Experimental and Opinions Acceptable

[Micanopy]

There we go. The blade is on correctly and the sizing looks good.

1/8 oz Bat Jig, #2 hook, BG shad, small spinner blade on a clevice. Should troll nicely as everything is in line.

I made some propeller blade jigs as shown by Skip. Not as nice as his, but equal to the task. I just don’t think a propeller can emit what a blade can. Not having a split ring or swivel keeps the blade in close.

But will it work….we will have to wait and see.

[Micanopy]

BG Stroll’R baits on 1/8 oz Bat Jig head #6 Whacky hook. The shortened hook shank will allow the baits to have an exaggerated swimming action. I have high hopes for these.

[Micanopy]

Attachment 403951

[Micanopy]

I am inserting blade into clevice, then sliding clevice onto hook, then the oval bead, then into vice for a thread wrap to prevent bead from sliding rearward, then glue on thread and add plastic bait. I cleaned the powder paint off the hook shank and BAM….the blade really spins now.

Attachment 403952

[Micanopy]

[MCG1]

BG Stroll’R baits on 1/8 oz Bat Jig head #6 Whacky hook. The shortened hook shank will allow the baits to have an exaggerated swimming action. I have high hopes for these.

Will the short shank contribute to short strikes?

[Micanopy]

Will the short shank contribute to short strikes?

Short strikes…..I think you mean the fish grabbing just the tail and then turning it loose because the hook never set.

There are fish that do this sort of thing. Nibblers, peckers, busy little fish like bluegill. Crappie seem to be gulpers, inhaling the entire mess in one short movement. So I am not too concerned about the tails being bitten off by crappie.

Here is the #6 Whacky next to the EC Lil Nasty #2- same size heads at 1/8 oz.



The difference in lengths looks to be about 1/2”. On a small bait that makes a big difference in movement.

What does concern me is what happened last weekend. The fish were hooked and then came off as they got close to the boat. These hooks have a definite downward slant from the bend to the point. Could be that this is just sticking them and failing to fully insert. If the issue comes around again I will be bending the hooks out some to see if it solves the mystery. Could be any number of reasons though as DrNip was also having a very similar issue and he doesn’t use these hooks.



I bought some BG Stroll’Rs to try to get more action from just a bait and a head, with no added spinner. Spinning blades really don’t need much else as they are the attractant. So the little bit of missing hook shank will allow more movement at the rear end of the bait. More movement more vibration. I can’t wait to try these out.

[BobC]

Once again gotta give a tip o’ the hat. Please keep us posted on the potential hook set issues.
Bob

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

That particular hook is designed for bass fishing originally and has a thicker wire than your normal crappie hooks. The bigger barb could be making a bigger hole in Mr. papermouth's face causing more fish to escape. When reeling a crappie in I keep my rod tip low and don't let crappie come to the surface and shake their heads. I lose very few by keeping them below the surface. I'd stick with aberdeen and sickle hooks when you are trolling.

[skeetbum]

Just my input on what has worked for me. 1/32 , 1/16, and 1/8 are what I use for trolling. The best stay connected hook for them all is a #2 sickle. The 1/32 with smaller plastics gets a #4 and the plastic is threaded on closer to the top, or not as deep. This helps by not filling in the hook gap with lure body. The strollers demand a bigger hook and mine in fact do get short struck occasionally. Just pay attention to how many times the rod bends over and then releases. I’ve tried #1 and even 1/0 but they just didn’t work for me. 2” southern pro curl tails are my best producer the last two years and Kalins Triple Threat also work well. Very few short strikes with those. I also use 1 1/2” curl tails later last year and they worked super with almost no short strikes. With those, dark bodies and brighter tails were tops. Hope this helps some.