60° Jig Hooks

[timbass]

Hey guys,

I have a question about 60° jig hooks for the do-it football jig mold that accepts both the vertical and flat hook eyes.  So far I have used the standard mustad 32786 (vertical eye), but I am looking to pour some flat eye jigs.  I have never used one and I want to see which I prefer.  My only concern is that I do a fair amount of fishing around heavy cover and I worried that the mustad 32798 that the mold is made for will be too flexible and the bite "looks" narrow in the pictures.  So, I am assuming that heavy wire 32796 will not fit the mold without some modification?  And I am pretty sure the flat eye trokars will not fit either, but I have heard the TK800 vertical eye hooks will fit.  If you wouldn't mind, can you guys tell me what hooks will fit or that you are using and maybe some of the pros and cons?  Thank you in advance for your expertise and experience and I am sure you have to answer the same questions over and over again for us newbies so I am sorry about that. 

 

[cadman]

timbass,

      The 32796 4/0 hook will fit in my 1/2 oz cavity (somewhat). What I mean by this is the .060 diameter wire fits in the hook shank slot and the hook eye fits in its slot. What is too long is the flat part between the hook eye and the hook shank. However you can bend that out a little and it fits fine. Now my mold has had a thousand + pours in it, so it may be a bit worn. So maybe a new one won't be so forgiving. Others that have a new mold may chime in.

[smalljaw]

When I first got into football heads it made me wonder why they were so hyped so I got a few different kind and used them before I ever got a mold and here is what I can tell you. Over the course of 3 seasons I found a lot out about football jigs but far from everything. The first thing is I wondered why so many hook options, some had light wire hooks, even on heavy models, and others had big stout flipping style hooks, why? Well it depends on how and where you are using them, by now you know they don't do well in weeds but over rock, gravel, and sand bottoms there is no better jig. The light wire hooks are meant for fishing clear water with relatively light line as well as super deep, and when I say light line I mean 12# fluorocarbon or mono, the light wire hooks penetrate easy so you don't need a swing for the fence style hook set and, if they get hung up, you can straighten the hook out to get the jig back and then bend the hook back. The heavy hook models are for heavy line, basically braid but heavy fluorocarbon or mono, these are the most versatile in my opinion because you can use it like the light wire model but also fish it in shallow hard bottom areas with wood cover. The reason I told you that is because I have the same mold, when I was looking at them I could not imagine why Do-it made a mold using regular vertical eye flipping hooks and then standard wire flat eye hooks, it didn't make sense until I used it, that is why I now have that mold. The flat eye hook, the 32798 isn't a light wire hook but a standard wire, they aren't heavy but pretty stout however they will flex if using 30# braid and really pulling a big fish. What is nice about the flat eye is it keeps the line knot up and seems to work better when dragging it across the bottom, but I don't experience anything bad with the vertical hook eye either so I don't see a need for a heavy flat eye. That is just my take on it.

[timbass]

Thanks for you input guys.  Smalljaw, thanks for clarifying that the 32798 is standard and not light.  I was concerned it would be pretty light and flexible since the shakey head molds use them.  I will just have to order some and see what they look like.  Cadman, I will just try em out and see if they fit or if a little bit of modification is needed. 

[big will's customs]

you will do just fine with those ive poured over 3000 of them just this year no bad feedback from any of the local pro so have fun and catch a bunch... god bless

[willowblade]

 The proper hook for a football jig will depend on where and how you
are fishing it.  Clear and deep water
generally requires lighter line where a standard or lighter wire hook will work
best.  The thinner wire diameter
penetrates the mouth of the fish easier with the lighter line.  For a lighter wire hook I go with the Owner
5326 Crosseye Hook as it will fit perfectly into all cavities (1/8, ¼, 3/8, and
½ ounce) of the mold.

 

Owner 5326 Flat
Eye Jig Hook

 

If you are using a football jig in shallower water with some cover around,
and using heavier tackle, a heavy wire hook will work best for that
situation.  I like to use a Mustad
32786BLN Jig hook in this situation as it is a very stout hook that will not
bend out. 

 

Mustad
32786 Jig Hook
 

Another option and in my personal opinion, the best overall jig hook to use
in a football jig will be the Owner 5304 Deep Throat Jig Hook.  It features Owner’s Cutting Point and falls
somewhere in between a light wire and a heavy wire jig hook.  The wire diameter is still small enough to
get a good hook set in deeper water but is extremely strong and will not bend
out.

 

Owner 5304
Jig Hook

[timbass]

Thank you for the input willowblade.