Hook up with shakey head bad.

[Ladr6]

Buddy and i were out trying to build confidence in the shakey head. Both throwing them
on 7’3” MH baitcasters 14lbs flouro and he was using a 3/8oz and i was using a 1/4oz. We had an awful time getting hooked up and staying hooked up. Any idea why? Setup too much? Should you sweep the rod instead of straight up? It was probaby for wveryone we got to the boat we would loose or miss 3-4. I plan to give the spinning outfit a go next time out and see if it helps. Any information is greatly appreciated.

[TableRock55]

I feel your pain. Looking forward to answers.

[Bassbuster95]

flat eye or stragiht eye hook?
Spring lock?
Hook size?
Did you shapren them?
Which worm? thick one?

I'm far from a shakeyhead guru, but.....

I prefer flateye hook styles. I hate spring lock type (prefer big bite baits limit getter). I always shapren hooks regardless of brand or age.

[Ladr6]

Using the spot remover and edwin evers. Both with vertical line ties. 4/0 hooks. Both spring lock. Grandbass airtail worms. Hooks plenty sharp. You would feel the bite and by the time the rod loaded he was gone, or if you actually got him on, and he jumped, would spit it right back at ya. I tried to shorten the bait some to see if it helped, but not sure if it did.

flat eye or stragiht eye hook?
Spring lock?
Hook size?
Did you shapren them?
Which worm? thick one?

I'm far from a shakeyhead guru, but.....

I prefer flateye hook styles. I hate spring lock type (prefer big bite baits limit getter). I always shapren hooks regardless of brand or age.

[Dave A]

Wait a little longer before setting the hook.

[Ladr6]

So we did try that, and i think it may have helped a little but it wasnt like a drastic improvement. At times they would just grab it and run off with it, set the hook and nothing.

Wait a little longer before setting the hook.

[akaslyguy]

I'm no expert... but some of my favorite fishing is with a shakey head. However, I use lighter gear than you are using. I like a 7ft, medium/fast spinning setup. 15-20lb hi-viz yellow braid with a 7lb leader and use a 1/8th to 1/4oz jig head. My bait of choice is a zoom trick worm. When I feel the bite, I reel into the fish and load up the rod at the same time.... but never really "set the hook" hard. If I keep missing bites I will use a shorter zoom finesse worm.

[DeadOnJohn]

I agree with akaslyguy. Had some key bites for the Lanier bfl earlier this year and missed them due to bad hooksets. Would've finished really high if I had 2 more fish. I learned that I needed to reel down til I felt weight and then lean into the fish. I fish a 1/4 oz owner football shakey head on an nrx 853 with 12lb flouro

[DMart1]

It's not your setup. Could be the bait you're using, just aren't eating it. Try downsizing.

[HookedAgain!]

Agree on downsizing... If not you may need to go to a bigger gap hook.....

[Ladr6]

This is exactly what we were doing or trying to anyway. Will try a smaller bait

I agree with akaslyguy. Had some key bites for the Lanier bfl earlier this year and missed them due to bad hooksets. Would've finished really high if I had 2 more fish. I learned that I needed to reel down til I felt weight and then lean into the fish. I fish a 1/4 oz owner football shakey head on an nrx 853 with 12lb flouro

[Ladr6]

It's not your setup. Could be the bait you're using, just aren't eating it. Try downsizing.

So is it more of a thickness issues and the hook not coming through the bait or a length issue due to them just grabbing the tail? I made sure to skin hook the baits as i would a t-rig.

[Walkabout7781]

Could be that the fish is grabbing the tail only. They may want a different color or different bait. This may also just be one of those situations where adding a scent might help 100%. I've had awesome results with a 5" Zoom GP lizard, had decent results with a 6", and starting to experiment with craws...just out of curiosity, apparently! I fish a 1/4 oz Shakyhead all the time, on a baitcaster. I started with a Shimano Compre 7' M and changed to a Denali Attax 7' MH, both with 10 lb FC, but changed recently to P-line CXX and I'm happy with it.

