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Winter 2019
Gilly Style — So named for the hook’s placement in what would be the gill area of the forage the bait is made to mimic, this innovative arrangement places the hook perpendicular to the bait, rather than the parallel alignment of nose hooking. The result is a deal-closing shimmy that gives the fish a different look than they’re accustomed to seeing.
“When it’s hard to get the fish to bite, or if the fish are picking up the bait and dropping it, I’ll use a Gilly rig; because, it adds a little more vibration to the bait and, a lot of times, that makes them eat it a little better,” he explained.
Threaded — This one’s all about proximity, as in bringing the fish’s mouth closer to the hook’s business end. It’s great when a bass inhales a dropshot bait, but Martens knows that everything from cold fronts to heavy fishing pressure can turn biters into nippers.
“If you’re getting short bit and it seems like you’re missing too many fish, you might want to use this style of hook placement,” Martens said.
Threading a worm or a baitfish shape onto a Size 2 Gamakatsu Heavy Cover hook (or an Aberdeen style) may seem pretty straightforward; but, Martens warns against complacency.
“A lot of people tend to put their worm on crooked, but that’s not good — that’s one thing that can make the bait spin and cause line twist,” he said.
A good bet for larger baits like a fluke style or a bigger worm in the 7- to 8-inch range, threading a dropshot hook can accommodate models up to a 5/0. Same principle, just a bear with bigger teeth.
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