I started out with the old style round bend work hooks back in the 80s. Then went to Tru-Turn/Rotating/etc style. Then on to wide gap/EWG. Now I’m seeing more and more folks using flipping hooks. My question is this…how do you rig it to avoid hangups? The reason I went to wide gap/EWG hooks was because of getting hung up so much with regular worm hooks. The hook point being in line with the eye on EWGs eliminated well over half of my hangups. I used to avoid them by just not throwing into the thick stuff, but I know I missed many a bass by doing that. Now I can throw almost anywhere. The flipping hook intrigues me, but I see many a hang up with them. Can one fish flipping hooks in THICK COVER? If so…what’s the secret?

1 hour ago, born2climb said:

what’s the secret?

Bury the tip of the hook inside the plastic body of the lure. Set the hook hard. 

I like the fact that a flipping hook is alot more beefier than your typical worm hook. I also tuck the exposed hook back into the plastic. I use flipping hooks exclusively for flipping bushes and laydown and reserve my worm and ewg hooks for rock and more sparse cover. Haven't had many issues so far.

5 hours ago, JackstrawIII said:

Bury the tip of the hook inside the plastic body of the lure. Set the hook hard. 

I bury my hook point back into the plastic with an EWG, but don't see how its feasible with a flipping hook. Or do you mean just don't push the hook completely THROUGH the plastic?

1 hour ago, born2climb said:

I bury my hook point back into the plastic with an EWG, but don't see how its feasible with a flipping hook. Or do you mean just don't push the hook completely THROUGH the plastic?

I can’t speak for the others but for me I poke the point out and then gently slide it backwards back into the bait. Then run my finger up the bait to make sure the hook point isn’t exposed, but right below the surface.

The secret to T-rigging a flipping, or straight shank hook is to insert the hook point into the nose of the bait on an angle rather than straight into the bait. Prior to rigging place the hook with the shank straight down the center of the bait and the eye at the top. Now, without moving the eye, bring the hook point down to the top of the bait (where you'll be inserting it into the bait to rig it weedless. Now look at the angle of the hook shank. That's the angle you want to insert the hook point.   Hope that helps.

This ^^^^^^
 

I use the Trokar line of hooks almost exclusively with TK130 being thier flipping hook. 
When punching I don’t tex pos tho, I insert the hook about 1/2 way into the plastic and go. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

On 4/26/2025 at 7:28 AM, born2climb said:

. Can one fish flipping hooks in THICK COVER? If so…what’s the secret?

 

Most anglers try forcing a t-rig through cove which is all wrong, you finesse it through cover.. When you feel the t-rig starting to load up...STOP! Release the pressure, pull up until you feel the heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, the release, repeat until it breaks free (at this point ya wanna hold on real tight to your rod cause ya might get your arm broke). You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just appling more pressure.

 

Worm selection is paramount, ribbon tails will hang on grass more than curl tails & straight tails hang even less.

54 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

Most anglers try forcing a t-rig through cove which is all wrong, you finesse it through cover.. When you feel the t-rig starting to load up...STOP! Release the pressure, pull up until you feel the heaviness again but apply slightly more pressure, the release, repeat until it breaks free (at this point ya wanna hold on real tight to your rod cause ya might get your arm broke). You want the motion to be similar to & as fast as working a shaky head, you're just appling more pressure.

 

Worm selection is paramount, ribbon tails will hang on grass more than curl tails & straight tails hang even less.

An ultravibe speed worm is one of my absolute favorites for dragging through cover. I use it on everything from weightless on top of grass mats to TX rigged with a tungsten weight dragging through laydowns. 

3 hours ago, Mike L said:

I don’t tex pos tho, I insert the hook about 1/2 way into the plastic and go. 

 

I seldom tex-pose a hook period, as matter of fact I seldom use a EWG hook. If you can't drive a hook through a peice plastic ya might wanna reconsider your hook setting technique.

10 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

I seldom tex-pose a hook period, as matter of fact I seldom use a EWG hook. If you can't drive a hook through a peice plastic ya might wanna reconsider your hook setting technique.

Ditto!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I make no special provisions on rigging my hooks offset at the nose or anything else like that and I’ve been doing it primarily since 79.. I don’t even do that w elaztec and I do use that material a fair bit. Never needed to. Seems lots of folks Texas rig differently & that’s fine, do what works for you. 

I tried straight flipping hooks but have gone back to EWG.  Some like the ''beffy look'' but you can get the same wire diameter in some EWG's.  I use hooks with regular diameter  wire and I have never straightened one. I feel that I can get better action from a bait with a EWG.  The bait movement is more horizontal, not always at an angle.  I put up with flipping hooks only if I'm fishing the heaviest wood cover more vertically.

Like others have said, burying the hook inside of the plastic will decrease hangups. Not tex-posing. Instead, not pushing the hook point back through the plastic at all. I do not like EWG’s, but will use them if I feel I have to. My favorite is the plain jane offset round bend worm hook. 

I've tried both. But I fish a good bit of heavy wood cover and eventually, that flipping hook point comes through and I hang up, especially if trying to reuse a soft plastic beyond the first bite. Nothing worse than approaching a laydown you know can hold fish only to hang up in it on the first pitch. I like the superline EWG hooks by Gamakatsu. I've dragged 7-8 pound bass out of trees and heavy weeds with them. I caught my PB pitching a Senko-style bait with one of these hooks.

 

I feel the straight flipping hook is better suited for vegetation. I fished with a FL guide who had some big flipping craws. They were thicker left-to-right than vertically. He rigged the hook sideways instead of vertically. Basically, he discarded the bait after every catch.

I'm an EWG user 99% of the time. Only time I go to a straight shank is around the spawn if I'm blind bed fishing and feel like I'm missing fish because they're picking it up to move it off a bed but not taking it in their mouth fully. Otherwise, it's not worth the increased snags I get when the hook point works through the plastic. Mustad KVD Grip Pin is my go to EWG, standard for casting gear and fine wire for spinning gear. 

I like the straight shank style flipping hook for braid for the most part. I got to EWG for flouro. I can't seem to get a consistently good hookset with the straight shank style of flipping hook with fluoro.