This is kind of a follow-up to a post I made back in November, the results of which has helped me significantly. So, I am back with another 'situation' to work through.

I have been mostly having good results with the sweeping hookset and trying to keep from having to let fish run so far to get them stuck. 

 

So, yesterday, I was getting bit enough to make me feel like I could get bit on something different if I tried. I decided to try a KVD Swim'n Caffeine Shad with the offset wide gap hook pictured below. It got absolutely HAMMERED as it popped off of a stickup and I instinctively cranked down and swung for the fence. It was a decent fish that took drag a couple of times and was close enough to the boat that I started looking for color and then the line went limp.

 

When I got the bait reeled in, I was expecting to see the hook possibly opened up, which is an issue I have been having with the Cover Shot hooks I've been using on the Keitech Impact Swing baits I have been mostly using on my c-rigs. But when I looked at the bait, I was surprised to see the hook still perfectly in place, and the point was still skin hooked down in the shallow groove. If I had possibly had a half-assed hookset, I could maybe understand that happening, but I busted him pretty hard.

 

The plastic on the Caffeine Shad bait is relatively firm, so maybe I should leave the point exposed in the shallow groove?

 

And I am wondering if being skin hooked possibly prevents the hook from driving forward given the firmness of the plastic?

 

Since I am fishing this in areas that have either a hydrilla like grass or through scattered stickups, I don't want to have the hook totally exposed. So, although it could have been that rare time when the fish just clamped down hard enough to keep any hook from moving and penetrating, I am looking to tap into the collective wisdom of the BR Tribe for suggestions that may help with this particular bait. . . . . 

I would NOT change your rigging, poo-poo happens.

 

I always skin hook. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth when what happened to you happens to me.

Do not use ewg hooks.   Round bend offset hooks work better for me. If using an ewg is required for a particular presentation I’ll find something else to throw.  

Think about a EWG hook that has a large bail hook gap inside a closed clamped tight bass mouth. Where does the wire bail loop go? It cams turns sideways and flattens inside the bass mouth.

Soft plastics that fill a bass mouth are like a gun ball. To move the hook the point must contact tissue after exposing the hook point. This requires a lot of force or a different hook.

Owners Twistlock light hooks allow the front of the plastic to pop off allowing the hook point to penetrate easier. Again reel down tight and hard rod sweep.

Tom

PS, it was a pleasure me meeting you!

Merry Christmas

Are you talking changing it all up for one missed fish?  I’d let it prove itself a pattern before whole sale changes, everyone loses one every now and then, regardless of hook. 
 

For the record, I use EWG 3/0 99% of the time, no issues on hook up ratio when I don’t ham the hook set. 

3 hours ago, NoShoes said:

Are you talking changing it all up for one missed fish?  I’d let it prove itself a pattern before whole sale changes, everyone loses one every now and then, regardless of hook. 
 

For the record, I use EWG 3/0 99% of the time, no issues on hook up ratio when I don’t ham the hook set. 

Your point is well taken, and I don't normally get to worked up about one lost fish. I was just checking to see if there is something obvious I missed that someone more familiar with this bait has already been through. 

6 hours ago, jbrew73 said:

Do not use ewg hooks.   Round bend offset hooks work better for me. If using an ewg is required for a particular presentation I’ll find something else to throw.  

I've been staring at the hook, and and the one part of the design that keeps jumping out at me is the last bend before the barb looks to be a pretty sharp 90° bend. It might be difficult to get that point moving forward with that sharp bend. 

 

It could possibly be easier to get the barb moving forward if I angled the path of the point going through the plastic to begin going toward the front of the bait before it exits through the top.

 

I stopped by the local tackle shop this evening and chatted with a couple of the guys working at the shop. One of them suggested that I put some attractant on the hook before pushing it through the plastic to act as a lubricant and the plastic might be gripping the hook when under pressure. It's something I hadn't thought of before.

