Questions about hooks for Jerry Blake

Went fishing today for about four and a half hours. Did really good with numbers, no great sizes, but good numbers. Started off with, crappieseeker is gonna love this, a 1/32 oz. white and pink tube jig. Got six with it and a couple of bluegill. The wind was really bad, so i went across the channel and anchored off above a favorite hole of mine where there are 3 side by side laydowns. The problem is that there is structure running out a good 40 feet and it goes from top to bottom. I then proceeded to get out the trusty BnM 12 footer with the faithful Thill slip bobber. I caught several there but i also retied 11 times. You told me about those hooks you use that you said would just bend instead of losing the hooks. I think they were wire something and i have looked for some, but no luck so far. I use Gomatsu number 2 crappie hooks and am happy with them, but they sure won't straighten out. Thanks for any help. Anyone else have any suggestions?

Two of them, as a matter of fact .....

Depending on what you "prefer" - I can recommend two "weedless" jigheads for your tubes, that will keep you from having to re-tie so often.
First is a "brush guard" style jighead. I use P&S Tackle's 1/32 & 1/16oz size in these. The ones I use are unpainted, but I'm sure they can provide you with painted ones. They are also available in varying weight sizes.
Second is Oldhams Surelock Weedless jigheads. These have a thin wire loop for a weedguard. They only come in 1/16oz, though. I've used these for many, many years ... catching bunches of Crappie up to 2+ pounds, Smallmouth up to 4lbs, and Largemouth up to 6lbs on them. I've never had a fish straighten out the hook ... yet I've straightened them out, pulling them free from being snagged on limbs, with 4lb test line.
I use both of these jigheads when casting tube jigs to timber - especially blowdowns ! I've had no trouble hooking up with fish, with them ... and usually find them stuck in the roof of the fish's mouth - unlike a plain hook/minnow set-up, which seems to always end up in the lip membrane.
About the only time I use a jighead with an exposed hook, is when fishing relatively open water. Occasionally I'll use an exposed hook jig when "vertical casting" - but, only if the tree limbs are large and few in number. For those trees with lots of small limbs, or heavy cover (brushpiles) I still tend to go with the weedless style.
Here's the contact info for each of these:

P&S Tackle Shop ...... email addy is - [email protected] - The gentleman that makes the baits is Paul Mullins (aka Grousefly).

Oldham's Lures (Terry Oldham)
100 University Rd
Wimberley, TX 78676
(512) 847-9202
Fax - (512) 847-8915

Both of these gentlemen have been generous Sponsors of our tourneys. If you contact them, or order from them -- please tell them I sent you, and that you heard about their products from this website. It won't get you any discounts ...LOL!! ... but it will let them know that their products are being recognized, and insure that we can keep them, as Sponsors, for a long time. (you may even find some of their products in your "prize package", if you win one at the Fall Brawl !!) ...........luck2ya ..........cp :cool:

Hey Fatboy,

For minnows I use Eagle Claw Number 6 Light Wire Aberdeen Cricket Hooks, which I get at Walmart in packs of 50.

With 8-pound Berkley XT they will straighten out most of the time and I simple bend them back with my thumbnail before putting on another minnow.

Every now and then a catfish or striper will straighten these hooks but I don’t think we’ve every had a crappie straighten one.

Did you check the pics from yesterday and today? We kept 34 today and 12 of them were 13.5 to 16-inches. I think we are going to have some fun when you’re here!

Thanks CP and Jerry.

If you take a propane torch, heat the bend of the hook cherry red and let it cool, it will take most the temper out of the wire and it will straighten fairly easy. it'll still be strong enough to hold crappie.