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General Angling Topics => Saltwater Lure Angling => Topic started by: jball7204 on September 05, 2015, 04:32:13 PM
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Hey guys, I need some advice on lure hooks. I havent used anything yet that doesnt corrode quite quickly or lose its point after a few sessions. I try not to drag them through sand, try to give them a bath every time theyve been out (often forget as home is chaos), but I go through too many. What are really good reliable hooks, both offset and straight, for spoons and plugs around the 1.5 - 2Oz mark?
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I use Gamakatsu and Daiichi hooks mostly. When I come back from a trip, I clean them and spray with Q20, that stops the rust.
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Being slowly but surely changing my hooks on lures to in-line hooks , Mustad , VMC and decoy , difficult to find in some tackle shops especially the smaller ones , Mustad make them in size 4 and 6 great for the smaller lures etc ..so come November they will all get a proper salt water test and i'll see which ones are the best .
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Hooks are consumables, keep a few spare on oval clips and change out as needed, you do not maybe need the most bulletproof hooks.
I have just been copying the experienced guys lately and I see the method in their madness. Keep a box of spare dry new hooks in your bag or box and don't store your lures with hooks. Just have a working set and swop them if you need to or if you occasionally change lures. The experienced guys know what lure to use when and trust their lures that they have on and don't change lures all the time or sometimes even at all during a session. Keep a file in the bag and you can do a quick sharpen if you need to. When you rinse your gear later it is simple to rinse all your salty hooks as they tend to be on the lure still on your rod and it is done in the one and same operation, you may just have to rinse one other hook if you swopped a treble for a single mid-fish for example or swopped to a bigger hook. Eg: If I was clapping the bonnies and the leeries turned up angry, I'd put a single on quickly to avoid damaging the species I want to release and make it easier.. Or if I was spinning for leeries and all i had with was my light gear and some tuna or likes came past I would have that big treble on asap and try and get me some sushi takeaways vas and just play any leerie I get as bycatch very carefully, in the past I've badly hurt some big leervis brawling with trebles and will try avoid that if I can. Either way I usually now only have one hook to rinse post spinning most of the time. Don't waste your time with thin guage hooks..
Large mustad trebles, in 5/0 or 6/0 seem to do the trick with cast after cast being dragged up over the rocks and cast again and I have not last a fish because of a hook not penetrating, gamefish hit you hard! This for larger lures, for small plugs I was using 3/0 trebles but for the leeries sake been using inlines this past season. For small plugs no trying the mustad inline jigging hooks, 3/0, with an normal oval split ring, seem to work well but have not used for enough time to give good feed back, I used plain mustad kendal rounds or o'shaughnessy before for inlines and they worked just great, just rinse, occasionally sharpen and swop out as needed, sizes from 3/0 for shad to 5/0 for leerie etc..to 8/0 or 9/0 for bigger stuff, used with the eye bent open carefully and attached permanently to lure wire and bent closed or if the wire's orientation permits it rather with an oval split ring so hook point faces up.. Also to consider is how your lure is attached, preferably use a strong snap or quickclip or at least when stuck with nothing use a loop knot so your lure pivots on this and not on a knot tied to the wire loop itself, I cannot explain why but your hooks points seem to ride over stuff then rather than plough through it keeping them in better condition, also your terminal knot does not get mangled by the rocks.
Another thing to consider is with a bullet proof hook the poor fish that breaks you off will be swimming around with your lure in its mouth for some time..Stainless will take far longer to corrode out than a standard non bulletproof hook. Don't think I answered your question, but hope that helps you more..