Finally tried out Rodney's Hook

To be honest, when I criticized the ability of SW spinner baits to get tangled up in the line several in this news group criticized my casting technique and some went as far as to say I had to be screwing up to get it it tangled like I described. However, when I can clearly see a difference in line tagles with the more complicated hook I have to assume there is a correlation.

My partner showed me how he ties a Palomar knot that makes a hook stand straight out from the line even after fishing with it all day long. If a person can master that there is no real need for either of these hooks, but I didn't quite get the trick to it.

Personally I think the Standout Hook by Daiichi and the W.W.Hook by Reaction Innovations are excellent choices for drop shotting, and they would be far superior for most anglers over using any other standard hook for drop shotting. They both use the weight and the tag of the line to hold the hook in what looks like an optimum angle for getting a hook set. The Standout Hook may be slightly easier to rig with its hard wire loop to drop the tag end of the line through. I had to pick up the mono loop with my finger nail to get the tag end through on the W.W.Hook, but it would lay back down and grip the tag end of the line slightly.

Rodney's hook, IMHO, is too much hook for a dropshot finesse presentation, and does nothing that a regular hook properly tied with a polomar knot does (except maybe cost more lol). The beauty & appeal of a dropshot rig is rooted in its simplicity & lack of "extra" material.

As for missing fish, a standard dropshot rig, when fished & rigged properly & presented on the right tackle, should be a 98% success rate rig anyway.

Warren

Bob La Londe

Warren

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The benefits of the S/O hook are many,, for one, amateurs can quickly rig it, you can't screw it up,, for two, it will be coming in all sizes up to 9/0 for saltwater drop shotting and deep sea fishing, since it seams you have never used big lures with a drop shot rig, you have limited it's success potential for larger fish,, this new hook has been used with huge lures as well as tiny ones,, drop shotting is now not just for faness fishing. It will also come in sizes that can be rigged weedless.

Another thing the S/O hook can do is allowing the use of larger hooks than what the Palomar knot can't wedge into of other hooks, line size , (which determines knot size) determines what size standard hook can be attached drop shot style, that is no longer the case with the S/O. The drop shot hooks of the past have limited the size lures used on them

The leg of the S/O also "kicks" the lure, when the line straightens, the weight of the lure has little to do with dampening this action, you could test this even in the air, holding the line and snapping it tightly, even with an 8 inch worm on it. the leg does not spook the fish, if fact, in testing of the bleeding version it seams that leg looks like a flared gill slit, attracting more strikes, than fishing a standard drop shot hook

In this case Warren, just let everyone find out for themselves , or from others that don't have an ax to grind.

I have caught over 1,000 fish with the S/O hook, using lures and using natural baits, many more than any other fisherman, so I would think I am the expert of this hook

Bob La Londe www.YumaBassMan.com

Warren

I'm pretty sure you can tie-up some of those mono weedguards yourself, can't you?

Warren