Punching hook question

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Freefall
Posts: 319
Joined: Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:19 am

Punching hook question

Post by Freefall »

I primarily fish the D and have punched for years. Besides frogging it's by far my favorite way to catch em. However, I HATE using a straight shank hook and Snell knot combo. I cannot keep the hook from punching through the bait and snagging the cover on the way in and out. Which leads to wasted time and bad presentations. I feel like I spend more time messing with that than actually fishing.

So for the last few years I've been using a Trokar TK105 Worm hook , snelled. It's worked beautifully. However, I have had a few open up on me. Yesterday I got my heart broken and lost an absolute beast due to her bending out the hook.

My question is, is there a better/stronger EWG hook than the Gami superline? It's just not enough to pull a 10 out of trash on a punch rod IMO. Or is there a better way to get the straight shank/Snell combo to fish cleaner?

Any help is appreciated.
Fear does not prevent death, it prevents life.

You've never lived until you've almost died and for those who have fought for it, life has a whole new flavor that the protected will never know....
Fish Trap
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 6:17 pm
Location: Fair Oaks

Re: Punching hook question

Post by Fish Trap »

Just take the best hook you like. Go buy some 1/8" diameter or smaller shrink tubing and rod tip glue stick. Cut the shrink tubing at a long angle like the ones in Tosh's set up about 3/8" long piece, and add a small piece of the rod tip glue stick in the tubing next to the hook where you want to put this bait stop. Heat up with a torch or lighter and pinch the end where the 45 degree shrink tubing angle is. If you cut this angle long and get the melted glue in there, you will get a great stop so your baits do not come off. I like mine about 1/8 of an inch and I leave a bit of glue in there to make it stick out a bit and have a bite. Been punching for years and still love Bub's hooks with this set up. The added glue helps the shrink tubing stick to the hook and keeps the point that holds the bait strong. D bombs seem to be the best baits and hold up the longest for me.
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ash
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by ash »

Freefall wrote:I primarily fish the D and have punched for years. Besides frogging it's by far my favorite way to catch em. However, I HATE using a straight shank hook and Snell knot combo. I cannot keep the hook from punching through the bait and snagging the cover on the way in and out. Which leads to wasted time and bad presentations. I feel like I spend more time messing with that than actually fishing.

So for the last few years I've been using a Trokar TK105 Worm hook , snelled. It's worked beautifully. However, I have had a few open up on me. Yesterday I got my heart broken and lost an absolute beast due to her bending out the hook.

My question is, is there a better/stronger EWG hook than the Gami superline? It's just not enough to pull a 10 out of trash on a punch rod IMO. Or is there a better way to get the straight shank/Snell combo to fish cleaner?

Any help is appreciated.
I want to preface this with i don't have a hook sponsor, so no team or sides from me. I punch with essentially two different hook styles - the VMC Heavy Duty Flippin Hook (which comes with the keeper) and for heavy flippin or times i don't want a snell I use the Owner J Hook almost for all my flippin and for the bigger baits i use the owner extra wide gap plus hook. I have not had an issue with the owners or VMC opening up or bending down on me - i cant imagine the heartache you experienced.

With the snell hooks eating away at the bait, I feel your pain there but I dont have a solution - I just bury the hook point in the middle of the bait and if it starts popping out between flips I just find a new opening until the bait looks like i shot it with buck shot - perhaps Birch or Bub can share a tip?
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BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER »

Well that’s the catch 22 isn’t it? Straight shank hooks have the best hook up ratio but are the worst for keeping pladtic baits on without destroying them. I dont tie snell knot either. Instead I use an Owner CPS (large size preferably) on a Mustad Ultra Point round bend swim jig hook in 3/0 90% of the time. Owner sells their own twist lock punching hook which is basically the same thing but come with a medium size CPS and I can by the Mustads in bulk much cheaper. Very good hook up ratio this way and I get significantly more use out of each plastic bait....that spring is pretty amazin. Another huge tip is don’t use a large hook, most people go way too big on the hook size because their ego thinks they need it or someone at the dock said so. I call BS! The vast majority of the time I stick with a 3/0 round bend hook, It gets faster penetration than bigger hooks and it’s less likely to hang up in the trash. The only time I switch to an EWG style hook for punchin is when I’m flipping tube baits and I’m forced to rig it tex-posed
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mark poulson
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by mark poulson »

Use a straight shank hook with a keeper, put an 0 ring 3/8" onto the head of your bait to catch the keeper, put your hook in like you normally would, but don't let the point go all the way through.
If you snell your hook, it will cam out through the plastic on the hookset, and the 0 ring will hold the hook in position and keep the point from exposing itself while you're punching, until you get bit.
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Freefall
Posts: 319
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by Freefall »

Thanks for the responses. Oddly enough I picked up some of the Owner CPS hooks today.

