# terminal tackle question.



## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

With all the options out there, I was wondering what my fellow anglers prefer? Lead or tungsten bullet weights? Round or pencil drop shot weights? Favorite hooks, ect....


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## jake222 (Dec 26, 2014)

Tungsten is good for me and the tear drop/ pencil weights are pretty good on a drop shot rig. I like worm hooks a lot more than wide gaps I think it's easier to stick the fish.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I like Tungsten weights for pretty much everything except for tube baits. I use lead weights on tube baits because their diameter more closely matches the diameter of a tube, and I think it helps them come through wood cover better. I actually think that at times, the small size of a Tungsten weight can make a bait hang up a little more easily in hard cover, but their smaller diameter in comparison to lead weights can make a big difference when you set the hook, so I use them.

Drop shot weights l like the tear drop shaped ones or round ones. But I usually lean towards the tear drop shaped ones.

As far as hooks go, I use Owner hooks for the majority of my baits. Either straight shank, or Wide Gap Plus. I use straight shank when Texas rigging Senko style baits, and Wide Gap Plus, which is an EWG style hook, for all other plastics except for tube baits. For tube baits I use Trokar TK190 tube hooks. My second choice for tube baits would be a Shaw Grigsby HP hook. But that would only be if I were skipping tubes under docks or other low to the water cover.

The Trokar TK190 is hands down the best tube bait hook on the planet.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Prefer lead, really. As for hooks, Gamakatsu wide gaps.


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## young-gun21 (Mar 14, 2006)

Tungsten weights (not even close). As far as hooks go, it's something that everyone has to figure out for themselves. I prefer straight shank hooks for flippin' and Trokar TK190 hooks for tubes. With worms, offset shank and extra wide gap hooks both have a place with different baits.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I switched from Gamgatsu hooks to Trokar and to me the difference has been nothing short of outstanding. I typically use EWG hooks but their straight shank worm hooks are excellent too. So sharp they'll stick you just for saying their name and very strong.


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## jake222 (Dec 26, 2014)

I have never used a Trokar hook I heard they tare up your plastics. Is this true?


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## young-gun21 (Mar 14, 2006)

Not sure what that means....


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

I knew I should have picked up those Trokars that were marked from $6.96 to $2.50. Wally world at hilliard-rome/70 has about 10 packs of each 2/0 (5 packs)and 4/0 worm hooks(6 packs) as of 2 days ago. They look nice, I just rarely fish soft plastics(or at all lol).


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

jake222 said:


> I have never used a Trokar hook I heard they tare up your plastics. Is this true?


To some extent, yes. The TK 190 tube hook is the Trokar hook I use the most, The keeper on it can be tough to get to come through the nose of the bait, and does make kind of a wide hole. It slides up the line pretty easily when you have a fish on, as a result. But you just have to slide it back down and the keeper will keep it from sliding down the shank of the hook. 

The cutting edge that runs down the middle of the point will also cut through the plastic on the tube when you Texpose it, which is how you should be rigging a tube. But honestly, worrying about going through baits quicker would be ..... to put it nicely ...... silly. 

I will say this. As I said earlier I use Owner hooks for pretty much everything. I use the Owner Beast for bigger hollow bodied swimbaits. I figured the Trokar would be the deal for those types of swimbaits. The problem with the Trokar though, is what I mentioned earlier. The cutting edge on top of the point is so sharp, it cuts through the plastic when you Texpose it. And it won't stay in the back of the bait. It's much easier to keep the bait weedless with say an Owner Beast, versus the Trokar Mag swimbait hook. 

But the Trokar's penetrate so much easier than any other factory hook, it's not even funny.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

JamesT said:


> I just rarely fish soft plastics(or at all lol).


So you don't fish for bass ......


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## The Ghost (Jul 3, 2013)

I use tungsten almost all the time. The only exceptions are 1) I'll sometimes use brass sinkers instead of small tungsten weights when the tungsten weights are too small and I want a weight of comparable diameter to my soft plastic, and 2) when I'm fishing an extremely snaggy area from shore and I don't want to burn through tungsten. The latter situation doesn't usually happen in bass fishing scenarios however; more like spillway fishing and the like.

