Yet Another Wart Thread..

[Topwater TRL]

A couple of things I do on my Warts which improves them whether new out of the box or the old, pre-Rapala favorites.. 1) I spray them with flat clear coat. This takes all the shine off and gives them a dull finish. Always seems to outfish those with a shiny finish. 2) You can significantly change the action of your Wart by changing out the back treble hook, replacing with one from another brand, say Gama, etc but don't change the size of hook. The alternate brand hook has just enough weight variance to make the butt end of your Wart wiggle wider or tighter. Lighter wire treble hook will swing wider and vise versa. A salt water heavy duty hook will give the tightest wobble if that's what you want. Some days it makes a big difference. Probably not surprising, I think a wider wobble works best in colder water. Yes, I spend too much time with my Warts!

[CanoeBoy]

I hear alot of talk about these "Warts", so I decided to buy one. Used it for the first time and I must have bought a retarded Wart because it swims sideways when I reel it in.

[abkeenan]

I hear alot of talk about these "Warts", so I decided to buy one. Used it for the first time and I must have bought a retarded Wart because it swims sideways when I reel it in.

Did you trying tuning it? Bend the eyelet on the bait in the opposite direction of the way it is running sideways. I just use needle nose pliers and keep adjusting until it comes back the way you want. Keep in mind it might take 10+ casts and adjustments to get it just right.

[Guest]

what are the stock treble hook sizes?

I saw Greg Bohannon putting #5 on his warts. I only use the odd sizes on japanese jerkbaits.

[abkeenan]

what are the stock treble hook sizes?

I saw Greg Bohannon putting #5 on his warts. I only use the odd sizes on japanese jerkbaits.

The older pre rapala warts from the 70's or 80's have really crappy silver hooks that are TINY, probably like a size 8. Then they switched probably in the early to mid 90's to a larger bronze hook size 4 or 5 treble. I put size 4 Owner ST-41s on mine and size 4 KVD elites also. Some guys even put a size 4 on the front hook and 6 on the back but I don't do that.

[Guest]

Dangit,

Ive been using #6 trebles to keep them from tangling on each other.

What effect do smaller trebles have on the wart, in terms of action?

[abkeenan]

what are the stock treble hook sizes?

I saw Greg Bohannon putting #5 on his warts. I only use the odd sizes on japanese jerkbaits.

If you really want to use a size 5 treble I would suggest getting the Owner ST-36's. They have size 5 which is an odd size treble and they are also a fantastic hook, just not the 2X strong like the ST-41. It annoys me they don't make the ST-41 in size 5.

[mixermarkb]

I think when I get my paints back, I'm going to go with the owner or daichi trebles. I put the KVD hooks on a bunch of them, but I don't think I like the 2X hook on a wart. The thinner the wire, the better the hookset is my theory. I fish warts in cool water, the fish are still a bit sluggish, so i don't expect to have them straighten a hook on me. I'm not throwing them into heavy cover like a squarebill, so I'm fine with the light wire hook.

[kjackson]

The older pre rapala warts from the 70's or 80's have really crappy silver hooks that are TINY, probably like a size 8. Then they switched probably in the early to mid 90's to a larger bronze hook size 4 or 5 treble. I put size 4 Owner ST-41s on mine and size 4 KVD elites also. Some guys even put a size 4 on the front hook and 6 on the back but I don't do that.

Back when Storm was still using the silver beaked hooks, I asked the PR person(or maybe it was by Gary Storm himself) why they used 'em. She said that it was to help the Warts go through timber better. I think the change in hooks came for two reasons-- steelhead fishermen on the coast wanted a better hook and the trend in the tackle industry at the time was that trebles should be round-bend VMCs.

I also talked to a Rapala manager just after the purchase, and he was appalled by the "quality" of the Storm lures. I know the Finnish engineers wanted to make everything "more consistent" in the baits they made, and that's why the Madflash series was created.

[dtrs5kprs]

Have always run Gamakatsu size 6 on mine. Both EWG and regular round bend. Stay away from heavier wire and you will get more baits back to the tackle box. Only downside to the gammies is checking and changing them frequently for rolled points from contact and popping off hang ups.

Mark is right on with the cool water thought. A light wire hook, even just a hand sharpened cheap round bend, will find some mouth if they suck the bait in and shake their head or turn a little. Gives you one more chance to feel and stick them.