My two fav Shakyheads are Owner and Dirty Jigs. The Dirty Jigs Scott Canterbury seems like a good all around jighead, while Owner has football and round-ish, and which you use makes a difference. The new SK Shakyhead also looks real similar to the Dirty Jigs, but their prices are high and the hooks are too big for the baits I want to use. Some guys like the Zoom Trick Worms, which could justify a bigger hook, tho I have used a 3/0 Trokar EWG without any problems. Our theory is that the bigger hook will tend to get hung-up (with the fish) more than a smaller hook. It doesn't make a lot of sense to use a 5/0 hook on a "finesse" presentation, but that's JMO. I just hit them like I would with anything else, keeping in mind that I'm only using 10 lb (or now 12 lb) line.

[DTS]

I am the buddy of Ladr6, I’ve been using the dirty jigs mag standup EWG jighead with the 4/0 hook and a 7.5” worm. With this being said it’s not so much a finesse application but I still have the same issue, reel down when I feel the bite and swing into them and it’s a 50/50 shot. They’re either hooked well or come right off. Using the same setup as stated above. So the shorter worm may do the trick?

[Walkabout7781]

Personally, I'd douse it with some of my favorite scent and try letting them munch it a little longer. If they're just hitting the tail, adding the scent and giving a little extra time might encourage them to suck it down to get the hook in their mouth. You've only done this for one day, right? I think the results will improve after a few more days of messing with it. IMO, it's not really any different than regular old Texas-rigged worm fishing, except the hook and sinker are combined into one. Don't forget that some of those bites might be Bluegills, Rockbass or Perch...whatever you really don't want to mess with.

[DeadOnJohn]

Gotcha, Ladr6. I'm chasing spotted bass here so mine is more finesse. Downsize baits and let us know how y'all do!

[DrewFlu33]

Try using a style of shakey head where the head of the bait is on the hook shank instead of a screw lock. I've got a lot of thoughts on this, but to keep it short just think about how the hook point is in relation to the bait on the two styles. If the head of the bait is on the hook shank, the point is much more perpendicular and goes through the bait (and into the fish's mouth) much more readily. With a screw lock the point is much more parallel with the bait and it takes a lot more to get the hook into the fish's mouth. I think that screw lock eats up some of your hook's gap/throat/bite/whatever you want to call it as well.

[akaslyguy]

Try using a style of shakey head where the head of the bait is on the hook shank instead of a screw lock. I've got a lot of thoughts on this, but to keep it short just think about how the hook point is in relation to the bait on the two styles. If the head of the bait is on the hook shank, the point is much more perpendicular and goes through the bait (and into the fish's mouth) much more readily. With a screw lock the point is much more parallel with the bait and it takes a lot more to get the hook into the fish's mouth. I think that screw lock eats up some of your hook's gap/throat/bite/whatever you want to call it as well.

I use this exact style of jig head for all my shakey head fishing. I like the way you think :) If it matters or not... I don't know... but I have no reason to change things up. I just use the cheap ones form Walmart, I think Lucky strike is the brand. I hang them up pretty often in the Rocky lake I fish, so no need to spend a fortune on them for the non-competitive fishing I do.

[Ladr6]

Try using a style of shakey head where the head of the bait is on the hook shank instead of a screw lock. I've got a lot of thoughts on this, but to keep it short just think about how the hook point is in relation to the bait on the two styles. If the head of the bait is on the hook shank, the point is much more perpendicular and goes through the bait (and into the fish's mouth) much more readily. With a screw lock the point is much more parallel with the bait and it takes a lot more to get the hook into the fish's mouth. I think that screw lock eats up some of your hook's gap/throat/bite/whatever you want to call it as well.

Interesting point. Guess i will need to pick some up and try them.

[Walkabout7781]

On the other hand...I don't see the problem with the screw-lock types, except that some are harder to get screwed into the nose of the 'worm' than others. That's where the center pin curly spring doodad shines (Owner and now SK). I'm really pretty shocked with how big the hooks are on this "finesse" lure type...some up to 6/0, fer God's sake! It's not easy to find them with 3/0 hooks, not that hook size labels really mean a heck of a lot these days..."extra long shank with extra wide gap" being so common in descriptions. Compare a 3/0 Gamakatsu EWG with a 3/0 Owner EWG or even a 3/0 Gamakatsu G-Lock...nowhere near similar sizes.

Like any other plastic bait rig, I "skin hook" the bait...push the hook completely through, pull it back out a little, then push the point slightly under the skin. If you just push the hook point and barb into the worm, and let it sit right there, then I could see why you'd have a problem getting the hook out of the plastic and into the fish. Hang in there, and give it some time!