DYI Dual assist hooks on a single loop

[Keta]

  Thanks for expanding the Kevlar topic here Lee.  I now make some harpoon cables from kevlar cord. 

Mine are 1000# Spectra.

[Lunker Larry]

FYI you can get shrink wrap with a hot glue in them. Makes a bullet proof bond over crimps, knots, etc.

[Donnyboat]

I like the idea, of tying the line around the shank of the hook, I think a lot of strikes are mist, when the hook slops around to freely, cheers Don.

[gstours]

   Cause its sunday night,  Ill just add a tip.   if you use a piece of glow or colored tubing and pull it in the spectra or ?? lone loop and trim it to what length you desire... the tube helps keep it stiffer, adds color, and helps with toothy chafe.   Then add a short pc of heat shrink tube over the hook wraps and forward a half inch .   Then shrink it with your heat choice.    Waay better.   just me?

[Keta]

I had to buy a dozen 13/0  VMC 7264-TI hooks but only needed 4 of them but will keep 2 for spares.   Let me know if anyone needs any of these.

[jurelometer]

1.   The one negative aspect of Kevlar is UV degradation.   For super thick stuff like mooring lines like Ron was mentioning, it is probably not much of an issue as the outermost layer may degrade, but it will still function as a UV shield to the underlying layers.

Thinner stuff is a different story.  Most overviews of kevlar fabrics and yarns mention UV exposure issues.  One study showed Kevlar fabric loosing half of its strength after five weeks exposure in Florida sunshine. Still not a big deal for fishing tackle that is not stored in sunlight or under fluorescent lights.   The stuff will still get chewed up, hooks rust out etc.,  so assist rigs are not intended to last forever anyways.

I like hollow Kevlar braid for larger assist hooks.  It is a bit on the stiff side for smaller stuff.

Here are a couple of the relevant sources that I used to learn about Kevlar (DuPont trade name for Aramid fiber):

http://www.dupont.com/content/dam/dupont/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-and-nonwovens/fibers/documents/Kevlar_Technical_Guide.pdf

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/073168448600500103

2. A contrarian viewpoint:  Many  fishermen don't really trust/understand assist hooks and rig them in ways that minimize the benefit.  I think that the primary benefit  of assist hooks is that they take advantage of the relative vacuum generated when a fish attacks prey.   Predators use suction as they open the mouth to help draw the prey in.   There are also marine biology papers available that explore the importance suction as a feeding technique for various species, and even a paper or two that measure the decrease in water pressure generated in a predatory feeding action.

If constructed properly, an assist hook can improve the odds of getting a hookset when vertical jigging, even if the lure itself is not completely taken.  This helps especially with a drive-by bite, or when the lure is large or heavy in relation to the target species size and/or mouth construction.  Check out underwater videos of assist hooks in action and you will see what I mean.

Dressing up assist hooks, using heavy hooks, stiff and/or short leaders, or even lashing  the hook to the lure decreases the primary benefit.    Some amount of compromise  is necessary to avoid fouling or bending hooks,  but limp, long, light, and naked is the way to go in my opinion. 

3. Getting back on track for this thread:   I haven't tried double assist hooks like Gary shows above.   Curious about any experiences on the effectiveness vs single hooks.  Having an extra hook flopping around does have the downside of getting yourself hooked when handling /releasing the fish.

-J

[gstours]

Thanks for more assist hook information.  I,m learning more here all the time.   I certainly didn't know that Kevlar degrades with sunlight.   It just thought it was very similar to the spectra lines that don't . Tanks.

[Tiddlerbasher]

  I,m glad Lee emphasized the part about Kevlar being very cut resistant.  Its nor more expensive than stranded ti or sst possibly and easier to tie.  In my halibut photo the stinger is 1000 lb. test. a single line.   Its even hard to cut with a sharp knife.  I generally tie it with a turks head knot and whipp it with spectra and finish with a coat of epoxy.    Good fishing to all you stinger folks.

Just looking back on this post, not sure why :

It was me not Lee that talked about 'cut/tooth resistent', no big deal, just accuracy. Soooo if you try it and disagree blame me