3 hours ago, WRB said:

Think about a EWG hook that has a large bail hook gap inside a closed clamped tight bass mouth. Where does the wire bail loop go? It cams turns sideways and flattens inside the bass mouth.

Soft plastics that fill a bass mouth are like a gun ball. To move the hook the point must contact tissue after exposing the hook point. This requires a lot of force or a different hook.

Owners Twistlock light hooks allow the front of the plastic to pop off allowing the hook point to penetrate easier. Again reel down tight and hard rod sweep.

Tom

That thought occurred to me. I picked up some of the Owner Twist-lock Finesse hooks this evening to try out.

3 hours ago, WRB said:

 

PS, it was a pleasure me meeting you!

Merry Christmas

The pleasure was mine as well!

8 hours ago, Big Hands said:

This is kind of a follow-up to a post I made back in November, the results of which has helped me significantly. So, I am back with another 'situation' to work through.

I have been mostly having good results with the sweeping hookset and trying to keep from having to let fish run so far to get them stuck. 

 

So, yesterday, I was getting bit enough to make me feel like I could get bit on something different if I tried. I decided to try a KVD Swim'n Caffeine Shad with the offset wide gap hook pictured below. It got absolutely HAMMERED as it popped off of a stickup and I instinctively cranked down and swung for the fence. It was a decent fish that took drag a couple of times and was close enough to the boat that I started looking for color and then the line went limp.

 

When I got the bait reeled in, I was expecting to see the hook possibly opened up, which is an issue I have been having with the Cover Shot hooks I've been using on the Keitech Impact Swing baits I have been mostly using on my c-rigs. But when I looked at the bait, I was surprised to see the hook still perfectly in place, and the point was still skin hooked down in the shallow groove. If I had possibly had a half-assed hookset, I could maybe understand that happening, but I busted him pretty hard.

 

The plastic on the Caffeine Shad bait is relatively firm, so maybe I should leave the point exposed in the shallow groove?

 

And I am wondering if being skin hooked possibly prevents the hook from driving forward given the firmness of the plastic?

 

Since I am fishing this in areas that have either a hydrilla like grass or through scattered stickups, I don't want to have the hook totally exposed. So, although it could have been that rare time when the fish just clamped down hard enough to keep any hook from moving and penetrating, I am looking to tap into the collective wisdom of the BR Tribe for suggestions that may help with this particular bait. . . . . 

*What color is that SK Swimming Caffeine Shad ? Looks like a "Watermelon Pearl something" I have not seen before ...

11 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

*What color is that SK Swimming Caffeine Shad ? Looks like a "Watermelon Pearl something" I have not seen before ...

It's listed on the package as: SCSD4-47 GRN PUMPKIN/PEARL

I wouldn't really be looking at overhauling what you're doing too much, as the old saying goes **** happens. But I will say I do think @jbrew73 and @WRB both had some good ideas, a narrower profile hook would help, and even better an Owner Twistlock would allow the soft plastic to come off and the hook to rotate further.

Gonna try some of these tomorrow. They're fine wire Owner Twist-Lock, rated for up to 8 lb test, so may be playing with fire a little bit. I'm using 8 lb leader, but I won't be surprised if one opens up if I horse one too hard.

On 12/26/2020 at 11:39 PM, Big Hands said:

Gonna try some of these tomorrow. They're fine wire Owner Twist-Lock, rated for up to 8 lb test, so may be playing with fire a little bit. I'm using 8 lb leader, but I won't be surprised if one opens up if I horse one too hard.

 

Just wondering. Where did you find what the hook was rated for?

17 minutes ago, dgkasper58 said:

 

Just wondering. Where did you find what the hook was rated for?

I have seen that number on a couple of sites selling the hooks, and I did see one that recommended them for "up to 10 lb test". That said, I would not be surprised to have one come up bent with 8 lb test, and can all but guarantee I could bend one with 10 lb test. It's definitely a finesse hook.

 

They do have some flex to them, but my hope is that the fine wire and very sharp point will sink the hook well past the barb where the hook is much more likely to maintain it's integrity.