Circle or straight shank hooks for drop shot

[Spoonminnow]

I've been using circle hook successfully for drop shot baits but have many small, thin wire straight shank hooks in stock. Anyone use or prefer straight shank hooks for d/s? Have you noticed any difference in hook up rate?

[M R Dux]

I use a rotating hook like a Tru-Turn or Eagle Claw.

[Spoonminnow]

I have some Tru Turn hooks I haven't used in years. Thin wire, sharp and offset - sounds good! I always wondered
if crappie or other species might be hook shy, but after catching them on nose hooked baits where the hook is obvious,
I don't think it matters as much as what the bait is doing. Last week I had to slowly move the lure a few inches at a time to get a strike. Stationary lures were ignored.

I plan on using d/s more and more for confidence in the technique and the knowledge that slow and steady in summer is the way to go from 10 am to 3pm.

[Crestliner08]

One important aspect that is sometimes overlooked by many drop shotters, is the hook point itself. Now this applies mostly to deep water drop shotting for small mouth bass, so I'm not sure it applies to crappie. However, I've had very good results adhering to this design. If you use a "beaked" or curved point, the hook has a tendency to pierce the upper lip skin and come back out, leaving you with only a small piece of skin actually being held onto by the hook. A straight hook point stays completely buried into the upper lip.

Again, this has proved itself out well in small mouth bass fishing and I'm sure it has some relevancy with respect to crappie. I always use the Gamakatsu drop shot/split shot hook in size #2 due to its straight point. This is what it looks like:



And here is a picture of what I refer to as the "beaked" point, which is what I've stopped using:



I have tried circle hooks on the drop shot as well (I've been drop shotting for about a dozen years now) and have not found them to be as effective in solid hook-ups, in comparison the Gamakatsu hooks shown above. Again, my experience is with the small mouth, not with the crappie. I've just started using the drop shot for crappie last season and this, so my experience with this species and the drop shot, is limited. JMO Folks!

[skiptomylu]

I use a Gamakatsu drop shot hook, size #1 or #2. I have used a circle hook as well, but you have to train your self to not actually set the hook and just pull instead.

[Spoonminnow]

I also prefer the Gammie Hook and another used by trout anglers that isn't beaked or curbed. I still wonder about small, thin wire straight shank hooks to do the job. Last year I was fishing a hump and got into a school of sunfish using the straight shank and caught fish after fish. I'll still give it a go.

[Locator79]

Setting the hook on the thump is too much fun to use a circle hook!