Shoulder Hooking Sardines?

[Steve K]

In an article titled "Bait Basics"in Western Outdoors, written by Brandon Hayward, he discusses how to hook your bait. He's advocating shoulder or back hooking the bait as you would a kite bait. He quotes Frank LoPreste:

"I tell all my anglers to back hook their sardines. It used to be we only back hooked our baits if they were going out on the kite, but it's a great way to hook a flylined bait, too."

It's been a while since I heard Frank do a seminar, but have never heard him talk about back hooking. Anybody up on this? I usually butt or breast hook unless there's a strong current, and then I nose hook. I nose hook for wide open bites, too. The ones where you actually have to count to 3 before you put the reel in gear.

[wahoodad]

A few years ago, after the double trouble kite rig became so productive, they looked at the fact that a shoulder hooked bait lived a long ass time. Frank now speaks of it all the time in seminars, as does Capt Bruce Smith. The nape of the neck, behind the head but ahead of the dorsal, not too deep. It's nice for a bunch of reasons: The hook is invisble from underneath, where most fish come from. It kind of swims back when you wind it back, getting those windin bonus fish. Bait lives a long time.
Johnny Takata's uncle Kent Fukamoto(sp) showed me this years ago, and I thought he was crazy, until I saw he was bit all the time.
Also, the Excel crew has been doing this for probably the longest. Seems like a Poole trick.

[StillinScrubs]

With only one trip under my belt maybe this was an experience issue, but I found it hard to shoulder hook baits with the circle hooks. I could get them, but I often took too much or too little of a "bite" since the hook isn't straight. Any suggestions for my next trip?

[wahoodad]

Yeah, fish J hooks. Seriously Scott, I don't fish circles myself, but set the hook circle hook style with J hooks. 98% of the time, the hook is a corner hookset. When Super Mutus got popular, I found I was harming the bait in the hooking procedure, so started experimenting with using J hooks in the same manner. Give it a whirl.

[sdangler]

David,

You could still however put a circle through behind the head as long as it's not like a 7/0 or something right? And just so that I understand what you're saying; you use a J hook and don't swing on it, just let it come tight and start fighting the fish? Much like you do with a circle hook?

Interesting thread by the way. Thanks for the information.

Mark

[wahoodad]

Originally Posted by sdangler

David,

You could still however put a circle through behind the head as long as it's not like a 7/0 or something right? And just so that I understand what you're saying; you use a J hook and don't swing on it, just let it come tight and start fighting the fish? Much like you do with a circle hook?

Mark

Yes, you can, but most circles have such a narrow gap. I just find the J's like Gorillas, Eagle Claw 319 Mags and the like much easier to pin the bait on with.
When I get a bite, I immediately put the reel in gear, and start winding, pointing the rod right at the fish. When I can't wind anymore, I slightly raise the rod, not much of a swing at all.

[Steve K]

I learn something new all the time. Sure glad I'm not too poor to pay attention. I too fish J hooks the same as circles. Get the same results. I do like a circle hook for Bluefin to help insure that corner of the mouth hookset. I worry about those teeth.

As far as getting a circle hook into a bait, especially a butt hook, I find it helpful to use the point of the hook to scrape away a scale or two so I'm not trying to insert the hook into a scale, but rather into the skin. Try that Scott, even with a J hook.

[The Notorious S.U.A]

I'm gonna give the J hooks a try on this next trip. I've been using the 9/0 2005's for almost everything so far, no problems yet.
But i do like this J hook and Shoulder pinning idea.

[Kurt]

Wanna see a major clusterfuck? Bring a bunch of noobs and shoulder or gill hook their baits

[jimm]

Outstanding thread! Markus Medak clued me into this method last year. Works well!

[sdangler]

Originally Posted by Kurt

Wanna see a major clusterfuck? Bring a bunch of noobs and shoulder or gill hook their baits

Hey Kurt,

I don't know... More fish for me since my bait will still be alive. Those fuckers will all be in the corner anyway.

This is really a good thread. I'll have to give the J hook method that David uses a try. I actually switched to circles cause I was missing too many fish with the J hooks, but since I was trying to be like Roland Martin on a largemouth, there's no wonder... I guess it would also be a lot easier with a bigger hook to get through the back like that than through the nose.

G-spot, Is June friggin here yet? Keep your eyes open, we're about to post the BD Charters... And who makes a 2005? IS that a Mustad? Forget it, I found it. Eagle Claw.

Mark

[branman]

I too fish J hooks circle style.

I do like the slow retrieve with the shoulder hook it doesn't seem to twist up the line like the butt hook which I rip out before retrieve missing out on some time with the bait in the zone.