In case I wasn't clear in my initial comment. The issue I have is with the hook point pushing through the bait and snagging on the cover going in and out. It seems with the cam motion of the Snell knot when the bait is coming out of the cover it forces the hook through the bait and then snags. Then on the way in if there's anything that pushes against the bait the hook point pushes through and snags again.

I'm hoping that the owner hook cures this. I've had really good hook up to land ratio punching but the few I've lost have all been between 5-10 lbs which sucks.

I'll let you guys know how it goes after I get out again Monday.
Fear does not prevent death, it prevents life.

You've never lived until you've almost died and for those who have fought for it, life has a whole new flavor that the protected will never know....
Randy Walker
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by Randy Walker »

Have you checked out the New Jack Flippn Hook from R2S? I've been using them for years now with no failures and have punched 8lb bass and pulled them out of the junk. It's not to say that one will not fail as I think any hook can at some point under the conditions of a big fish in the junk with 65-100 lb braid and a broom stick for a rod.. haha
The bait keeper can actually be used as the line tie eye, meaning you don't have to tie a snell knot if you do not want too. I personally still do the reverse snell because I'm used to it, but the hook was designed for heavy flippn/punching with a straight shank hook that you do not have to snell… check them out.

As for penetration of the plastic, they do very well. The Trokar is so darn sharp that just a little pressure has the hook point slice thru the plastic, which is great for hook ups, but sucks for hooking into the vegetation you're punching. Give the New Jack Hook a look... maybe you'll find them to be what you're looking for.

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Fishfreq
Posts: 95
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Re: Punching hook question

Post by Fishfreq »

BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER wrote:Well that’s the catch 22 isn’t it? Straight shank hooks have the best hook up ratio but are the worst for keeping pladtic baits on without destroying them. I dont tie snell knot either. Instead I use an Owner CPS (large size preferably) on a Mustad Ultra Point round bend swim jig hook in 3/0 90% of the time. Owner sells their own twist lock punching hook which is basically the same thing but come with a medium size CPS and I can by the Mustads in bulk much cheaper. Very good hook up ratio this way and I get significantly more use out of each plastic bait....that spring is pretty amazin. Another huge tip is don’t use a large hook, most people go way too big on the hook size because their ego thinks they need it or someone at the dock said so. I call BS! The vast majority of the time I stick with a 3/0 round bend hook, It gets faster penetration than bigger hooks and it’s less likely to hang up in the trash. The only time I switch to an EWG style hook for punchin is when I’m flipping tube baits and I’m forced to rig it tex-posed
I'll second that hook design right there, is the absolute BEST all around. Comes thru cover excellent, hookup ratio excellent, and that 60° Jig bend at the top FIRES the hook point out thru bone right now when you set. And you're right about being able to use smaller hooks, although i never go THAT small (note not all hook mfg sizes are consistent), i use 5/0 most often. Only occasional go bigger, but I tend to punch bigger baits. Got good ones thru Falcon hooks, bounced 7's, 8's outta cover a few times no problems. I believe they could be a Mustad made hook too, very tough, never break. Recommend 5/0 size if you only get one size, but they do make 6/0 and 7/0...
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mark poulson
Posts: 10372
Joined: Sun May 08, 2005 4:16 am
Location: Antioch, CA

Re: Punching hook question

Post by mark poulson »

Freefall wrote:Thanks for the responses. Oddly enough I picked up some of the Owner CPS hooks today.

In case I wasn't clear in my initial comment. The issue I have is with the hook point pushing through the bait and snagging on the cover going in and out. It seems with the cam motion of the Snell knot when the bait is coming out of the cover it forces the hook through the bait and then snags. Then on the way in if there's anything that pushes against the bait the hook point pushes through and snags again.

I'm hoping that the owner hook cures this. I've had really good hook up to land ratio punching but the few I've lost have all been between 5-10 lbs which sucks.

I'll let you guys know how it goes after I get out again Monday.
The 0 ring cuts this way down. Also, because of the snelled hook's camming action, you can embed the hook point straight up into the bait, so it is much more snagless, and it will still come out on the hookset.
Attitude plus effort equal success
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