Gammy EWG hooks: Hookup problems 2024

fmoore reply :

I fish a lot of t rigged craws and this season I've started using Gammy EWG hooks. It seems like since I switched from what I used to use (Owners) to the Gammys my hookup ratio has gone down the drain. It's terrible. Like a few fish for every 10-15 bites. I've never had this problem before. It's extremely frustrating.

Has anyone else had this problem with these hooks? Today I watched a bass shoot out from a mess of sticks and eat a Chigger Craw, close his mouth and start swimming away and when I set the hook the bait just slid out of his mouth like the point wasn't exposing itself out of the soft plastic of the bait. I've tried setting the hook right away, waiting longer than normal, different agles on my hooksets, everything.

Could my troubles be due to the size of the hook? The way I'm rigging the bait? Or did something in my technique change over the winter?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Wayne P. reply :

Like all hooks of that style, the hook point is in line with the hook eye. If you want to successfully use that hook, open the bend some to expose the point more.

Gamec0cks5 reply :

I've never had problems with the EWGs that's all I use??

roadwarrior reply :

Nope...I use both.

However, fish the Owners if that's your confidence

hook. They are both great, but you should not be

fishing something you don't like.

-Kent

8-)

DINK WHISPERER reply :

Never had issues with Gammys at all. I have recently started to open the hook point up a bit too though(just for peace of mind). For heavy cover pitchin'/flippin' i will use a Denny Brauer flippin' hook or similar.

Tin reply :

Gammy EWG in 3/0 or 4/0 for the Chig + Tough inner mouth of smallie (judging by your pics) = Fail

You either need to go heavy wire and punch it through or needle point and pinch them if you want to land them. Go back to Owner or try a Gammy G Lock.

Big Bait Fishing reply :

Quote
I fish a lot of t rigged craws and this season I've started using Gammy EWG hooks. It seems like since I switched from what I used to use (Owners) to the Gammys my hookup ratio has gone down the drain. It's terrible. Like a few fish for every 10-15 bites. I've never had this problem before. It's extremely frustrating.
Has anyone else had this problem with these hooks? Today I watched a bass shoot out from a mess of sticks and eat a Chigger Craw, close his mouth and start swimming away and when I set the hook the bait just slid out of his mouth like the point wasn't exposing itself out of the soft plastic of the bait. I've tried setting the hook right away, waiting longer than normal, different agles on my hooksets, everything.

Could my troubles be due to the size of the hook? The way I'm rigging the bait? Or did something in my technique change over the winter?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

that is your problem !!! why would you go from a great hook to a semi-good hook ??? you best get them Owner hooks tied back on the end of your line , doesn't seem like a difficult fix to me . give the Gamakatsu hooks to some one that doesn't have much tackle , that's what i did when i found that Owner hooks are alot better than Gammies .........

Jason Penn reply :

Are you burying the hook inside of the bait or texposing it?

I use the ewg's a lot and don't have any problems with them. They seem to always hook the fish near the side of the mouth for me. That makes it easier for me to remove the hook.

dave reply :

Take your needle nose pliers and twist the point to make it out of alignment with the line tie.

Catt reply :

Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved

Assuming you're setting hook properly!

Triton21 reply :

Quote
Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved
Assuming you're setting hook properly!

I wonder why people won't listen to us about the straight shank Owner hooks Catt. Could be a good thing, more wins for us.

Kelley

senko_77 reply :

Quote
Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved
Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

I.rar reply :

all i really use are gammy ewgs and while a few fish have come unbuttoned , i wouldnt say its a problem.

ive been meaning to give the straight shanks a try , but whenever i go hook shopping , i always grab the ewg gammys. mainly because i fish around ALOT of rocks and in the back of my mind , i think i will loose my bait to a snag every cast.

could you post a pic of how you rig the plastic with a straight shank?

Red Bear reply :

i have had better luck with eagle claws than with gammys. also i rarely use the EWGs unless im using something thick like a senko, seems i miss more fish with the EWGs...

