I just purchased an Abu Garcia Promax rod and reel. I'm quite pleased with both rod and reel. However, the rod has a hook keeper that is a wire loop facing downward. This seems bass awkward to me. Can someone please tell me how it's meant to be used? 

You're suppose the attach the hook under it. I usually break off all hook keepers on my rods, all they are good for is having your line get caught  on them at sometime or another and usually at the worst possible time. I use the first guide as my hook keeper, keeps lures away from my hands when I'm handling rods. We don't need no stinkin' hook keeper!

2 hours ago, Bob Thompson said:

However, the rod has a hook keeper that is a wire loop facing downward.

Are you allergic to posting pictures?

2 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Are you allergic to posting pictures?

 

 I'll post a photo of the hook keeper in question...

 

It reminds me of a little story;

 

My buddy and I were out fishing one day and there was a middle aged woman in a small boat and she kept fiddling with her spinning rod. We thought she  had a back-lash. As we were passing her using the trolling motor she called out for some advice so we went over to her. She said she had just bought the rod and reel combo that morning and didn't know much about fishing but wanted to start. She said she could not get the rod to cast very far, like 5 feet and wanted us to see if she had it set up right. So my buddy took the rod and found the problem right off. There was a hook keeper on the bottom of the rod, she had ran the line from the reel through the hook keeper then through the guides. My buddy re-did the line properly and when we left she was casting  much better! 

4 minutes ago, Bubba 460 said:

 

 I'll post a photo of the hook keeper in question...

 

It reminds me of a little story;

 

My buddy and I were out fishing one day and there was a middle aged woman in a small boat and she kept fiddling with her spinning rod. We thought she  had a back-lash. As we were passing her using the trolling motor she called out for some advice so we went over to her. She said she had just bought the rod and reel combo that morning and didn't know much about fishing but wanted to start. She said she could not get the rod to cast very far, like 5 feet and wanted us to see if she had it set up right. So my buddy took the rod and found the problem right off. There was a hook keeper on the bottom of the rod she had ran the line from the reel through the hook keeper then through the guides. My buddy re-did the line properly and when we left she was casting  much better! 

You weren’t kidding! That has got to be one of the worst places to put a hook keeper on a casting rod. 
Loved the story about helping the lady. 

my Lew's and 13 fishing rods have the hook keeper under the reel seat, rather than under the 1st guide. 

Yeah my Lews is down on the bottom of the rod handle. Not sure I like it there. I grab it there a lot; so far I haven’t hooked myself. But I feel it’s only a matter of time. I really order it under the first guide but still up higher than most. When walking I like to hold the rod at the balance point...which is usually right where they put the keeper. But walking the bank I usually can’t carry them tip up. 
 

It’s a serious consideration for me on a rod purchase ?

5 hours ago, Bubba 460 said:

You're suppose the attach the hook under it. I usually break off all hook keepers on my rods, all they are good for is having your line get caught  on them at sometime or another and usually at the worst possible time. I use the first guide as my hook keeper, keeps lures away from my hands when I'm handling rods. We don't need no stinkin' hook keeper!

Using guides as a hook keeper is abuse.

20 hours ago, Bob Thompson said:

I just purchased an Abu Garcia Promax rod and reel. I'm quite pleased with both rod and reel. However, the rod has a hook keeper that is a wire loop facing downward. This seems bass awkward to me. Can someone please tell me how it's meant to be used? 

It’s for a soft plastic you have weed less rigged so you don’t have to continually push the hook through the bait to use the hook keeper. Just put the hook over the keeper and tighten the line. Let’s Yamamoto senkos last longer.

new fangled from 15 years ago

or probably longer.

 

2 hours ago, Blaine Donders said:

It’s for a soft plastic you have weed less rigged so you don’t have to continually push the hook through the bait to use the hook keeper. Just put the hook over the keeper and tighten the line.

Ditto.,.

I have a few rods with the same style and don’t mind it at all. 
 

Placed on the rod where it is, or lower is where you want the keeper If you use rod covers. 
 

19 hours ago, huZZah said:

Yeah my Lews is down on the bottom of the rod handle. Not sure I like it there. I grab it there a lot; so far I haven’t hooked myself. But I feel it’s only a matter of time. I really order it under the first guide but still up higher than most. When walking I like to hold the rod at the balance point...which is usually right where they put the keeper. But walking the bank I usually can’t carry them tip up. 
 

It’s a serious consideration for me on a rod purchase ?

Another complaint I have with the hook keeper on my Lews is that the lure is further off the shaft so it effectively takes up more space on the deck because trebles dangle more freely than if the lure were snug against the rod.