Using Offset Hooks
In weedy and snaggy waters, it is difficult to fish lures without snagging, but often the predators stand in such environments, which means either you can use a jig head with a weed guard or an offset hook. The difference between a “normal” hook, such as the Gamakatsu Single 31, and an offset hook is that the tip of the offset hook can be hidden in the lure. This means that the hook rarely gets caught and can be fished in the weed without hesitation.
Step 1: Rigging up with an offset hook is a little different. Firstly, the hook should be held next to the lure. Before the arc of the hook begins, there is a short straight section of the hook. This is hidden in the rubber bait. Therefore, to help you, you can mark on the rubber lure from when the hook arc begins. If you have already mounted an offset hook many times, this step can be ignored.
Step 2: Then pull the hook through the head of the soft lure and at the level of the previously set mark the hook tip must come out on the belly side of the soft lure.
Step 3: Then slide the soft lure over the bend up to the eye.
Step 4: The last thing to do is to poke the hook tip through the lure again so that it comes out on the back side of the lure. Now when a predator grabs the bait, it pushes the soft material down, the hook tip is free and the hook sits in the mouth.
When fishing with a soft lure, a perch may pull the soft lure off the hook. If this happens three or four times, the head of the lure is usually so torn open that it needs to be thrown away. That is why Spro Freestyle has the Lure Loops in its range. With these, the heads of the soft lure hardly tears out and thus make them last longer.
Step 1: The Lure Loop is twisted into the head of the lure so that only the eye of the loop is sticking out.
Steps 2 and 3: The offset hook is now pulled through the loop from the back to the belly of the lure. As in step 2 without the Lure Loops. Then the lure loop with the soft bait is pushed over the hook bend to the eye.
Step 4: The last thing to do is to poke the hook tip through the lure so that it pokes out on the back side of the rubber lure.
Try it out, you’ll see it’s not difficult.
Nick from Crazy Tackle (Instagram)