Increase Your Landing Ratio

---

by Abe Gaspar
(Canon city, colorado)

Want to increase your landing ratio when using plugs?

Replace your treble hooks and split rings by lashing mosquito hooks directly to the hook hangers on your plugs with spectra braid.

WARNING! This is a pain in the ARSE to do but well worth the time and trouble if you want to land more and bigger fish. I'm not going to explain the process (takes to long) but if you tie flies you can figure it out from the photos of a Daiwa Silver Creek 50-S.

Hooks-Owner red mosquito hooks # 8

Comments for Increase Your Landing Ratio

---

Oct 02, 2020
Not how. Why?
by: Chris Stewart

You don't have to explain how it's done, but please explain why it is better than just replacing the trebles with single hooks attached with split rings.

---

Oct 02, 2020
MOSQUITO OR OCTOPUS HOOKS
by: Abe Gaspar

Hi Chris
Mosquito hooks are EXTREMELY sharp, offset, and finer wire than single hooks. The spectra braid allows the hooks to rotate 360 degress.
Take a look at Japanese butterfly jigs that are used in saltwater. They are heavy metal jigs that are fitted with short shank single hooks that are attached to the jig, spoon, etc with Spectra or kevlar braid. Trust me if Japanese fisherman use a certain method it's because it's DEADLY !!!

---

Oct 03, 2020
Thanks for sharing
by: Les Albjerg

Abe - Thanks for sharing! I've been using Cultiva S-55 hooks. They are very sharp too. I've used mosquito hooks too. I've found the Cultiva hooks to be just as good. I've had no issues using split rings vs tying on the hooks. I did a comparison last fall, and couldn't really detect that the split rings were a hindrance.

What surprised me is how much better a single hook works vs a treble hook. I realize that an objective study is virtually impossible, but on my favorite high mountain lake, fishing the same lure with treble vs single hooks, I averaged 5 more fish per hour with the single. Fish lost was about the same. Talk about a pain in the butt, it is safely releasing a fish that is tangled in two treble hooks! They are also hard on the net.

I'll have to give tying on a try again. However, a quality split ring seems to work well too. A lot of Japanese fish with split rings! What has helped me the most in getting a higher percentage of hook-ups is giving a slight hesitation when the fish slams the plug so it is more in the mouth before setting the hook. I've discovered that often I was pulling the plug out of their mouth. Or, the fish has slammed the plug to "injure" it and then turns to grab it. That hesitation allows the fish to turn and grab!

---

Oct 03, 2020
Double Split Ring and Daiwa Speed Hooks
by: Chris Stewart

There is another option.

The Daiwa Step Dart lure is a minnow plug, but it uses hooks designed for spoons (horizontal eye rather than vertical). It works, with the hooks in the proper orientation, because it uses two split rings instead of one. That does two things: It changes the orientation of the hook and it also allows much more freedom to rotate. A customer who really likes that lure told me he never loses fish with it. Once they're hooked, they stay hooked, even though the hooks are barbless.

The Step Dart uses a hook I don't stock, but I can recommend the Daiwa Speed hooks, which are scary sharp. They are the hooks that were used on the Vega spoons (which you had to handle carefully). They are a very light wire hook, which also improves penetration. Because they are such a light wire, you do need to use a light drag setting on you reel, but the hook up ratio should be very, very good. The Speed hooks are for spoons, so you would have to use two split rings if you use them with plugs.

---

Oct 03, 2020
REPLACING SPLIT RINGS
by: Abe Gaspsr

When you use spectra to lash your hooks to a plug the hook is a wee bit closer to the hook hanger.
Because the hook is tyed to the shank of the hook (NOT THE EYE) you can control the size the loop so it can be the size of a double 0 split ring, spin 360 degrees and is much stronger than a small split ring, and you can use # 8 hooks (offset mosquito) on a 2 inch plug without the hooks catching each other or the bill on the plug.
An offset hook has more bite gap than a normal hook !
A split ring doesnt rotate 360 degrees !
Double split rings on a plug will make your hooks hang to low and tangle with each other and the front bill on the plug !
You can use a larger size hook by lashing braid to the hook shank (NOT THE EYE) and attaching your hooks directly to the hangers on the plug

---

Oct 03, 2020
Good points!
by: Chris Stewart

Those are good points!

---

Oct 03, 2020
REPLACING SPLIT RINGS
by: Abe Gaspsr

I forgot to say that it is MUCH harder for a fish to shake off of your plug because the braid is more fexible than a split ring plus you have a bigger hook, its taken me over 65 years of fishing and guiding to figure these things out, but the hardest part is remembering it all !!! ☺
P.S. Chris
I wish I didnt have to do the captcha every time ☺☺☺

---

Oct 07, 2020
Assist hooks
by: Rolfe Deppe

The Japanese call these assist hooks they are a big thing in France for trout C&R for the reasons outlined. Easier is to create a spectra loop on a chinu hook (Owner Mosquito is a chinu pattern - chinu = Japanese black bream, SW species, very strong, bony jaws) on top of the hook and attach to the split ring just like a plugging single. You get all the benefits but can switch it out if you turn over a point. The French are using heavy wire modern carp hooks so that they match treble weight to avoid unbalancing the plug.

---

Oct 07, 2020
REPLACING SPLIT RINGS
by: Abe Gaspar

One of reasons I replace the split rings
Is to be able to use # 8 hooks on a 50 mm plug.
If you keep the split rings on with # 8 hooks on a 2 inch (50 mm) plug you run into having the hooks tangle with each other and the front hook can catch on the plugs biil.
I like to use # 8 hooks because I mainly fish big fast rivers for large trout, and I also fish reservoirs where you might hook a 25 - 30 incher.
Thanks for the advise on the hooks
I will be checking those out ☺ !

---

Oct 07, 2020
CARP HOOKS
by: Abe Gaspar

Hi Rolfe,
I just ordered some # 8 carp hooks from Germany, I hope they make it here to colorado before it gets to cold for good plug fishing ☺.

---

Oct 10, 2020
Assist hooks
by: Occasional trout angler

I though I'd point out that there are assist hook assemblies designed specifically for trout fishing. Many Japanese manufacturers of terminal tackle sell them (Owner, for example) They are advertised for use with spoons and plugs and they are designed to be attached via small split rings.

---

Add your own comments

Please be sure to indicate which article the comments are for.

---

---