[Spike-A-Pike]

I'm trying to find the right hook for a tough job. I use both spinner baits and in-line spinners at least 80% of the time when I fish. With the spinner baits, I usually like to add a grub tail to a color, vibration, and because it just really cool.

I have tried to swap a single hook (like a worm hook) for a treble hook and the fish seem to ready go after it. But, for a pike or musky sized lure, the size of the eye is to small to get a split ring through it and keep the range of motion that is typical of a treble hook.

I really like the quality of the VMC treble hooks and I am looking at possibly using something like Model #8294S FAULTLESS (stainless steel, forged, flatted, reversed) or Model #9299 FAULTLESS OCTOPUS (turned up eye, forged, reversed). To make these really work their best, I'll probably add a homemade screw lock of some type.

Any one have any information on either of these hooks or this lure design, I could really use your inputs. Thanks in advance.

[diemai]

I don't know , wether you intend to render your in-lines weedless with this single hook(with added screw lock and hookpoint hidden into grub)or you just want to add attraction to them .

I have tried the first version as well many years ago with wide gap worm hooks , that had a sort of "needles" fixed onto the hookeyes (to poke on the grub) . Haven't fished these a lot those days and later disassembled them again , I just don't believe in good hook-up possibilities of such a lure , since the hook might probably rotate on retrieve , unless weighted on the shank , for the hookpoint always to ride upright .

I have tried this "weighted hook" rig as well , but fish were very reluctant at that time as well , don't remember to have caught on either model .

You may laugh at me , but I don't like metal ,-or wood lures with attached plastics too much , because of storing problems , since the plastics might affect paint or decal foil on those lures and all ends up into a sticky kinda jelly !

Still use them ocassionally , but I'd always put a plastic bag over the grubs or take them off for separate storage .

If you only want to add attraction to your spinners , why not snipping off the third hook pronge(the one soldered on) , possibly grind the remaining wire end flush down to the hookshank .
This way you can now poke on your grub easily and fix the now double hook to your spinner with a splitring .

greetz , Dieter

[muskietom51]

Hey spike i'm kind of in the same situation here, these double bladed spinners i'm using a 4/0 triple an Looking for the right size trailer hook, is that what you ma need then put the grub on the trailer? An off the way question on these blades I've got. I bought them a couple years ago before I moved an finally getting situated to building lures again. I bought them from stamina they are the Magnum spinner blades for muskies but I'm not sure what size they are. I'm looking for a #10 blade an not sure what size the one i have are. Does anyone know how to measure the blades to tell what size they are? Going back out soon as the sun starts to go down its hot here 93. Later

[diemai]

@ Spike-A-Pike

Did you come across these VMC hooks in the USA ?

They are supposed to rig plastic tubing onto them for saltwater fishing in the Baltic and North Atlantic coast off Norway(check pic of readily made lures) , and are also quite strong with an open eye .

Maybe you could rig a grub onto them as well , probably secured with some superglue ?

They have them in smaller sizes as well !

The catalog is from HAKUMA ihr Spezialist für Köder, Kunstköder, Meeresangeln, Raubfisch angeln, Pilker, Wobbler, Fischen, Bleiguss, Formen, Ruten, Rollen, Dorsch angeln, Leng angeln in Norwegen, Dänemark, Hitra .

greetz , Dieter

[Spike-A-Pike]

Tom,
The largest blades I am currently using are the #8 Indiana Fluted and the #7 Pro Willowleaf Fluted blades by from Hagen's. When I actually laid these out on the picture in the Hagen's catalog, it was a dead perfect fit. So, I thought great, I'll tell Tom and he can do the same...

Oooops, maybe Tom doesn't have a handy Hagen's catalog, then what? Well they do have the Hagen's catalog on-line, I wonder if??? So I went to the Hagen's web site and opened page 37 as a PDF.file and held my #8 to the picture on screen and it was a dead perfect fit. So, I thought great, I'll tell Tom and he can do the same...

Oooops, maybe Tom doesn't have a handy 19" flat screen monitor, then what? So, I printed the page of taking care to make sure it printed at 100% (because the defualt seting for printing most PDF.files is 95% to force a minimum margin) and I actually laid the #8 out on the picture from the Hagen's on-line catalog, it was a dead perfect fit.

SO, their claim "ACTUAL SIZE" seem pretty leget to my.

NOW FOR THE HOOKS, I wouldn't actually classify it as a trailer hook. Normally a trailer hook is used in addition to the main hook. I am wanting to replace the main hook, normally a treble hook, to a single hook. For the first attempts, I used common worm hook designs like an Eagle Claw L092 and worm hook with a "Keeper" (barbed straight shaft conected at the hook eye). The hook wire was light and the eyes where very tight on the split ring and after a fish or two, the spinner would come back without the hook. I am thinking the VMC Model #8294S or Model #9299 would have a wire heavy enough to hold up to a 50 lbs fish.

The main reason for swapping to a single hook and taking off the treble hook is to add a grub and go through some of the slop an unprotected treble collects.

[diemai]

@ Spike-A-Pike

I understand , that those "Keeper" hooks and ordinary worm hooks are too weak for your purposes .

I know those "Octopus Faultless" hooks , used them in small sizes for eel , pike and zander(walleye) , rigging dead baitfish .

There are some more strong VMC saltwater hooks available in that certain catalog , model 9730PS(halibut) and model 9754PS(has little longer shank).

Though these European model codes may differ to the American ones , there should still be the same hooks available .

After the catalog pics the above mentioned hooks have a closed straight eye , still little larger than the eye on the "octopus faultless" , feature a straight shaft and are obviously not reversed .

The 9730PS(halibut) is also flattened and said to be forged , "PS" stands for "Permasteel" .

Due to the bigger hook eyes it might be easier to rig your homemade screw lock and splitring .

To let hookpoint always ride upright , I have put one or two splitshots onto the hookshank , but my spinners those days were smaller , I doubt , wether such would be possible with musky size lures .

Greetz , Dieter

[FishinME]

Spike, what size wire are you using? I use a EWG Gamakatsu hook on my inlines. I use the "Superline" series and they are a good bit more stout than the regulars.

[Jason O]

Hey Spike, I've been thinking about doing the same thing but for Bass. Do you think that the eagle claw hooks would work? Also what size hook would work for a three inch grub? Thanks for any help.

[Spike-A-Pike]

Sorry for not getting back - the wire size is .051". I'm thinking I want to experiment with #3/0 hook; I may just need to go to Bass Pro Shop or Cabela's and look at the different hooks that are actually there and how they do. I'd like to find a setup for going after bass and pile with a #5 blade; and try a larger grub and a 4/0 or 5/0 for musky.