pro Senko which is very small diameter bait.  I want the stretch of mono.  Braid IMHO will yank the bait straight out of their mouth because of the lack of stretch.