Big Bass Chaser reply :

I'm glad this came up. I honestly hadn't considered the mechanics of the hook eye/hook point to the bass' mouth. I had thought the EWG ALWAYS provided easier hooking but I can see where it easily cannot. It is so painfully obvious now that people have pointed it out in this thread and I just read a few hook articles, I feel stupid for not realizing this earlier :-[ . During a tournament recently (which I thankfully won even though I was using the wrong hooks) I visibly lost two fish while hopping a texas rigged chigger craw across the bottom in the shallows where I saw the bait come fully out of the bass' mouth. Needless to say, today after work I will be buying some straight shank and offset 2/0,3/0, and 4/0 hooks.

fmoore reply :

Quote
Are you burying the hook inside of the bait or texposing it?
I use the ewg's a lot and don't have any problems with them. They seem to always hook the fish near the side of the mouth for me. That makes it easier for me to remove the hook.

I'm not texposing it because it would get hung, but it's just about as close to texposed as you can get. Just barely putting the point of the hook back in the bait enough so it won't get hung.

I think I'll pick up some of the old standby Owner's today along with some straight shank hooks and see how that works out for me. I'd rather just have hooks that work period. I shouldn't have to do modifications to get the thing to work!

Thanks for the help guys.

bweave09 reply :

Senko, would you mind posting a picture of that? It sounds fairly simple, but I'd like to see a picture if you have one.

Drewhop reply :

I bought some Gammy EWG RB today. I really liked them. I bought 1/0 and 3/0. I was targeting some small fish and I did notice I was hooking farther out on the lip but it was still a solid hookset.

Gamec0cks5 reply :

which owner roundbends are y'all talking about I don't see those on TW's website?

Triton21 reply :

Quote
which owner roundbends are y'all talking about I don't see those on TW's website?

Google: Owner Straight Shank Worm Hooks.

Kelley

=Matt 5.0= reply :

Quote

Quote
Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved
Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

I was taught this technique back in '84 by my grandfather.

K_Mac reply :

I just re-stocked my worm hooks with 25 count bags of Gammy EWGs in 2/0-5/0. They are all I use and I have never had any problems with hook-ups. I use them for everything from Trickworms to Fat Ikas and beavers.

fishfordollars reply :

Quote

Quote
Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved
Assuming you're setting hook properly!

DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!! I'm really glad I'm not the only guy throwing the straight shank round bends. The ONLY thing I use the EWGs for are my Flukes. Other than that, all my baits go on the straight shanks with a toothpick threaded through the eye to hold the bait up. You never miss fish because the bite is huge. Glad to see I'm not alone.

Add me to the list. No hookup problems with these hooks. One of the old school methods that continue to be a better option.

The Bassinator reply :

Someone put a picture of the straight shank hook rigged with a toothpick on here please

SirSnookalot reply :

Only soft baits I use are flukes and switched back from EWG to a standard 4/0 worm hook, hook up ratio has greatly increased.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Quote

Quote
Straight shank round bend hooks; problem solved
Assuming you're setting hook properly!

I wonder why people won't listen to us about the straight shank Owner hooks Catt. Could be a good thing, more wins for us.

Kelley

I've started using them more and more myself. The Owner WG straight shanks are a mean hook.

iceintheveins reply :

All I use are Gammy EWG and if a bass takes the bait I don't miss too often, and they don't come lose very often either. I should try the Owners though, because sometimes the Gammy's point rolls over.

Catt reply :

Straight Shank or Round Bend Offset or Extra Wide Gap?

Wide gap hooks have the hook point directly in line with the eye of the hook or slightly above the line eye on extra wide gap hooks. When you set the hook, the sinker and the front of the lure clear a path for the hook point to escape a bass's mouth without embedding. On straight shank hooks the point rides substantially above the eye of the hook and aims for the roof of the bass's mouth, resulting in a more hook-ups. The extra wide gap hooks do an excellent job of holding fish if you manage to get the hook through the bass's mouth on the hook set. There are plenty of times when a bass completely takes the bait and even on a short pitch with braided line, the hook flies cleanly out of the bass's mouth on the hook set. Missing an extra fish every once in a while doesn't sound like a big deal, but if that fish is the Lunker of a lifetime, losing it is a huge deal.

smbrule reply :

On most soft plastics I normally use VMC or Gammie EWG hooks. I seldom have a problem with hook-ups. I do believe that straight shank hooks provide a more surer hook-up. For example the hook on my bass jigs are not EWG and hookups are rarely a problem. Certainly fewer problems compared to EWG hooks.

I use Owner straight shank wide gap hooks or Reaction Innovations BMF hooks when fishing in heavy cover. I prefer not to use EWG hooks unless they are texposed but when fishing in heavy reed cover often the hook point becomes exposed= snag.

