Assist Hooks - Why you Replace them on New Lures!

[Brewcrafter]

It has been said many times in many places, but when you drop serious $$$$ on that "latest hot item" in the Bozo the Clown color pattern, you need to "change out the hooks".  It might seem counterintuitive to spend that much money on a jig and then drop MORE $$$$ on a set of Owners, Mustads, etc BUT - here is what can happen when you don't.  My friends and I were at a galley table rigging a bunch of jigs on a travel day and the truth is on this lure I just missed one of the hooks - the others were Owners that I swapped on.  And here is what a relatively modest Bluefin was able to do to the one stock hook (lucky I didn't lose him!) - john

[boon]

I can't see what's wrong with it 

Is it the barb?

[Brewcrafter]

Unfortunately i didn't save any of the other stock hooks for comparison photos, but basically the barb broke right off. - john

[the rockfish ninja]

I agree with the premise but what I don't understand is $$$$ priced jigs that come pre rigged with assist hooks. I've been buying overpriced jigs since I got into slow pitch years ago and the only ones I've ever seen pre rigged are the cheapies and knockoffs.

[jurelometer]

I have read that the original reasoning for no included hooks was that you reuse the same upper assist hook setup on a a solid ring tied to your mainline, and then swap jigs via a split ring.  Plus there are lots of options and preferences for alternate rigging, so it should theoretically cost us less to buy a jig with no hooks if we are going to toss the hooks anyways to rig ourselves.  Lots nicer for storing more jigs in your tackle box, yada,yada...

So I think that started the trend/opportunity to sell hookless at a lower price point, or at least at a higher profit margin.

Just bought a Daiwa SK jig to look at, and it came pre-rigged with what looks like decent assist hooks to me, buit they look suspiciously like John's hooks  So there is also some pre-rigged jig market, probably for the majority of folk who aren't about to rig their own assist hooks, and prefer the jig is properly rigged out of the box.

Ad while I am at it, barbs are not doing anything for you unless make some serious slack or you drop the tip on a jig real fast when the fish is at the boat.  I started going barbless when I got into fly fishing, but now migrating more toward barbless for everything else.  Don't really drop many more fish, and it is better for the fish that are being released, not to mention any humans inadvertently stuck.

But If I was getting only a shot or two at a bluefin that I wanted to take home, I wouldn't be happy if the barb broke off either, OTOH, It probably broke off when removing the hook.

-J

[MarkT]

If you stay tight to the lure, the barb won't matter! Some jigs definitely come with cheap light weight hooks seemingly intended for rock fish... they need replacing if fishing for pelagics... which most FF were not intended for. I prefer a heavy leader with attached assist hooks and a split ring to attach the jig. I try not to store jigs with hooks other than maybe a bottom hook. I carry 3 split ring pliers (HPA, Pit Bull, Texas Tackle) so swapping out jigs/hooks is easy!