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Mr Whiggly hooks

PostPosted: Tue Nov 25, 2014 7:01 pm
by Big Dave
I just had my first order of Mr Whiggly arrive and can't wait to try them! I fish mostly saltwater and will be trying them this weekend in Tampa Bay for reds and trout. I've read where it is recommended to change hooks to add weight. I would assume that Mr Whiggly performs slightly different in saltwater vs freshwater due to salinity and weight ( correct? )

Is there a hook ( brand, size or weight ) that you can recommend? I would like to plan ahead before our trip.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Mr Whiggly hooks

PostPosted: Mon Dec 01, 2014 9:15 am
by dahlberg
With the stock hook the lure will work fine at slow to medium speeds, but might skip when you burn it. (not all bad for stripers). also it depends on how long your cast is and where you position your rod tip on retrieve. The truth is, the first factory run had a tiny variation off the print which resulted in this issue. It's been corrected, plus another Whiggley in a smaller size is right behind it!
To keep it down better on the burn, and add stability on fast retrieves a larger hook helps a great deal. I've tried several different trebles I've had laying around and they all worked fine as long as they weigh eight grams or so. The hook in the package weighs 5 grams. The split ring weighs half a gram.
The best hook depends on what species you are after also..If chasing tuna I'd go with the stiffest shank I can find and might end up with a ten gram or more hook. Other species where less heat is needed to land the fish, something with a lighter shank, like a 774 eagle claw in the 6/0 or larger range or similar would be great.
Another option is to wrap some lead wire or solder on the shank of the existing hook.
let me know how you do! If you've not checked out the short how to work a whiggley demo on utube, it might be helpful.
best
L

Re: Mr Whiggly hooks

PostPosted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:49 pm
by Big Dave
Thank you Larry! I've seen just about every video I could find on Whiggley, I was just trying to get some specifics for a possible replacement hook.

I did notice the size of these are a bit larger than I'm used to for the types of fish I target. I cannot wait for the smaller size to come available.

Thanks again for sharing tips and instructions on making these fine lures.