Years ago when I first trolled the hell-pet I kept the back hook on the hellbender. I was very surprised that I never caught a fish on it, after all, it is a fishing lure.
Do ya'll leave the back hook on. Has anyone ever caught a fish on the hellbender, or just the pet spoon?

I out of several hundred hours. Not worth the risk. Take em off

bought a couple of hellbenders, and i wasnt able to keep them down deep, they kept coming to the surface. i remember using them years ago with good success, any tips on what i can do next time i use them. thanks for any info

Hang a 1 oz weight where the front hook used to be .....

flies-by-night fly instead of a pet spoon would work better!!

Make sure they are Heddon brand hellbenders and not the imitations. I have two that do the same thing. I will not buy that brand again.

The original Hellbender is an outstanding bass lure right out of the box without any modification. It was my "go-to" lure 30 years ago. I caught an 8 pound native black before Florida bass were introduced on a white Hellbender from Lake Murval. Just keep them in good condition and discard them when they get bent.

Lilburn

"Just keep them in good condition and discard them when they get bent."

with all due respect, incorrect!
hang a 1 oz bell sinker on the front eylet. bend the bill back to straight if necessary. You can even tune the attachment wire if you need to. I have had trouble when attachment wire gets bent up really bad. Then it might be worth cunking!

you can take the hooks off, and leave the rings on so that you can attach a weight to the front of the hellbender just in case you need more depth.

I have seen the jet diver used only once, anyone have an opinion on the jet diver vs. the hellbender >

My theory is that the actioin of the hellbender attracts otyher predators, then they see the pet spoon and grab it.

you can buy them with no hooks.

The jet divers will go deeper. They are easier to setup and remove from your main line. Also no problem with them running true.

The hellbender will catch fish, but usually only black bass- have caught numerous black bass and a big cat trolling the 1097 on conroe- several over 5 pounds. I think most trolling is done in more open water away from the cover and structure that would hold the fish that would take the hellbender. Even with the slim chance, it is less hassle to just remove the hooks though.

Jet Divers can go deeper(depending on the model) with less "pull" on the rod. It is a little easier to detect the lighter strikes for some. Had an outing last year where the Jet diver outproduced the hellbender 5 to 1- sometimes the opposite, and sometimes doesn't matter. You would be smart to have a couple in your arsenal, just to change it up on those hard days.(get the red ones)

Anyone like the Walker Deeper Diver or Dipsy Diver better?