best hooking percentages.

[steelysngr]

hey larry, i like to fish a poe's giant jackpot for musky a lot, but i know that a lot of time because of the sharp side to side action these fish miss the bait a lot, but sometimes it is just that action that gets them to hit in the first place. is there a way to help the hooking percetage on this bait? or for that matter any of the musky baits?

[dahlberg]

hi stee..
that's a great question. The zig zagger type lure has always had a reputation as a bum hooker, but honestly it's my favorite category and I have great hooking percentages with lures of this type.
Hooks make a huge difference. Not just how sharp, but how STIFF, and at what angle the points penetrate.
With lures that have a great deal of mass, in the range of 3 plus oz, in many cases the inertia of the lure in the water when the fish runs into it is enough to make a barb penetrate. Then the challenge is to keep the heavy lure from tearing loose from flesh or opening a hook or split ring as the fish shakes it back a forth violently.
At other times, espcially during very warm water, they come up behind a zig zagger like a jack in the box, often not actually opening their jaws to bite it. They sometimes get hooked in the cheek or elsewhere outside the mouth when this happens.
Best thing is to keep reeling and zig zagging, maybe adjusting the speed or cadence to trigger another pop before the lure gets to the boat. I've even seen stopping it for several seconds, followed by a twitch work in super clear water.
Lastly, I'm such a fan of zig zag type lures, I have them that run anywhere from right on the surface to several feet below. I like the ones that I can make glide the farthest side to side. Obviously they work with tight zigs as well, which combined with a super wide gliding stroke or two really gets bites.
My sincere advice, switch all hooks and spit rings to owner hyper wire rings and ST-41 or ST-66 trebles. I guarantee it will inrease your hooking %'s!
good luck
L