Magic Hook Question

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Magic Hook Question

Postby ToothyCritterHunter » Sun Mar 27, 2016 8:42 am

L,

Last year I watched the episode where you made the magic hook for fishing with live bait for muskies? I thought it looked like a great way to present live bait to muskies so why wouldn't it work for pike ( since the closest musky lake is an hour away from where I live). So I made some last summer I made a few with 6/0 octopus hooks for larger suckers and I made some 2/0 ones for smaller suckers, which leads to my first question. Would you go with a smaller hook then 2/0 when rigging the hooks to 6" suckers? It seemed like the pike wouldn't get the hook in their mouth. Maybe it's the way I'm using them, I rig them under large floats, the hook is usually about 1 to 2 inches from the head of the sucker, I'm was using fluorocarbon instead of wire to tie the sucker to the hook. I got a ton of bites using this method but zero fish, it seemed like I was waiting long enough, I would watch the bobber move all over until it would stop for a while, where I thought the poke would be turning it and eating it but there was either no fish when I set the hook or the floor carbon would break, meaning the pike did not have the sucker all the way in its mouth ( I think?). I kind of gave up on the magic hook and went back to the old treble hook hooked in the dorsal method ( didn't get nearly as many bites but actually hooked fish). Am I rigging it wrong or maybe I'm not waiting long enough or maybe I need to downsize the hook more? I would love to be able to get this rig to hook fish, any help you could give me would be great.


Thanks, J
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Re: Magic Hook Question

Postby ToothyCritterHunter » Sun Mar 27, 2016 9:00 am

May The Whiggs Be With You
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Re: Magic Hook Question

Postby dahlberg » Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:43 pm

If any member of the esox family gets their rear teeth on anything but wire it will be cut. even if it's 200 pound test. If you are using a large float that applies upward pressure on the sucker while it's in the fishes mouth, every time the fish opens it's mouth to further inhale the sucker the force from the balloon will pull the sucker out of the fishes mouth! Use a much much smaller float. Hook size as it relates to sucker size is really pretty irrelevant. I've used 2/0 hooks with 2 pound suckers with no problem, and larger hooks with small suckers with no problem. since the hook is not imbedded in the sucker it really doesn't matter.
It's helpful to have the fish directly below or facing away when you "pull the trigger".. also not necessary to set the hook. I just sort of lower my tip and start cranking and lifting at the same time.
also the distance you have the hook in front of the bait makes a big diff. Using a line behind the hook that's about 1/3 or 1/4 the length of the bait is the highest percentage of hook ups.
good luck
L
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Re: Magic Hook Question

Postby ToothyCritterHunter » Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:45 pm

Thanks L

I was using a rather large float so it makes sense that it was probably pulling the sucker out of the fishes mouth. I will try downsizing the float this spring. What kind of crimper do you use to crimp the small sleeves that's required for 49 strand wire or do you usually tie a knot In The wire to connect the sucker to the hook? I sometimes have problems with breaking the wire when cinching knots when I make leaders with 49 strand wire. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the videos and the help you give us! Thanks so much keep up the work.

Thanks, J
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Re: Magic Hook Question

Postby dahlberg » Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:23 am

I use a standard crimper that's available in almost any fishing catalog. just make sure your crimp sleeve is the right size and you are using the right slot in the crimper to match.
If using a knot I use a three turn uni.
good luck
L
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