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Looks great Mark.  Innovative.

Thanks.  I will feel better about it when I catch something on it. 

Beautiful job Mark...Let us know how it goes..Nate

Nate,

I already know it works mechanically.  Now, I need to see if the hooks deploy enough to actually hook a fish.

Hook up ratio is going to be the deal.  Hey, I'll be at Lake Skinner with some of the kids from the team looking to win the State Championship.  Let me know if this is what they need! lol. Barry

When/if I get bit, I'll report back.

I'm already looking at 6/0 frog hooks, but I have to figure out how to bend then.  Those hooks are stout!

Looking great , but I can't figure out , how the hook points would release from the body to nail the striking fish , .......or is it hollow soft plastic ?

 

Greetz , Dieter

Dieter,

It's hard PVC.

I tried to photograph it with the hook in both  the ready position and deployed.

The plan is for the hook tines, held tight to the magnets on the cast and retrieve, to be forced up and away from the lure body as the fish bites down on the lure, and the lure is pulled forward on the hookset.  That what the slot in the belly is for, so the fish's mouth can move the tines up and into the roof of it's mouth.

I had to open the bends of the hook to get a good gap between the lure back and the hook when it swings up, and that should also help with the initial hookset, because the hook tines are  pointed slightly up to begin with.

That's the plan anyway.  It remains to be seen if it will actually work, but it was fun to build and paint.

Sorry , Mark , ......should not have bothered you with questions but take a closer look at your ingenious design !

 

Now you mention to have shot both hook positions , I figure out about the difference , shame on me !

 

Hopefully the remaining gap between body and hookpoint would turn out sufficiently large to arm the hook to nail(and also keep on)a bass reliably .

 

But where would we be without trial and error ?

 

Thanks for your explanations , Mark , .....good luck with that lure , tight lines , Dieter

No worries Dieter.  For me, a big part of the fun in what we do is talking about it!

I am also anxious to see if the hook points deploy enough to get a good hookset.

I think I'll make another one with a slot that goes deeper into the tail, to give more room to the points after they've engaged the fish's mouth.

Hopefully, that will cut down on any leverage a fish could use to throw the hook.

Fun problem to have.

Nice design and great body shape Mark!  Did you consider a thru-line scheme like that used on soft plastic swimbaits, where the body would slide up the line?  Just a thought.

Thanks Bob.

I actually hadn't thought of a thru-line design.

Getting the weight of the lure away from the hooks would certainly be a plus, but I wonder how I'd attach the hook so it would stay in place on the cast and retrieve, but still pop up into the fish's mouth for a good hook set.

I think the magnets I used aren't strong enough to hold like they would need to for a thru-line design.

Right now, the screw acts as both an anchor and a pivot point for the frog hook.

That was my biggest challenge in this design, and I still don't know if it will work as intended.

 

Do you have any ideas?

Good luck with your trials , Mark  , .....hopefully the bass would be willing to participate in your experiments , ....greetz , Dieter

Thanks Dieter.