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Post by rgang4 on Apr 23, 2012 18:05:46 GMT -5
I love to fish hollow body swimbaits but I hate rigging them. I like Gamakatsu swim bait hooks with the spring lock on the front but I hate trying to center them. I've tried some other brands that have a centering pin and that makes centering and starting the spring lock very easy.Problem is I didn't like the hooks themselves. Owner makes the "Beast" swimbait hook and its appropriately named. Its real big, maybe too big, but it does have the centering pin. Owner also sells the centering pins separately. So I bought some to replace the spring lock on my Gammy hooks (most of which were missing anyway)which should give me the rigging solution I want. Below are the pins, a rigged swimbait on a "Beast", the standard spring lock, and a swimbait rigged on the Gammy. The perfect swimbait hook would have a just slightly bigger gap which should be more "L" shaped.  Changing these over was quick and easy. Swimbaits have been a great search bait for me as well as a good follow up bait for topwaters and most of all a good big fish bait. I usually fish them around sparse vegetation in water as deep as 8 feet. For deeper presentations I use a bait with an exposed hook and internal weight. |
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Post by rgang4 on Apr 23, 2012 19:44:59 GMT -5
How does the centering pin work? The centering pin allows you to easily place the pin portion of the spring lock dead on center and also acts as a pilot to start and place the spring on center as well. Placement of the spring to the center of the nose is critical for balance. If its off to one side or the other the bait will tilt to that side or even roll a bit in some cases. Look at the Owner with the centering pin on the left vs. the Gamakatsu on the right. The Gammy is just a flat coil that you twist into the bait. The Owner you push the pin in and then twist, much easier to get on center. Hopefully I'll show you out on the water sometime soon. I still apply super glue to hold it in place so fish don't tear it off as easily. |
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Post by schodackbassman on Apr 23, 2012 19:50:18 GMT -5
What a great yet simple idea. Thanks Roy.
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Post by rgang4 on Apr 23, 2012 19:56:58 GMT -5
What a great yet simple idea. Thanks Roy. It really is, works great. Hopefully soon someone will make the perfect swimbait hook but I won't hold my breath. Remember some of the worm hooks from way back? Never had to worry about burying the barb in your hand with one of those! |
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Post by Brian on Apr 24, 2012 9:48:46 GMT -5
I'm a big fan of Mustad UltraPoint Power Lock Plus hooks for swimbaits. However, I use solid swimbaits; Keitech Fat Swing Impact and Reaction Innovation Skinny Dippers. www.mustad.no/productcatalog/na/product.php?id=2736With this hook it is effortless to re-pin the bait after a bite. No twisting necessary. The trick is to first remove the bait from the hook, re-insert the pin and then re-insert the hook. This insures a kink free bait. They are about $2 each, sold in three packs. 4/0 works fine for me. I feel mono is the way to go as well. Three years ago I fished it (solid swimbaits) exclusively on braid. I've had a much better hook up ratio since switching to mono. I think there is a tendency to set the hook too early with a braid set up. Gotta let 'em chew for a second or three. I've used swimbaits alot already this year, had a lot of fish on them and just recently discarded my 1st bait for being too torn up. Roy, The next time I see you I'll give you a hook to try out on the hollow baits. |
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Post by rgang4 on Apr 25, 2012 15:28:05 GMT -5
I bought some over the winter at Dick's on sale for $2. They are just right for a Skinny Dipper, maybe a bit too small for a Shadalicious which has a bigger body.
After some experimentation I agree with you on mono for swimbaits. I found out if I missed them it was not because of the line. I wait until I feel the weight then set. If you set on the tap or bump you will set too early. You have to feel the fish is on the bait before you set. If they only tap the first time and you just hold back and keep reeling 9 out 10 he will smack it good at some point, maybe even the next cast.
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