®
Spring 2018
it and miss the hook,” said VanDam. “Mustad came out with the Lure Ryder hook and I use it for a lot of my swimbaits now. It doesn’t impede the action of the bait at all and you get so many more hookups.”
The Lure Ryder hook (LR-3674BLN) comes in multiple different sizes and can easily be affixed to a jighead with braided line.
“I will tie it on 40-pound braided line and usually tie up several the night before I go fishing,” said VanDam. “You can then connect to the jighead eye and the wrap excess braid around the shank of the jig hook to get the length just right.”
VanDam will also add the Lure Ryder hook to big weedless swimbaits.
“I have learned the hard way that you will lose fish with swimbaits and you need to do everything you can to up your chances of landing a fish,” he said. “Even with a big Shadalicious swimbait and weedless hook, I’ll add the stinger hook. The only time I won’t add it, is if there is too much cover.”
When fishing baits like a Strike King Rage Swimmer, VanDam will often use a jighead and will alternate
between the Mustad Elite Bullet Head (BUH120) and Shad Darter (SD824).
“The Shad Darter has a heavier hook and the shank is not as long,” he said. “I will normally use this when I am using heavier line. The Elite Bullet Head has a longer hook and works great for longer swimbaits. The Shad Darter also balances the bait differently and keeps it from rolling as much side to side. I’ll switch between the two based on the action I am trying to get out of my bait.”
As a rule of thumb, VanDam selects the weight of his jigheads and hooks based on depth.
“If I am fishing shallow, it will be 1/4-ounce or lighter, then 3/4-ounce or even a full ounce if I am out deep fishing ledges,” he said. “The sizes I use the most are the 1/4-ounce, 3/8-ounce, and 1/2-ounce. They are perfect for most of the depths I am fishing jighead swimbaits which is usually fifteen feet or less.” •
Swimbait fishing continues to gain in popularity and they have proven that they are here
to stay. Knowing the right hook to
use for each bait
comes down to depth, cover and
line size.
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