Jigging Tip – Increase Catch Rate

Here’s a tip to catch more fish:

Bend your hook as shown.

When a walleye inhales the bait a standard J hook will only skin hook the roof of the mouth. This is because the hook point is parallel to the shank. By bending, as shown, the hook will penetrate the roof of the mouth and you’ll lose less fish. I have proven this method highly effective, and 100% of my jigs are bent as shown.

I do this with all my jigs. Live bait and Plastics jigs.

Showing a 3/16 and a 1-1/2oz. (custom jigs W/oversized hooks)

No sense in missing a fish that inhaled your bait!
Give it a go.

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Good tip FBR. I love doing this on all my ice fishing jigs, but haven’t on open water. Will give it a try!

I’ve opened up the bend before but I’ve never done this. I like this better.

Some days on the rainy river I’ve an awful hookup percentage and I’m not sure why. I know for sure some days they like to pin the bait to the bottom rather than eat it but I’ll keep this in my back pocket.

biggill wrote:

I’ve opened up the bend before but I’ve never done this. I like this better.

Ive opened the hook up too and it works really well. Might have to try this instead.

You are exactly right. And that is why this jig is top notch…Already in the design of the jig. Plus, back of the head holds the plastic from being pulled off.

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Sharing all your secret spots with me would also increase my hookup percentage…..just sayin’.

Matt Moen wrote:

Sharing all your secret spots with me would also increase my hookup percentage…..just sayin’.

Matt Moen wrote:

Sharing all your secret spots with me would also increase my hookup percentage…..just sayin’.

Secret?

Just use your SI

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Walleyes and dunes go hand in hand.

Doesn’t that affect the strength of the hook?

I’ve done this with most of my ice jigs and some of my soft water jigs too. Here’s what I like to use to increase my hookups. The eyes on rainy bite like panfish most days so these were a must….I like them enough to use them all the time now.

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One ounce catfish/sturgeon style!!

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I like to bend/offset the sharp end just a little to the side as well.

Are you fishing jigs on the dunes? How, specifically?

eyeguy507 wrote:

I’ve done this with most of my ice jigs and some of my soft water jigs too. Here’s what I like to use to increase my hookups. The eyes on rainy bite like panfish most days so these were a must….I like them enough to use them all the time now.

This is not a post for when fish are “short Biting”.

I NEVER use a stinger.

I look at a short bite like i look at crankbaits. When i catch a fish on a crankbait and it bit the rear hook, i change baits until they bite the front hook.
Do the same with jigs.
Trying to catch fish short biting is going to net you fish, but less than if you change to what NOT producing short bites. 2cents…

john23 wrote:

Are you fishing jigs on the dunes? How, specifically?

Yes. Thread for another day, maybe.

Tom Albrecht wrote:

Doesn’t that affect the strength of the hook?

No.
I do not open the “Gap”, I bend the “Shank near the head”.

I’ve messed around with stingers a bit – results have been mixed. In certain cases, especially when saugers seemed to come up and just bit the tail of a fathead, they did help. Patience when you felt the initial nibble was probably a bigger key.

I’ve also had times when fish were not that active and short biting when a stinger completely shut the bite off. I assume the fish could see/feel that stinger and it was over.

I think the right live bait jig and messing with colors is better answer. Opening the hook up like FBRM mentions will help, too.

Not to mention a lot of times short bites are the result of too much weight, not necessarily a less aggressive fish. That switch to a different (lighter) jig will often mean less shorts and more hook-ups. Not always, but often.

bbuchho90 wrote:

Not to mention a lot of times short bites are the result of too much weight, not necessarily a less aggressive fish. That switch to a different (lighter) jig will often mean less shorts and more hook-ups. Not always, but often.

That is often said, but I don’t believe it. Have caught easily 100 eyes in the last month on 1.5oz jigs. No problem with the weight.

Actually I have seen where running Dubuque rig, they’ll only take the big jig head and won’t touch the little jig head trailing directly behind the big one. Fish looking for a bigger presentation.

Have seen bites in the past few months that were huge jig head only, what was attached to the jig made no difference.

Now for those wimpy dinky micro eyes jig weight might make a difference… But who’s targeting them dinks

I’ve absolutely had days where reducing jig weight is the key to ending short biting fish. I’ve also had days where they inhale a 1oz jig no problem. IMHO, there is virtually written in stone when it comes to walleyes!