Hooking up
Bigger hooks on the Big O
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – Over the last two years, paddle-tail-type soft plastics such as the Zoom Horny Toad and the Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper have been the hot bass-catching commodities on Lake Okeechobee.
Reeling these soft plastics over thick vegetation has produced countless bass for tournament anglers in Florida. But this technique has sparked an interesting debate about which is the best hook to use when fishing these baits.
Is a straight-shank hook the way to go? Maybe an offset hook? What about those extra-wide gap hooks?
One thing is for sure, the experts fishing the FLW Series this week seem to think that when using these new swimbait-type lures, bigger is definitely better.
Second-place pro Scott Martin was having trouble hooking up with his bass on a buzzing toad the first day and finally pulled out the biggest hook in his boat: a 7/0 Trokar offset hook that Martin refers to as “the gaff.”
“Once I went to `the gaff,’ I caught every one of them,” Martin said.
Third-place pro Anthony Gagliardi has gone to a 10/0 Owner hook appropriately named the “Beast,” which he is using in his bigger swimbaits.
These giant hooks could possibly be classified as weapons if law enforcement officials ever examined them.
Of course West Coast anglers are probably chuckling at this commentary right now, as the California Delta boys have been using giant hooks for quite some time. But now the big-hook phenomenon is making its way to Okeechobee.
Chances are some of these giant hooks will find their appropriate targets today as another perfect fishing day will grace FLW Series pros on Okeechobee.
Last night was the warmest night yet, with air temps only dipping into the mid-50s. There is plenty of sunshine on tap for today, with temperatures reaching near 80 degrees and very little wind.
A full field is fishing again today, and this afternoon the field will be cut to the top five, which will advance to Saturday’s final round.
The day-three weigh-in will begin at 3 p.m. at C. Scott Driver Park.
Friday’s conditions
Sunrise: 7:12 a.m.
Temperature at takeoff: 57 degrees
Expected high temperature: 75 degrees
Water temperature: 70 degrees
Wind: NE at 5 to 10 mph
Day’s outlook: sunny