SP rigged weedless - hook-up rate

Im having a bit of difficulty with certain SP's rigged weedless in that, i've hooked bass and had them come off after 10, 20, 30 seconds. Mostly on 7" dot crawler and savage gear real-ee 6"l. My concern is that when a bass takes the lure, on collapse of the plastic, there just isnt enough gape for a reliable hook hold - only about 15mm
I have'nt had this problem with 7-8" sluggo - i think the dot crawler and real-eel are more dense and just dont collapse as well as sluggo....im using 5/0 hook on both....any ideas? lots of hook-ups but % landed is poor

What type of 5/0 hooks are you using ATF?

Tom, am using matzuo sickle hook from AGM products

http://www.agmdiscountfishing.co.uk/matzuo-bend-sickle-worm-hook-size-5pcs-p-4181.html

I think that might be your problem, i think you need to try something with more of a gape like the VMC Fsh Head Predator 5/0 0r the Vanfook 5/0.



The Matzuo looks closer to the lunker city texposer hook that a lot of people use for the Sluggo and wouldnt realy be wide gape enough for some other soft plastics.http://www.lunkercity.nl/index.php?item ... 7V69fldVbE

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cheers Tom,
where do u pick them up in Ireland?
out of interest, how much gape would u be looking for once SP is pushed down on shank of hook, on a take?
rather than a straight shank, should prob be looking for a strong curved shank.
i also think, the dot crawler and real-eel are much tougher material, and hook just doesnt seem to slip down when compressed, even with other type hooks ive tested at home.....

AGM should also have wide gape and extra wide gape hooks including some Matuzo ones which as you know are well priced. Just another option.

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cheers Tom,
where do u pick them up in Ireland?
out of interest, how much gape would u be looking for once SP is pushed down on shank of hook, on a take?
rather than a straight shank, should prob be looking for a strong curved shank.
i also think, the dot crawler and real-eel are much tougher material, and hook just doesnt seem to slip down when compressed, even with other type hooks ive tested at home.....

You are spot on about the density of the SP material, such as on the DOT crawler, having an affect on hook up rate, but that ca be negated by the proper choice of hook. Im not sure of the exact measure you would need to have a succesfull hook up but i would guess around 10mm or more should be enough. In my experience the shape oh the hook is not as critical as the amount of hook tip that is showing on a take.

Hopefully now you will have no more lost fish because of this issue. Good Luck.

Tom that's a good point about material density-you can really see it on the Black Minnow-it actually uses what would normally be a very small hook but because its made of such soft flexible material it actually bends a way back, allowing tge hook up

Yeah I often think this can be a drawback with weedless Sp's. Take the dolive stick, I often cast them onto a rock and tip them along so they drop right down the side and into the sea and through kelp etc. Couldnt do this with a SG sandeel for example, but the hook point is not exposed and I have often wondered about hook up rates. Some bass very lightly inhale an SP and if you do not feel this or strike at the right time you can miss the fish. With an SG sandeel you usually wont miss the take. I know another very experienced brilliant lure fisherman on another forum who does not like SP's for this very reason and mainly uses SG sandeels and plastic lures with an exposed point. Althought im not a fan of the fiiish black minnow, I think they have the correct softness in the lure to allow the point to contact easier with the fish.

Its true that the Black Minnow has much more supple material, but i think the real key to its successful hook up rate is down to the fact that it has a belly pocket for the hook allowing it to protrude almost fully on a take. I am surprised that more SP lure manufacturers have not taken this approach more themselves.

Can I ask what might seem like a stupid question? Do you sharpen your hooks? I'm only asking because hook points are easily dulled after even light use.

If they are sharp, then as Tom and others said the key point is the gape of the hook if using "harder" soft plastics (!). You need to allow sufficient space for the hook to penetrate fully without the SP body causing interference. I find it preferable to buy hooks to match in a tackle shop - I've ordered plenty blindly online which never end up fitting properly.

Finally, have a think about how you fit the hook point to the lure. If you are not fishing in really rough stuff, then you don't need to bury the hook - if there is a hook slot you can simply rest it in the slot - if not just leave the hook exposed.

There's lots of stuff on the web that might interest you. Such as here:http://www.bassdozer.com/articles/soft-plastic-fishing.shtml

You might notice just how much of the hook bend and shank is actually exposed in the pictures - it should not necessarily be a snug fit!

cheers Tom,
where do u pick them up in Ireland?
out of interest, how much gape would u be looking for once SP is pushed down on shank of hook, on a take?
rather than a straight shank, should prob be looking for a strong curved shank.
i also think, the dot crawler and real-eel are much tougher material, and hook just doesnt seem to slip down when compressed, even with other type hooks ive tested at home.....

Sorry ATFi missed this bit. i get mine from Absolute Fishing here http://absolutefishing.ie/Shop/ , but nearly every tackle shop will have something to suit. Like Steve said there, its better to match the hook in the shop so there are no mistakes.

Thanks for the replies lads and adivce, much appreciated.
Do u crush the barb on ur SP set ups? im beginning to wonder if that has an affect on catch rate?

I don't believe there's any need to crush the barb on a weedless hook.
You might do that for a treble on a hard lure to prevent foul hooking, damage to the fish and allow for an easy and safe release.

With SPs, I am told that the fish should nearly always be lip hooked, making it relatively easy to remove.
I say that I'm told because I'm yet to catch a bass on SP!

I do exactly as you just described shortcircut. I am sure there have probably been instances for some where an SP hook is deeply ingested by a Bass, but i personally have never had a bass like that, all were lip hooked. The general rule that most anglers i know seem to follow is crush the trebles and leave the singles in SP with a barb.

I fish a lot with many soft plastics while targeting bass. The
venues that I mostly fish consist of shallow rocky terrain full of weed.
I have found that fishing unweighted weedless illex shad's
On illex 3/0 up to 5/0's works great for me. The material in the
Ishad is quite soft but they still cast great and I havnt experienced
any issues with hook up rates

I fish a lot with many soft plastics while targeting Bass. The
venues that I mostly fish consist of shallow rocky terrain full of weed.
I have found that fishing unweighted weedless illex shad's
On illex 3/0 up to 5/0's works great for me. The material in the
Ishad is quite soft but they still cast great and I havnt experienced
any issues with hook up rates

I have not had a Bass on the Ishad yet pjc, but it ticks all the boxes for me. It casts fantastic even weightless, its material gives it a great tail action, and most importantly for me it drops horizontally. I have no doubt it will be catching me some nice fish this year.

lads would ye mind explaining how u retrieve the dot crawler spent a few nights using them wit no luck at all i was slowly reeling them in