SS hook swap

[Redsoxticket]

Recommended hook replacements on
SS lil neck popper, 1.5 oz ?

[leptar]

I put on the 6x 3/0 on the belly and just a teaser on the tail no hook, my partner will stick a 6/0 siwash dressed with hackle on the arse and no treble. we both have hooked up with typical misses.

[LeCounts1099]

I like 2 trebles always on Poppers & Spooks... except I cut one hook off the rear treble with the Spooks & go with a double- rear!


On that plug, important to go with cut VMCs (or Mustads if you insist), no split rings! 3/0 on front, 2/0 on back...

[plankton]

Originally Posted by LeCounts1099

I like 2 trebles always on Poppers & Spooks... except I cut one hook off the rear treble with the Spooks & go with a double- rear!


On that plug, important to go with cut VMCs (or Mustads if you insist), no split rings! 3/0 on front, 2/0 on back...

Just wondering why no split rings? I've never used the 1.5 oz model, but I have some of the 2 3/8 oz ones and I use a 2/0 VMC treble on the front with a split ring and a 5/0 VMC siwash on the back, works great. I think that 3/0 trebles on the little 1.5 oz would be too much, I'd go with 1/0 or 2/0 at the most.

[bart]

i agree. i put a 2/0 3X VMC on the front and a siwash with feather on back of the 2 3/8oz popper. i would think a 1/0 would be fine for the 1.5oz..

[luds]

1/o w/ split rings work fine on that plug. It's great in early spring but I fish it sparingly because i like the 2 3/8 oz so much. i go w/ 2 /o's w/ wolvering splits on that one.

oh, i'm talking about the sinking versions......not sure if you are. i'm not sure and too lazy to check but the floating version that is the same size as the 2 3/8 oz. sinker might be 1.5 oz. i would go with 2/0's on that one.

[Redsoxticket]

The lil neck (white) is the sinking version. I compared the size of the 1/0 VMC w/ split ring and it was closely matched to the stock treble in length. The 2/0 VMC w/ split ring is significantly longer but the hook appears more closely matched. I "think" the 1/0 VMC may be the better of the two.
I also mostly use the 2 3/8oz but figured the 1.5 oz version may be good for early spring and that no so much spook the fish when it splats down like the larger version.
What about the rear siwash, maybe a 4/0 ?

[HESH2]

green eyed ss poppers floaters,black eyed ss sinkers

[plankton]

Originally Posted by Redsoxticket

What about the rear siwash, maybe a 4/0 ?

That sounds like a good match with a 1/0 treble on the front. With floating plugs I usually will put them in water and try a few different sizes of siwash hooks on the tail until I find the one that makes the plug sit the way I want it, but with these being sinkers I'll go with whatever looks like a good match for the front hook.

[LeCounts1099]

Was going by memory-- just checked: it's cut 2/0 I use on the 1.5s...

It's all a matter of taste & preference & goals understand-- hook- dressing different plugs & why...

But my reasoning was: on "smaller" plugs (5" and smaller), I want less treble hook- hang distance (to the plug), & cut trebles are much cleaner here in these sizes/ cases than are split rings. On the 2 3/8 & 3 oz. S.S. Popper models, indeed there as these are bigger plugs, I go 6x 4/0 VMCs, with HD Splits for max. strength...

Too... I find that you can easily go to larger treble sizes (one or two sizes up) with cut trebles direct- attached... than you can with the lower- hanging split ring approach. As I'm always thinking "Large" even when using these smaller S.S.s... I want a stronger/ oversized treble more than most seem too... 1/0 on the 1.5 oz. is most common-- I'm just saying a cut 2/0 is very do-able!

[zimmy]

The 1.5 oz is killer in LI sound. Learned my lesson the hard way standing next to someone slaying em while I watched. They were babies, but same guy got a 30lber on one @ bass river on the cape in the fall. Next time I didn't leave em at home. I put 1/0's on it. May put a siwash on...

[LeCounts1099]

Funny you say that Zimmy: my best fish on the 1.5 SS Popper (w/ 2/0 4x treble), was a 21 lb. Blue landed & weighed mid- October a few years ago from a L. I. Sound beach (North Fork area)...

One of 5 big Blues that session! (Smallest was about 14 lbs.) No Bass on that day-- but the # 21 was the first & fought in classic "Cow- Bass style" on my 17 lb. mono. ... and had me thinking "big Bass" 'till the very last seconds of the fight when she broke surface!


Hooks & plug held fine on this day (test!). Released her & all the others too, 'natch! (Who eats big Blues anyway? )