ok ok , it MIGHT have been hook the hook size

[Ketchn]

.... lost 2 really large crappie yesterday on quick pit stop .
landed one really chunky bass that was rather uncooperative in the image department .
the bite was very much hard to describe, and they were either about 3 foot deep in 15 foot of water or following the bait up , the jury is out as no electronics available to see for sure .
birds were working shad close to me and the closer they got the better the bite .
missed 3 takes and only hooked up 3 times and never got to hold a crappie .
only stayed about 45 minutes as the sun was setting and they close at sunset .
i used a really small j hook number 6 and it had very little exposure due to the massive amounts of brush I was dipping into .
might have been too small of a hook is my guess , not sure

[BobC]

Nice Ketch! A nice quick trip for you!
Bob

[Ketchn]

Nice Ketch! A nice quick trip for you!
Bob

frustrates me to lose 2 big crappie and the second one looked me down for a half second before it went south .
the bass was sure enough a steam engine though and did take to the air nicely one time or 2 .
beats not ketchn all day long for sure , thanks bro

[SuperDave336]

That’s a running joke now with me and my buddy. We love those #6 j-hooks and have caught tons of fish with them. And now after hearing Kevin Rogers on SK Crappie Fishing Adventures on YouTube whenever we miss a fish we blame it on those stinking little hooks…. With bass like that though.. they all are stinking little hooks….. Nice catch Ketchn. And I still love my #6 j-hooks!!!

[Ketchn]

That’s a running joke now with me and my buddy. We love those #6 j-hooks and have caught tons of fish with them. And now after hearing Kevin Rogers on SK Crappie Fishing Adventures on YouTube whenever we miss a fish we blame it on those stinking little hooks…. With bass like that though.. they all are stinking little hooks….. Nice catch Ketchn. And I still love my #6 j-hooks!!!

it was more about the exposure of said hook , not the size is my thing . trying to conceal most of the gap is something I often do when the cover is really thick , would rather lose one or 2 fish and or miss one or 2 than to keep jerking on the brush and freaking the fish out ....
besides all that losing a jig makes me unhappy ......but then again sometimes it is that a way with the fish as well
there is a method to my madness

[DockShootinJack]

It is a catch 22 most of the time

[DockShootinJack]

If I remember correctly Mister Twister made a slimy slug years ago that had slits in the top and bottom to allow the hook to stay low in the bait but once set allowed the be more exposed and buried deep in the fishes mouth

[Micanopy]

One hook might work great for someone, and yet for someone else be a horrible hook. Has to do with the manner in which it is being used. Angles and such.

The Bat Jig was designed to be vertically jigged and uses a small short shank hook. A #6 Do-It Whacky Hook to be exact. The idea being that the shorter shank keeps everything more compact and less likely to snag. The eye is at 60 degrees as well. I imagine the jig’s head or the line encounters the stick and then the jig flips over it. If it does snag they say a wiggle or two should disengage it from the limb. The designer figured all of this out and Do-It made the mold based on what he had been working up at home. Batterson ? The hook tip does definitely ride higher than most, which I liked. I made some using the much larger #2 Do-It Whacky Hook and they do well for trolling but probably would snag twigs like velcro. I like them as the tip is really high and I can use fat plastic baits with only a small amount of the bait having a hook imbedded in it. No fear of choking the hook.

I made some up using the smaller hooks and was trolling with them and was losing half the fish as they were being reeled in. Obviously, this was simply a case of using a great jig in a bad way. I still have some of the hooks left over and can make you up some jigs if you would like to try them. You can search and read a little about the Bat Jig and let me know. But yes, there are hooks that provide bad results based on your technique and style. Attempting to lessen snags is most likely a good way to miss some fish. Trade off.

I would have thought you would have settled on a jig head by now.

[Ketchn]

One hook might work great for someone, and yet for someone else be a horrible hook. Has to do with the manner in which it is being used. Angles and such.

The Bat Jig was designed to be vertically jigged and uses a small short shank hook. A #6 Do-It Whacky Hook to be exact. The idea being that the shorter shank keeps everything more compact and less likely to snag. The eye is at 60 degrees as well. I imagine the jig’s head or the line encounters the stick and then the jig flips over it. If it does snag they say a wiggle or two should disengage it from the limb. The designer figured all of this out and Do-It made the mold based on what he had been working up at home. Batterson ? The hook tip does definitely ride higher than most, which I liked. I made some using the much larger #2 Do-It Whacky Hook and they do well for trolling but probably would snag twigs like velcro. I like them as the tip is really high and I can use fat plastic baits with only a small amount of the bait having a hook imbedded in it. No fear of choking the hook.

I made some up using the smaller hooks and was trolling with them and was losing half the fish as they were being reeled in. Obviously, this was simply a case of using a great jig in a bad way. I still have some of the hooks left over and can make you up some jigs if you would like to try them. You can search and read a little about the Bat Jig and let me know. But yes, there are hooks that provide bad results based on your technique and style. Attempting to lessen snags is most likely a good way to miss some fish. Trade off.

I would have thought you would have settled on a jig head by now.

I actually prefer number 6 and number 4 sickle hooks ball head style leads , but often times when I reach into my "literal" grocery bag in the back seat , I tie on whatever hits my hand first .
I thought about a slightly larger sickle hook as I tied it on and second guessed myself when I thought about how busy them pesky beavers are at that location . the beavers did not surprise either , seemed to be more brush than my last visit a month or 2 ago .
hook size was likely a bit relevant in this particular scenario , but in the end it is a bit more likely I am losing a step as I age .
you will know when you get slower on the draw , it is that wow i just had a bite syndrome .
That day I actually watched the first crappie hit my jig twice about 6 inches under the surface and was so surprised it happened I never even set the hook , just watched and thought ,,,,darnit ....probably should have set the hook