Soft Lures - Do you always add a stinger?

[Phone]

Dales,

 

As usual the "Great Glossary" failed me. I think "stingers" are also called an extra treble hooks?

 

No, most predator anglers in the US do not use stingers. Some states allow 9 hook points on a lure (the last 3 being a "stringer") but most do not allow "snagging" devices attached to jigs. Of course after we catch the fish, we put them on a stRinger, a device for which I suppose you would disapprove. Stringer and stringer certainly mean something different in the US than in the UK. We don't use the term stinger, but rather trailer.

 

Since we have some limited "snagging" seasons rigs with any sort of trailer hook can be frowned upon. In fact, we've had raging arguments in the carp world about the "function" of a hair rig. Do you call a hair rig a snagging rig?

 

Phone

[Vidar6]

I no longer bother with a stinger on smaller lures to say about 3-3.5" or when casting from the bank as it is normally far to much hassle with snags and/or weed. I have experimented many times, but for me the tiny increase in hookups, if any at all, doesn't justify the hassle.

 

However, when vertical jigging for zander from a boat I always use a stinger.

[Renrag39]

Have been thinking of adding a stinger myself, not that I think I'm missing any takes. I think if and when I do, it'll be a size 2 or 4 single, lightly nicked into the tail of the shad, pointing up like the main hook. Probably attached to the bend of the main hook too with a bit of slack in the wire to reduce any adverse affects on its action.

Would that work you think?

 

I just don't like trebles Too snaggy!

 

Renrag

Edited October 14, 2011 by Renrag39

[Ken L]

I think that with so much variation among soft lures (even those loosly defined as "shad") it would be helpful is you could post a few picks about exactly what you mean.

With the Storm type padletail shads with the built in weights I usually don't bother with extra hooks but a lot of the lads that I fish with in India strap on a belly hook to increase hookups.

[Andy Macfarlane]

In fact, we've had raging arguments in the carp world about the "function" of a hair rig. Do you call a hair rig a snagging rig?

 

Phone

 

Function being that the hair-rig solves the problem of baits being blown back out of the carp's mouth due the nature of the sucking and blowing action employed when filter feeding.

 

Even if the carp decides to eject the bait, the hook should be left behind in the mouth, if it hasn't already taken hold.

 

We don't call it a snagging rig but I'm assuming that you're talking about the bolt-rig setup, where the fish is hooked automatically against the weight. Not all hair-rigs are used in conjunction with a bolt-rig though.

[Phone]

Andy,

 

You're correct, but all hair rigs are exposed hooks. For example, a lure is also a snagging rig. Would you say a hair rig hook is equal to a lure hook.

 

Phone

[Andy Macfarlane]

Not at all. Different purposes. A lure without an exposed hookwould be a pretty useless lure.

 

Hair-rigs merely serve a purpose for filter feeding fish, which can be difficult (but not impossible) to catch otherwise.