I drop-shot for crappies and panfish and one of the big hurdles to get over is the small mouths that panfish have. Crappies are not too bad, but sunfish seem to run into the line when using a regular drop shot hook. I have had better luck with the VMC SpinShot #8 hook on sunfish as long as the plastic isn’t overly long….best luck for me has been the Gulp 1″ minnows.
I’d think as long as the hook you’re considering is light wire you should be ok. The extra shank length should increase hooking rates on sunfish.
Im putting an order together so size 10, 8, and 4 is whats in the cart . If anything it will be an experiment .Thanks for responding Tom .
My only concern would be if the hook were facing away from the fishes mouth when it sucks the bait in the hook may not turn into the mouth as easily as a shorter hook. Worth a try though.
I believe the intended use for the 215 Cricket hook was to fish it vertically not horizontally . Just something to try , if it works ,great if not i can still fish them under a bobber .
Different direction, but maybe same outcome. I do this a ton for gills and crappie in a couple bigger lakes by me in SE WI. I use a small gulp minnow and just a regular gold hook. 6 or next size smaller. I tie two hooks on at different depths and often catch two at a time.
I use between a two and four inch tag to each line, maybe a little longer if drifting vs spot locking. Usually just some messy loop knot cut open and tied to the hook. Never found a need to be super finicky about it…. but in the summer, it is by far my best fish catching method over open water or on the edge of drops. Mark fish say four feet off bottom, drop down, spool up a little and get ready to set the hook. Same with suspending fish, figure out the drop distance per rotation, back real from the surface and drift through them.
My only concern would be if the hook were facing away from the fishes mouth when it sucks the bait in the hook may not turn into the mouth as easily as a shorter hook. Worth a try though.
The small-hook SpinShots work very well at allowing the hook/baits to whip right around and into the mouth when the gills flare. A static hook tied into the main line can be an issue at times.
Different direction, but maybe same outcome. I do this a ton for gills and crappie in a couple bigger lakes by me in SE WI. I use a small gulp minnow and just a regular gold hook. 6 or next size smaller. I tie two hooks on at different depths and often catch two at a time.
I use between a two and four inch tag to each line, maybe a little longer if drifting vs spot locking. Usually just some messy loop knot cut open and tied to the hook. Never found a need to be super finicky about it…. but in the summer, it is by far my best fish catching method over open water or on the edge of drops. Mark fish say four feet off bottom, drop down, spool up a little and get ready to set the hook. Same with suspending fish, figure out the drop distance per rotation, back real from the surface and drift through them.
That’s a terrific idea!
Make sure you double knot that loop knot before cutting. I’ve seen some nice fish swim off with my hooks in their chops with a single knot.
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