I use all kinds of hooks. Lots of Gamakatsus, just because they make a wide range of hooks, but whatever I can find to get the job done. Owner, Mustad, VMC, Trokar, etc. I agree that the sharp outside edge of the Trokar hooks makes them a pain to skin hook though. I wonder if they could reverse them so the cutting edge was on the inside. I've also had an issue rolling points when fishing Trokar flipping hooks.

I find the pencil flipping weights the most snag resistant where I fish.


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

Bassbme said:


> But honestly, worrying about going through baits quicker would be ..... to put it nicely ...... silly.


I see you're made of money!

The reason why I don't use the Trokar is because of what you posted after that quote.

The cutting point doesn't allow you to texpose as good causing you to fly through baits and it'll also affect your efficiency on the water. I found myself constantly readjusting my bait after every cast and sometimes going through baits without catching a fish on it. It's more of a hassle to me. I'd much rather have my bait in the after as often as I can vs adjusting and putting on a new one every so often. With those hooks, hooksets aren't free as it's enough to cause the hook to rip through the plastic. I normally use the straight shanks for flipping. I imagine the hooks would be great for trebles.

I personally use Gamakatsu and Owner hooks.

I stick to lead weights unless I'm fishing heavy then I go tungsten. Drop shot weight's are 3/8oz lead cylinders so I can cut to adjust to my liking.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

lol legendaryyaj, I'm not made of money at all. I don't have all that much trouble with the Trokars on tube baits. And it's pretty simple to just re rig the bait so the hook is coming through a different part of the bait. 

Personally I'll put up with the having to readjust the bait, for how good the Trokar tube bait hook is. There isn't a hook that even comes close to being as good as a Trokar TK 190 for tubes. 

But I definitely stopped using the Trokar Mag swimbait hook. The bait will not stay rigged at all. Years ago when I started using the Owner Beast I wrote Owner and asked them why they didn't put their cutting point on that hook. I mean the heavy wire that hook is made out of screams the need for the cutting point. The reply I got stated that if they made the Beast with their cutting point, that it would make the cost prohibitive to bass fisherman. I'd pay more than a Trokar for a Beast with their cutting point. 

The Ghost, as far as Trokar putting that cutting edge on the bottom of the point, my guess is that they'd have to move the barb to the top of the hook. The way that point slices it would slice a hole and make it tough for a barb to hold if it were in its normal position. 

One thing I will say about the Trokars though. They don't hold a point as well as an Owner. I really wish Owner would make a tube bait hook like that. It would take over the TK 190's place as best tube bait hook on the planet.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Could you sharpen the owner beast yourself, with a knife sharpener? Like the handheld ones, with the v notch you just run the blade through? Just a thought. Thanks for all the comments so far guys. What about a good terminal tackle box? One that will keep all the compartments separate, even if turned upside down? Thanks again.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Clayton, on the Beast you could probably just hit it with a file if you really wanted to put some kind of faceted point on it. I just leave them with the needle point that comes on them and sharpen the very tip of the point with a stone that has the V notch cut in it. 

If you haven't looked at Owner's Cutting Point hooks, take a look at them. Actually the term "cutting point" is kind of a misnomer. The edges don't actually cut. What they do, do, is reduce the surface area of the hooks point. The sides may cut a bit, but noting like those of a Trokar. A Trokar hook actually slices. 

The Owner point has a needle sharp tip that transitions into a point that, the best way I could describe it is looking head on at an F-16 fighter jet. Imagine the contact points on the hooks surface as those of the tips of the wings and the top of the tail. That's why they penetrate so much easier than a standard needle point hook. The bottom of the point is a bit concave as well. 

Until the Trokar came along, the Owner Cutting Point hook was the easiest penetrating hook of any factory offered hook. I believe it was Daichi who had an X point hook someone please correct me if I'm wrong. The X point worked or works, (if they're still being made) on the same principle of reduced surface contact to aid penetration. They were supposed to be on par with the Owner, but I never tried the X point so I wouldn't know if they did or not.

