Adjusting weight of weighted hooks

[SteveTX]

There is a local company that makes fairly large plastic swimbaits here. These larger ones are fairly unique as they are a weedless design. The bait has a huge hook slot designed for a 10/0 Owner Beast hook. Now the guy who makes these baits and some of his supporting cast (several Lake Fork guides) have videos on the best way to rig this bait. In their videos and on the package they say use a unweighted 10/0 Owner Beast hook and take some STORM Suspenstrips and apply a small piece until it suits you on fall rate and how it swims, the minimum amount of weight is recommended.

Well low and behold many mom and pop tackle shops don't even carry a 10/0 Owner Beast hooks and since this bait has become quite popular in this area many are sold out of the unweighted version. That included my local shop.  They did have some of the 10/0 but they were weighted 1/4 oz. . I wanted to fish this new bait so here is my tip.

The Tip actually starts here:
Buy the over weighted correct size and style hook. Use a rasp or file and you can very easily shape the lead to a much better shape. In my case here I wanted my weight to be thin and much lighter for fitting the hook slot. Its hard to see but I filed both sides flat just barely thicker than the hook wire itself. Then I shaped the top sort of like a house top ^ so its can easily slide through the plastic when it is time to be exposed. I somewhat rounded all other sharper edges left from taking the sides down just for appearance I guess. I haven't weighed it but just estimating I'm going to guess its around a 1/4 oz now with plenty of lead hanging below the hook to easily take it down around a 1/8 oz.

Here are some of the benefits:

• The hook functions much better as it will slide up exposing the hook on a bite much easier.
• You get to tweak to what ever size weight you want less than 1/2 oz.
• The weight will stay permanently attached, unlike the suspendstrips.
• You no longer have to look for, or purchase suspendstrips for this application.

[Mike Cork]

Great tip, I've used dikes to cut away at the weight to lighten it up, but that leaves it jagged and I've never felt it was allowing the bait to fall correctly. Using the file creates a smooth shape, I like it

[Smallie_Stalker]

 

Back when I could fish lead-weighted hooks I never thought of doing it this way. Would have made things a lot easier. And I like that you can shape the weight just about any way you want.

Excellent tip. Thanks Steve.

[WTodd]

Another thing you can do is take the weightless hooks and add split shots in place of the big weights, then cut off the little lead "tabs".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Smallie_Stalker]

Another thing you can do is take the weightless hooks and add split shots in place of the big weights, then cut off the little lead "tabs".


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's what I have to do now but I have to use tin split-shot. I can shape it to some degree with pliers but I'm gonna try the rasp trick and see what results I can get. 

[WTodd]

Many ways to skin a cat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[big g]

Just keep it simple!