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| Has anyone tinkered with a TopRaider in order to make it weedless? Removing the belly hook and extendeding a single hook further off the back or a treble hook with one of the hook ponits removed seems like it should work. I guess hookup percentages would be lower. |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I watched a show where Joe Bucher did just that. No belly hook, but I'm not sure if he did a single tail hook or not. Most all of my fish caught on Top Raiders have the tail hook in the yap so I don't think you would alter your hook up percent by a whole lot. |
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Posts: 128
Location: Germantown, WI | Joe B did a pool seminar in Chicago a couple years ago where he suggested removing the belly hook and slightly bending the rear, shrinkwrapped hook up. I've tried it - works fairly well. It wasn't completely weedless for me but much better than out of the package. No luck with it yet though. The bait rolls a bit without the front hook anchoring it. |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | to make some of my baits a little more weedless, I rubber-banded the belly hooks to the body with a weak rubber band. doesn't affect the action too much, and it keeps them from swinging. If the fish does get hooked on the belly hooks, the hooks will still move. Just don't leave the rubberbands on there for a long time. |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | I did this. What JoeB did was remove the belly hook (totally gone), then removed the rear hook (a 5/0 size) and replaced it with a 7/0, of course shrink tubing the thing back on. Its not totally weedless, but pretty good. I had several fish up, but no takers (those Wingra muskies are too boat shy).
I would suggest this mod to all your TRs & STRs wither you remove the belly hook or not. A larger hook is a plus and my aid in hookups.
As for missing fish, how many bucktails do you own with on hook on the rear? Yes, I realize that its not quite the same, but how else will you get those slop muskies out of that heavy cover? |
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| The answer to your question is to run a topwater with a rotating head such as a Top Walker or LOW rider. The head runs interference for the belly hook keeping it clean. Then you still get your hookups. |
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Posts: 1046
| Works great, no belly hook and put a 7/0 3551 on the rear, AND PUT A 1/4OZ> BELL SINKER on the front hook eye and you will be amazed at how this bait works! Pay very close attention on how that rear treble is facing too! |
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Weedless TopRaider