Fat Ika rigging

[bigfruits]

Hello,

What hook are you using with your weightless Ika rigged skirt up?

I am using Gamakatsu EWG but im looking for something with a wider gap.

I just read a thread on here from 2014 but would like to know if anything else has come out. Is there something like the Owner rig-n-hook but not heavy wire on the market?

Thanks!
-Z

[ogrich31]

Imo, the best ika hook on the market is a 4/0 Owner Wide Gap Plus. I haven't tried the wider options from Gamakatsu.

It's not a thin hook though, if that's what you're looking for.

[IlliniDawg01]

These are probably worth a look.

http://www.basspro.com/Owner-Wide-Gap-P ... extensions

DaveJ

[Jeffbro999]

X3 for the Owner Wide Gap Plus hook. The wire is the same as the Riggin Hook though if that's a problem for you. Owner makes the J hook in a light wire version, but not sure if the gap is wide enough.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_J_ ... -OJHL.html

The Gamakatsu GLock hooks have a wider gap than the EWG.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakats ... -GOGL.html

[toddmc]

The Owner 4/0 Beast is by far the best that I have tried. I've thrown the Ika a lot over the last year and the landing ratio is much better with the Beast vs. the wide gap hooks. Also, you can get more fish out of one bait. It's not uncommon to have the spring completely come out while landing a fish and still be able to screw it back in and catch a few more fish. I average about 6 fish on one Ika. It is a heavy wire hook which is better with 10lb. line and up.

[oops]

I can't imagine using anything but Owner 4/0 wide gap plus with the Fat Ika. 4/0 is simply the perfect size for the Fat Ika. 3/0 and you will have a poor hook up ratio, and 5/0 is too long for the bait. I have tried many hooks over the years and will never again use a hook other than Owner wide gap plus for soft plastics, unless I'm using a very thin plastic bait that demands a lighter wire hook.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Ive had the most lost fish with the Owner 4/0 WGP wont use it again. Owner hooks in general, for me, have not performed well. The Deep Throat hook by Gamakatsu works way better and holds fish with the sharper bend and longer hook shank area.

[bigfruits]

i have been using those since you recommended them to me on another forum. im very happy with them.

you also measured the thickness and they were a little thinner than the others which was perfect.

[toddmc]

If you would try the Owner 4/0 Beast hook with the screwlock you won't look back. The bite on it is just right in my opinion. The hooks that you are using just don't compare. As I said earlier, you will hook more and lose less fish. You also will get more fish on each bait. I find that the Ika slides down any EWG way too easy, even when I add a shrink tube keeper. The screwlock prevents the bait from balling up on the hook.
I've fished with Japanese anglers that like to fish the Ika for high-pressured schooling fish on 4-6lb. line. They like the lightest wire that they can get for a slower fall. This is the only situation where I wouldn't fish a heavy wire hook.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

Ive tried the screwlocks and didnt care for those. With the hook/spring bend on the outside it catches the skirt and doesnt let a few of the strands move flow, easily seen in the clear waters I fish and even more noticeable with Damiki Hydras. This tends to bug me just knowing the lure is not performing correctly, even though it may be minuscule. The little more weight on top with the spring and hook above the skirt changes the fall a little as well. Plus times when the skirt would get ripped apart from the body of the ika. The skirt hanging from the spring and body from the hook. Or the skirt pulls from spring and big piece missing from skirt more difficult/hassle to fix with mend-it.

[toddmc]

Ive tried the screwlocks and didnt care for those. With the hook/spring bend on the outside it catches the skirt and doesnt let a few of the strands move flow, easily seen in the clear waters I fish and even more noticeable with Damiki Hydras. This tends to bug me just knowing the lure is not performing correctly, even though it may be minuscule. The little more weight on top with the spring and hook above the skirt changes the fall a little as well. Plus times when the skirt would get ripped apart from the body of the ika. The skirt hanging from the spring and body from the hook. Or the skirt pulls from spring and big piece missing from skirt more difficult/hassle to fix with mend-it.

