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Posts: 108
| Has anyone found a way to take a 3 hook lure and change it to 2 hooks in
a decent manner that works ? No rear hooks falling off or slipping .No
drilling extra holes .I'm sure someone has figured something out.
I keep getting stuck at a wire between the old hangers.....
dennis | |
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Posts: 132
Location: Kawarthas, Ontario | Been doing it for many years with a number of baits for trolling applications. It seems to work best with solid body baits as opposed to jointed baits. Most muskies will target the front half of the bait, and this is where you want the biggest hook. All you need is one tine of a needle sharp treble thru the roof of the mouth or squarely in the corner, and the ball game is over. This prevents much of the collateral damage the tail hook does to eyes, gills, etc.. It also makes handling the fish a whole lot safer for the angler, and significantly reduces tangling in your net.
1. Remove all hooks and split rings from your bait.
2. Replace all split rings with s/s versions at least 2 sizes bigger than manufacturer issue.
3. Upsize the front hook by 1, and ideally 2 or even 3 sizes.
4. Upsize the middle hook by 1 size.
My baits are configured as follows:
Jakes/Grannies: 7/0 front and 6/0 middle.
Ukko's: 10/0 front and 9/0 middle
Sledges & Believers: 6/0 front and 6/0 middle
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Steve Wickens
STRIKE ZONE Muskie Charters
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Posts: 108
| Steve;
Appreciate your answer.I'm trying to get the middle hook back a bit .
I've thought of double or triple split rings on the middle ,but it doesn't
look good.Seems I'd catch everything the bait bounced off .
While you're here , there was a spoon used in St.Clair that wouldn't twist lines . It was strictly a "spoon shape" , no bend between hole and
spoon shape.As North America's First spoon troller , what was it?
Good fishing now that the best seasons here.......
Dennis | |
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Posts: 132
Location: Kawarthas, Ontario | Dennis,
I too experimented with multiple "chained" split rings without success... not only do they catch everything in sight, but the swinging hook tends to chew the lure up pretty good too. Bigger hooks have longer shanks, carrying them backwards farther. They're also wider, giving you a greater gap between the body of the bait and the hook point, which will up your hooking potential on rearward hitters.
I know there are a few guys who run spoons on St. Clair. Most guys run the narrow profile heavier spoons like the Gibbs Croc or Canoe, Williams, or the Eppinger Cop-E-Cat, which are moderately heavy. The Canoe, Williams, and Cop-E-Cat are curved but not twisted. The Croc has a slight twist in it's body. This gives it more of a darting action, but also makes it more susceptible to line twist. The RAC spoon is popular on St. Clair. It is smaller, and slightly lighter (with no twist)... more like an over-sized salmon spoon. I've not used it, but a friend who tried it, said it breaks action and spins out at relatively low speeds. The Gibbs Canoe is a big spoon, but very tough to find. I'm trying to play with different hook and split ring configurations to tune the action. (A heavier hook moderates the action, allowing for a faster retrieve or trolling speed.) It and the Eppinger Huskie Devles (300 & 700 sizes) have the nicest action of the spoons I have extensively worked with.
Don't give-up on 2 hooks. It is doable on almost every solid body plastic bait if you want to take the time to experiment. I don't fish deep very often, but I'm betting it is also workable on Cisco Kids and Depth Raiders too.
Good luck!
Steve Wickens
STRIKE ZONE Muskie Charters | |
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changing from 3 trebles to 2...