444
Lutz Road
C.A. Outdoor Guide
Lima,
Ohio 45801
1,105 words, 5 pages
by
John Bennett
Certainly one of the major innovations in bass fishing that has occurred over the past few years is the advent of red hooks being used on jigs, spinnerbaits, jerk baits, live bait rigs and crank baits. For the first couple of years I wondered if it was not just another passing fad that would arise, have its day in the sun and then fade away. Not this time. Based on reports from the pros and my own experience I believe that using red hooks definitely can result in more fish being caught and landed. The lingering question is, why?
My first significant experience with the use of red hooks came during the last week in September of 2007 when I had the opportunity to
fish
with walleye pros Mark Brumbaugh and Mark Martin at Lake Gogebic in the upper
peninsula of Michigan.
We used Northland jigs sporting red hooks that were attached to
gold-bladed spinnerbait arms and adorned with Gulp Alive! minnows.
Slow-rolled through or just over submerged weed beds they yielded good
catches of walleyes and smallmouth bass with an occasional northern pike as a
bonus.
Okay, fine.
We caught some nice fish, but was it the hooks, the flash of the
jig/spinner or the smell/taste of the Gulp minnow?
Or could it have been a combination of all three?
This led me to wonder and since I always look at fishing as a continual
learning experience I decided to do a little investigating.
Realizing that there is no better source of information than the original
source itself I contacted T. J. Stallings, Director of Marketing and New
Products at TTI-Blakemore, home of Road Runner lures and Daiichi Bleeding Bait
Hooks [tj@tticompanies.com].
TJ spent 19 years in underwater tests and trotline studies on red hooks
after he watched his Dad lower different colored jigs into a bait tank and noted
that the fish definitely preferred the red colors.
According to Stallings’ research the red hooks simulate the
“gill-flash” feeding signal.
Gill-flash occurs when the gills are engorged with blood from a feeding
fish and is a signal to other fish that is time to eat.
Studies have proven that predator fish naturally strike baitfish that
show blood from an injury, so why wouldn’t they strike the hook? “It took me
a while to realize that the hook should be red and not necessarily the lure.
If you want fish to strike a Bleeding Bait Hook then no more than fifteen
percent of the lure should be red.
Try a contrast such as orange/red or white/red.
Contrast is important.
This is why scratched red hooks sometimes work better than brand new
ones. Those
scratches expose a shiny surface that is in contrast with the earth friendly red
finish. Contrast
works because red is easier to distinguish when contrasted with another
color.”
T. J. went on to say that anglers can easily conduct their own studies by
placing a red hook on the forward portion of any lure and a bronze or black hook
on the back and counting how many fish hit the front and how many hit the back.
“They’ll hit that red hook 9 out of 10 times.”
Hmmmmm, I am writing this on a very cold day in January and I hardly can
wait until spring to test this theory on a few new Rapala X-Raps that I
acquired.
Jim Duckworth, perhaps the most famous multi-species fishing guide in the
southeastern United States and certainly one of the most knowledgeable bass
fishermen on the planet was intrigued by the red hook phenomenon and has
conducted his own extensive research.
When asked why red hooks produce he stated emphatically that his number
one use for them is on the front hook of a top water bait that causes a bass to
strike the front hook and when it whirls its head around the second hook engages
its body and it is caught for good.
However if he is merely fishing for fun and is not concerned with losing
fish he puts red hooks on the rear and says that is where ninety percent of the
strikes will occur.
The same setup takes place on his Bandit crank baits with identical
hookup/landing ratios.
Duckworth says that he uses Daiichi circle hooks on his jugs when
catfishing and red Tru-Turn hooks below his bobbers when fishing for crappies
and that they always out produce gold Aberdeen hooks.
I’d say this is a pretty good testimony from a man who spends about 300
days on the water and is considered to be one of the pioneers in red hooks
research.
Back to the lingering question of just what is there about these hooks
that makes them work?
Perhaps the best answer came from Mark Martin who first introduced me to
Bleeding Bait Hooks.
“I’ve put red hooks on many of my Rapalas with outstanding results,
going from catching a few fish to catching many fish after replacing the hooks
with Daiichis.
One theory is that they resemble blood oozing out and cause the fish to
slash at them.
The single Daiichi red hooks have resulted in more money finishes for me
than any other color.”
All well and good, but not earth shattering news.
Perhaps what Martin said next really hit the nail on the head:
“Some people say that fish can’t see red, that it disappears in the
water. I
say maybe that’s why they like them so much, because to the fish they are not
there. Live
bait looks live bait minus a hook and maybe the Rapalas look more like a live
minnow since the red either disappears or changes color in the water.
All I can say is that they WORK!”
So, there you have the story from several perspectives.
Based on my limited experience I concur that these hooks do indeed entice
more strikes from a variety of species of fish.
My game plan for the river smallmouths of 2008 is to rig up a few
red-hooked Road Runner jig heads with some 2-inch Gulp Minnows and the farm pond
largemouths are going to see some 4-inch Gulp finesse worms drop-shotted on the
new Stand Out hooks that keep lures perpendicular to the fishing line for better
hook ups. Should
be a whole lot of fun.
Author’s note:
For some of the finest fishing and hunting dvd’s I have ever seen check
out Jim Duckworth’s web page at: www.jimduckworth.com.
They’re not only informative but they’re fun.