The screwlocks do block the flow of the skirt. I use BANG scent and it does help the skirt flow a little more freely. I've never had the skirts rip free though. You must have had a bad batch. I know that the Ika is still glued/bonded from two pieces. Yamamoto gave the extra time that it takes to connect the skirt to the body as an excuse for why it was taking so long to get them back in stock at my local shop a few months ago.
The Beast hook really hooks the fish well. Getting fish in the boat is my #1 concern. The fish in the picture was hooked right in the top center of the mouth and was even hard to remove with pliers. I had such a tough time because of losing fish with the EWG hooks that I didn't use the Ika as much as I could have over the years. I'm throwing it mostly to shallow cover where the fish react very quickly. I would be more concerned about the skirt if I were fishing it deeper. The expanded skirt actually falls a little slower and sits in front of the fish when I cast to shallow cover. The fish in the picture was caught yesterday out a dead tule clump in about 3 feet of water. The fish didn't even let it get to the bottom. None of the fish did.

IMG_0002.JPG (38.37 KiB) Viewed 9190 times

[PBP]

Do you fish them weightless?

[mark poulson]

I fish them both weightless, and with a split shot pinched onto the line and pulled tight to the hook eye, depending on wind and current.
I have fished Ikas for 15+ years, and I've tried just about every hook brand, type, and configuration.
My favorite hook was the Mustad mega lite 5/0, but they stopped making them. It was light wire, but really strong. The light wire helped make hook penetration easier.
Now I use these VMC hooks:
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/VMC_Wide ... MCBWG.html
I use the regular wire, not the heavy.
I snell all my flat eye hooks, and the VMC hooks have an epoxy closure that prevents any line problems from the hook eye.
Their regular hook is stout! I swung a four yesterday with no problem. I find the heavier wire hooks require a cross their eyes hookset to penetrate the hard mouth, but the regular does just fine with my 69 year old wind down and swing.
I think snelling the hook helps, because the point gets cammed out and into the mouth on the hookset, so it gets the point exposed and up against the mouth more quickly, and without having to rely on the fish holding the lure longer.
If you're fishing grass or dirty water, try adding a double rattle strap rattle to the hook bend before you pass the point back through the bottom end.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Northlan ... NTDBB.html
If you use a #7 split shot, it fishes like a ned rig.

[toddmc]

I fish them both weightless, and with a split shot pinched onto the line and pulled tight to the hook eye, depending on wind and current.
I have fished Ikas for 15+ years, and I've tried just about every hook brand, type, and configuration.
My favorite hook was the Mustad mega lite 5/0, but they stopped making them. It was light wire, but really strong. The light wire helped make hook penetration easier.
Now I use these VMC hooks:
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/VMC_Wide ... MCBWG.html
I use the regular wire, not the heavy.
I snell all my flat eye hooks, and the VMC hooks have an epoxy closure that prevents any line problems from the hook eye.
Their regular hook is stout! I swung a four yesterday with no problem. I find the heavier wire hooks require a cross their eyes hookset to penetrate the hard mouth, but the regular does just fine with my 69 year old wind down and swing.
I think snelling the hook helps, because the point gets cammed out and into the mouth on the hookset, so it gets the point exposed and up against the mouth more quickly, and without having to rely on the fish holding the lure longer.
If you're fishing grass or dirty water, try adding a double rattle strap rattle to the hook bend before you pass the point back through the bottom end.
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Northlan ... NTDBB.html
If you use a #7 split shot, it fishes like a ned rig.

I cross their eyes because I am fishing shallow. That is why I use the heavy wire Beast hook for shallow presentations. Surprisingly, that combo in the picture has 10lb. Sniper and I am still able to drive the heavy hook through the hardest part of the mouth. I normally use a 14lb. or 16lb. fluoro and I would use the heavier line with the Beast hook in shallow cover if you can get away with it.
That VMC hook has addressed the line in the eye gap issue that I have discussed a few times over the years on the line forum. Fluoro and braid are real bad about sliding into the gap of Owner Wide Gap hooks. That is why I fill them in with a little super glue or solder. The VMC hook looks good for deeper presentations. I like the z-bend that is similar to the long Gammy that was suggested earlier. How many fish do you normally get on this hook before the Ika is shot? How does a snell knot work with that epoxy resin ball?

[mark poulson]

The snell knot works great with the epoxy. It is a much smoother bump than the picture on TW shows.