I still think the Owner Cutting Point is the best hook you can buy.... except for the Trokar tube hooks I've been raving about.


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

claytonhaske said:


> What about a good terminal tackle box? One that will keep all the compartments separate, even if turned upside down? Thanks again.


I use this one: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Plano_Guide_Series_Two_Tier_Stowaway_4700/descpage-PGSTT47.html

It has grooves in the top lid that prevents everything from getting mashed together when upside down. I struggled with that problem til I got this. You can probably find it locally.


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

I use mostly Gamakatsu hooks. I have a ton of the 1/0 drop shot hooks, and most of the wide gap worm hook sizes. I have a few Owners, for their twist locks. 

For terminal tackle organization, I have mine separated into small Plano boxes based on application. It seems easy to find what I'm looking for that way, and I can leave a small box on the deck to quickly grab weights or hooks to replace break-offs or change sizes. Here are the boxes I have based on my fishing style: 

- Drop shot - all weight sizes I use and hooks
- Texas rig / tube: this box is double sided. Generally, hooks are on one side and weights are on the other. It has wide gap and tube hooks, and then bullet, flipping, and tube weights. Also has bobber stops to keep bullet weights in place.
- Carolina rig - egg weights, beads, and swivels. I try to pre-tie C-rigs though and wrap them around cardboard because they take too long to whip up on the spot. 
- Swim bait - various twist-lock hook sizes
- Shakey head - various jig head weights, and some miscellaneous hooks

I have mostly lead weights. I drop shot a lot, and I go through so many weights that Tungsten is not cost effective (and I really do not think it adds value to drop shotting). I have some tungsten bullet weights, and only tungsten for flipping weights.


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## claytonhaske (Apr 16, 2010)

Fishing Flyer said:


> I use mostly Gamakatsu hooks. I have a ton of the 1/0 drop shot hooks, and most of the wide gap worm hook sizes. I have a few Owners, for their twist locks.
> 
> For terminal tackle organization, I have mine separated into small Plano boxes based on application. It seems easy to find what I'm looking for that way, and I can leave a small box on the deck to quickly grab weights or hooks to replace break-offs or change sizes. Here are the boxes I have based on my fishing style:
> 
> ...


How do bullet weights and flipping weights differ?


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## jake222 (Dec 26, 2014)

claytonhaske said:


> Could you sharpen the owner beast yourself, with a knife sharpener? Like the handheld ones, with the v notch you just run the blade through? Just a thought. Thanks for all the comments so far guys. What about a good terminal tackle box? One that will keep all the compartments separate, even if turned upside down? Thanks again.



I would just spend the little bit of money and buy a hook file most hooks come ready to go I don't sharpen hooks unless I have a big fishing event coming up and I'll get about 10 hooks of every kind and sharpen them unless it's a spin shot by VMC


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Weights that are designated "flipping" weights have a small taper on the large end. Think of it as a football with part of the one end cut off, or a "boat tail" bullet. The idea is that once the larger diameter passes through the cover, the cover won't immediately collapse back around the weight. Resulting in less surface contact than a standard bullet weight with its larger diameter base, would have. 

I've never checked it with dial calipers or anything, but it also could result in a slightly smaller diameter weight. 

As far as hook storage. I use two Plano 3700 boxes with adjustable dividers. One box has all of my soft plastics hooks, and bullet weights, and since Carolina rigs are tied with the same hooks, I have my Carolina rig terminal tackle in that box as well.

The second box has all of my shaky head, drop shot, and wacky worming stuff.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

claytonhaske said:


> How do bullet weights and flipping weights differ?


Flipping weights are slightly tapered at the bottom, to aid in penetration of cover. I have found regular bullet weights work about as well for flipping.


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## Fishing Flyer (May 31, 2006)

claytonhaske said:


> How do bullet weights and flipping weights differ?



Weight in my mind. Maybe punching is more accurate but I'm talking 1-2 oz. most of what I consider my typical bullet weights are 1/4 oz or less, but yes shape is similar.


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## AxE216 (Aug 23, 2013)

I prefer the pencil or tear drop weights, tungsten bullet weights, gamakatsu hooks or Trokars.


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