have we been using the wrong style jighead hooks for crappie fishing for the last 50 years? I recent starting going thru some tackle that a friend gave me.. I noticed some of the jigheads have the eye of the hook mounted in a horizontal position in relation to the hook shank. we all know how important it is to try and keep the bait floating in a natural position., when the hook eye is in alignment with the shank, the line tends to ride UP.... like a wedgie. what we have to do is either glue it in place or tie a loop knot. I dont particularly like the loop knot, because if its too large, it gets tangled in the hook point. when the eye of the hook is facing horizontally to the shank, the jig has no choice but to sit level. I also think the this will provide better hooksets because when you set the hook, the point will pull more upwards , than outwards. I can only assume that the reason the hook eye was made to face inline with the shank is to try and make it more weedless. but were talking abt a tiny eye, so I think its really not an issue. I will be testing out the horizontal mounted eye style soon and will let u know what I learn. attached are pics of what im speaking of.. notice the position of the eye of the hook.
Last edited by leanin post; 04/14/2103:24 PM.
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !
OK I found the packaging for the hooks... bass pro shops, calls them the crosseyed jighead.. They have a baitkeeper clip on them, that I dont like at all. it expands the plastic out and makes it look unnatural. also makes it very awkard to try and put the plastic jig on. I might try to gently cut the bait keeper clip off of it and use them like I usually do. evidently they were invented by a guy named Shoestring Dubois exclusively for BPS.
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !
Interesting and has piqued my curiosity because I’ve been experimenting with different knots to keep the bait parallel. I’ll look to experiment with the cross eyed jig as well. Thanks for sharing! I’m always looking to learn more to improve my odds of catching a limit.
I did some testing today and noticed 2 things, 1 , no matter what knot you tie, the jig sits level in the water/ number 2, when you jig the lure, it has alot more tail action, because it is an instant tilting of the jig, making the head rise and tail dive, and vice versa.. with a loop knot on what is commonly used, on vertical oriented jig hooks, you dont get that immediate tilting of the jig, because the eye of the hook slides up on the loop and the jig tends to just move up in the water column, rather than the instant tilt. The increase in the tail action is profound on both feather and plastic jigs..
I dont know if many other manufacturers have experimented with these style horizontal hooks, but I believe the reason that the particular jigheads I have from BPS didnt catch on is because of the bait keeper wire that is next to the hook., its quite large, bulky and extends past the bend in the hook gap. not sure what the guy was thinking. the hooks also have an extra long shank, so unless you use a large plastic jig, it doesnt jive. the hook is too long. The only thing I have that fit them is a 3 inch tube jig.
according to the packaging the hooks were made to be sold exclusively by Bass Pro Shops. I will need to do some research to see if the horizontal eye hook is under a patent or not. If it is and BPS controls it, we may need to try and convince them to make the hook without the bait keeper and with a shorter shank. If they dont control the patent, I will have some made.
Last edited by leanin post; 04/17/2103:40 AM.
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !
I am in the process of contacting some hook companies to see if they would be interested in making a hook without the gawdy bait keeper wire, and has the horizontal hook eye. I like a strong hook, I rather it break off my line, than bend., One thing I have learned is that thed metalurgy used to make hooks can vary.. ALOT.. from manufacturer to batches even. Its a fine line. If I can find someone to make them to my specifications, with consistency, it could be a game changer. I have found that the nickel plated hooks seem to be the strongest. also many hooks come right out of the package with the hook gap too close, so usually the first thing I do is bend it out a bit, to get a clean hookset. I rather not do it, because some metals work harden and once u bend them the lose strength. I believe that sometimes when given a spirited hookset, the hooks bend so much, it pulls out, rather than penetrate. My thoughts are that if you can increase your catch rate, by eliminating these problems, its all worthwhile. Am I getting 30 percent less bites, because the jig isnt sitting level? am I missing 10 percent of the fish because of too much hook flex? am I getting 10 percent less bites because the jig isnt undulating as it could do to a loop knot? It all adds up.
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !
this is the jighead that I have, notice the baitkeeper next to the shank. it is why I think the jig head wasnt very popular. Im going to melt the lead off of the hooks, and remove the baitkeeper wire, then recast the hook in my mold. I tried just bending the head on a few of my vertical eye style hooks but they snap off.
Last edited by leanin post; 04/17/2103:16 PM.
COMING SOON! .. THE STICKLE HOOK " the stay level sickle hook". sits level in the water with all knots.! Provides better hook sets and more natural jigging motion. No more adjusting the knot, gluing , or tying loop knots that cause the hook point to tangle in the loop, or worse knick the line.. The jighook that will make all others obsolete !