Straight Shank vs. So that if the fish took the bait. I.rar 297 I.rar 297 M&Peas; Members; 297 2,566. Partridge Attitude Streamer Fly Hooks are the perfect minnow and streamer pattern hooks. B Fish N Tackle; B'n'M Fishing; Backcountry. Long shank, and heavy wire.
Bluegill and Shellcracker Team Up for Fun by Steve McCadams Does the sight of a bending pole and a line zipping through the water stir up your fishing pox? How about a tugging good time from a fish with a hefty appetite and an attitude to go with it? Time is at hand to test your tackle on some bedding bluegill or redear sunfish, commonly referred to as shellcracker. It's an annual ritual that occurs every year in early May. Shellcracker swim the shallow coves where submerged grass and bushes mix to offer them a comfort zone for spawning. Bluegill are often close by too, fanning craters in the mud bottom where a little gravel is mixed in for good measure.
Should you happen to toss a cricket or wax worm into their world and trespass on their little homestead, war can break out in seconds. Enter their zone if you dare but be prepared for a fight to the finish. For over a week now the rusty rascals have been on their spawning spree all over Kentucky Lake. Every angler should partake of a few hours of battle with these powerful panfish that really pack a punch.
Once warm weather arrives, these feisty species go on bed in the 1 to 4 foot zones. Surface temperatures need to be in the mid to upper 60's before they initiate spawning and there's the influence of a full moon that further stimulates activity. Males approach the shallows first and set up shop. Often referred to as 'bulls', the male bluegill take on a dark green appearance on their ventral side with a bright orange belly below. Their hormonal changes cause the deep, dark color phases which signal the peak of spawning. Female bluegill sport a light green or pale yellow appearance. Redear also have similar changes as the males are greenish all over while the females are somewhat yellow in appearance.
The distinct red gill flap separates them from bluegill and usually they're larger and somewhat longer. Redear sunfish get their name from the red gill flap but most southern anglers refer to them as shellcracker as they feed on small, freshwater mussels that inhibit the lake bottom. In addition to being fun to catch, both species offer tasty fillets. In fact, many anglers rate them right up there with crappie or saugar when itcomes to a fish fry. Crickets are the bait of choice for bluegill while redear are known to have a passion for redworms or wax worms, also known as meal worms. The little white grub is a tasty delight but sometimes the fish hit the bait just to defend the nest.
Casting a light spinning rig with a few split shots, long shank bait keeper hook and a bobber will put you in business. While it's a great way to introduce a youngster to the great sport of fishing, it tends to bring out the kid in all of us once the bobber disappears time after time. Some things never go out of style. Fishing for bluegill and shellcracker in the peak of the spawn is one of them. Don't wait for the fish alarm to sound. Now is the time to strike a trot to the lake and wet a hook for these babies.
There's another two or three weeks of prime spawning time too so grab a friend and head on out. If you show up with the bait and tackle, these fish will provide the fun and excitement. Is a professional hunting and fishing guide here in the Paris Landing area and host of The Outdoor Channel's television series IN-PURSUIT.
I think it depends on how thick your baits are. I tried using the straight shank with the offset eye with my Senkos and noticed that the shank wound up very close to the worm, so that if the fish took the bait, there was very little chance of the hook actually doing anything other than pulling straight back out the mouth. The offset EWG hooks have a much roundr profile and if the fish grabs the bait, the force will push the hook out of the worm much further and almost right into a hookset. I also noticed the EWG hooks do the same withg with the Fat Ikas, so last night I changed the hook to one of the G Lock hooks. It has a wider profile and should pop out of the bait much further. Straight shanks give you a much better hook up ratio. Some people will obviously argue this.
From what I understand, a lot of the pro anglers are going to the straight shank hooks as well. The major drawback is having the lure slide down the shank. That can be easily fixed with a toothpick or some heat shrink tubing. I've become a big fan of Owner XXX wide gap straight shanks. I can't remember, but I believe Catt recommends the Denny Brauer Mustad flippin hook. Similar hooks, comes down to personal choice probably. I still use Gammy EWG's for some stuff like plastic swim baits (flukes, swimmin senko's, etc etc).
But a good 90% of my plastics I fish with a straight shank now. Your really holding yourself back if you don't use all 3. Each one excels in certain situations. To say one is better than the other is wrong because each hook has it's own job. I like straight shank for casting thin plastics or when im pitching around grass - tapertail, mag II, tiny brush hogs, baby rage craw. BTW, I think this hook gives you the best hook up ratio. The bite is way bigger than the other hooks and unfortunately it doesn't work with thicker plastics.
I like the offsets for carolina rigging and for plastics that are just a little too thick for the straight shank - baby or super brush hog, trick worm, rage craw, and sometimes the space monkey. I like the EWG's for any plastic that is too thick for the other styles. I try not to throw the EWG style hooks because I don't like how small the bite is. I'm not gonna say I've noticed a big drop in missed fish, but I do know that I tend to get a lot more less than solid hook ups with EWG. The plastics I use the EWG for - senko, space monkey, fluke (any size), 10' ribbon tails, lizard, rage lobster, soft plastic toads. Assemblies. +1 on using the hook based on the thickness of plastic. I would also say that the selection is based on type of cover you are fishing.
Bait Fish For Sale
I have been lucky enough to have only been able to fish from the bank and most ponds have lots of seaweed and fallen limbs or submerged trees. For that reason, anything I can use an EWG hook for I do in order to make it as weedless as possible. All the bass I have caught this year so far have hit hard enough that the hook type didn't matter and I landed them all. I wish I could say I caught more then I have. Your really holding yourself back if you don't use all 3.
Each one excels in certain situations. To say one is better than the other is wrong because each hook has it's own job. I like straight shank for casting thin plastics or when im pitching around grass - tapertail, mag II, tiny brush hogs, baby rage craw.
Live Bait Fish
BTW, I think this hook gives you the best hook up ratio. The bite is way bigger than the other hooks and unfortunately it doesn't work with thicker plastics. I like the offsets for carolina rigging and for plastics that are just a little too thick for the straight shank - baby or super brush hog, trick worm, rage craw, and sometimes the space monkey. I like the EWG's for any plastic that is too thick for the other styles. I try not to throw the EWG style hooks because I don't like how small the bite is.
Bait Fish Saltwater
I'm not gonna say I've noticed a big drop in missed fish, but I do know that I tend to get a lot more less than solid hook ups with EWG. The plastics I use the EWG for - senko, space monkey, fluke (any size), 10' ribbon tails, lizard, rage lobster, soft plastic toads X2.