crank bait ?

[jim m]

when you up the size of the hooks and to keep the hooks from tangling is it better to change the front or the back hook

[Al Agnew]

For hooks tangling it doesn't make any difference.  If the hooks are too big or too close to each other, they WILL tangle, doesn't matter which one is bigger.  Only way to be sure that doesn't happen is to put them on the lure and then play around with the hooks to see if you can make them tangle.  If you can, they will when fishing, sooner or later.  

Otherwise...just keep in mind that you will hook more fish on the belly treble than the rear treble on almost any crankbait.  If you think the hooks are too small and you're only going to replace one, make it the belly hook.

[Mitch f]

On September 7, 2016 at 4:44 PM, Al Agnew said:

For hooks tangling it doesn't make any difference.  If the hooks are too big or too close to each other, they WILL tangle, doesn't matter which one is bigger.  Only way to be sure that doesn't happen is to put them on the lure and then play around with the hooks to see if you can make them tangle.  If you can, they will when fishing, sooner or later.  

Otherwise...just keep in mind that you will hook more fish on the belly treble than the rear treble on almost any crankbait.  If you think the hooks are too small and you're only going to replace one, make it the belly hook.

Good advice Al... I might add that you can upsize the hook with the newer short shank trebles and still not have a tangling issue. The Gamakatsu short shank EWG's are a great solution.

 

 

[Chief Grey Bear]

Must be the fish over here. I rarely get fish with the belly hook. Well over 95% get the tail hook. 

You can add a little flash to it by replacing with a gold hook. I replace my with #8's sometimes #10's on smaller cranks. I usually leave the belly hook as is except for adding a skirt to it.

[Ketchup]

Same here. Camped/fished Stockton the past few days throwing a KVD 1.5 and all but maybe 2 of the over 30 fish caught with the crank came on the rear treble.  

[176champion]

The ones i manage to catch are usually on the rear hook also..

[kjackson]

Rear hook only? Really?  I've never noticed that the majority of fish I've taken on crankbaits came on the rear hook.  Perhaps that was where I was fishing, but even when I fished Beaver I never saw that.  I have to wonder why.

Walleye pros I've talked to have said that when a fish hits the rear hook, it was more a matter of the fish not liking something about the bait or its presentation...that color, size, speed or something was wrong, but it wasn't so wrong that the fish didn't want to hit. Not that we can tell what a fish "wants".  I figure it's like putting out a bowl of blue peanuts. I like peanuts, and I want to eat peanuts, but blue?  OK, so maybe I'll try one to see... I can see a fish's response being something like that, especially when there is a lot of plain peanuts floating around like this year's spawn.

[Al Agnew]

Caught a bunch of bass the last two days on a Wiggle Wart, and only one was hooked only with the rear treble.  Most had the front treble within their mouth and the rear treble outside the mouth, even if the rear was sunk in.  I'm really surprised that some of you catch so many on the rear hook, especially since bass usually try to take their food head first.

[Gavin]

Hardly ever catch bass on the back hook with jerkbaits or cranks. Brown trout go for the head too. Could cut the back hook off of most and not worry unless it makes the lure run wrong IMO

[Chief Grey Bear]

Funny you mention that

10 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

Caught a bunch of bass the last two days on a Wiggle Wart, and only one was hooked only with the rear treble.  Most had the front treble within their mouth and the rear treble outside the mouth, even if the rear was sunk in.  I'm really surprised that some of you catch so many on the rear hook, especially since bass usually try to take their food head first.

I got to paying attention to this yesterday. I noticed that most bass from about 14" and down, did indeed take the front hook. But all from 14" and up only took the rear hook.