Pic is a Wave Worm Ticki Bamboo stick which is quite thick. The Owner 4/0 hook has been bent to further provide a wider gape. Also I've weighted the hook and added a barb using heat shrink.

Tooth pick is shown but usually don't use one as the added barb helps.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Great picture right there. I've been using the heat shrink barb on straight shanks as well. Much easier to deal with than the toothpick. They hold up surprisingly well also. You just need to make sure that you don't pull the barb too far out after you heat it, otherwise you're asking to get caught up in weeds.

bweave09 reply :

Thanks for the pictures! That one looks pretty straight, but it seems to me that it would be difficult to rig them straight consistently. Have you noticed the bait spiraling more than it does with an EWG hook?

Siebert Outdoors reply :

Check the point of the hook. I bet its rolling over on you. I like gammies but their point rolls easier then a xpoint or owner.

midnighthrasher reply :

Are these the ones everyone is referring to???

http://www.***.com/Owner_Straight_Shank_Wide_Gap_3X_Flippin_Hook/descpage-OSHWG.html

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Quote
Are these the ones everyone is referring to???
http://www.***.com/Owner_Straight_Shank_Wide_Gap_3X_Flippin_Hook/descpage-OSHWG.html

Yup.

midnighthrasher reply :

Quote

Quote
Are these the ones everyone is referring to???
http://www.***.com/Owner_Straight_Shank_Wide_Gap_3X_Flippin_Hook/descpage-OSHWG.html

Yup.

Cool... just ordered from TW in 3/0 and 4/0

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Good hooks. I like them a lot better than the Gamakatsu straight shanks. They've got a larger bite on the hook. The local stores that I've been in carry the 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0. Which is pretty much all I use. The Owner website says they come in 1/0 and 2/0 as well if you need a smaller size.

SoFlaBassAddict reply :

Quote
Thanks for the pictures! That one looks pretty straight, but it seems to me that it would be difficult to rig them straight consistently. Have you noticed the bait spiraling more than it does with an EWG hook?

I've never had a problem with lures spiraling on them. Alot of the plastics I use have either a slot for the hook to line up, or a seam you can follow like on the GYCB plastics. Takes an extra second or two to line it up.

Sweetwater reply :

I use gammy ewg red hooks for weightless trickworming and have for years. I don't have hook up issues, but I bet I'm more patient with my hookset and I don't do the "Ric Flair off the top rope" hookset. Reel down, and a nice sharp snap up of the rod tip. Works every time.

And, I believe the EWG is more of a benefit keeping the fish buttoned after hookset.

smbrule reply :

Quote
Thanks for the pictures! That one looks pretty straight, but it seems to me that it would be difficult to rig them straight consistently. Have you noticed the bait spiraling more than it does with an EWG hook?

Have not had a problem with the bait rolling even when using an unweighted hook.

Note: Below is pic of some sraight shank hooks modified to increase gape.

Catt reply :

Mustad Straight Shank Denny Brauer Flipping Hook P/N:32807BLNU32

tyrius. reply :

If you think about the various types of hooks and their ability to "engage" in the fish's mouth it quickly becomes apparent that the inline (point and hook eye) style hooks have a distinct disadvantage. With the point in line with the eye a straight hook set will pull the hook from the fish's mount without the point touching anything. This happens the most when the hookset is "in line" with the fish's mouth.

You can experiment with this buy closing your hand on a EWG hook and slowly pulling the hook straight out. Since the point is in line with the eye you won't get hooked.

Now, if you set the hook from above the fish or from the side (at an angle to it's mouth) the hook point will engage.

I would also guess that the hookup problems are more pronounced in the smaller hook sizes because there isn't as much of a gap between the bend in the hook and the hook point. This provides for less space for the hook to slide over and the hook point to penetrate.

It's difficult to explain but if you look at the hook and mess around with it in your hands you'll see what I'm trying (and failing) to say here.

smbrule reply :

Quote
If you think about the various types of hooks and their ability to "engage" in the fish's mouth it quickly becomes apparent that the inline (point and hook eye) style hooks have a distinct disadvantage. With the point in line with the eye a straight hook set will pull the hook from the fish's mount without the point touching anything. This happens the most when the hookset is "in line" with the fish's mouth.
From my experience I could not agree more. When using EWG hooks like the Gammie and VMC I seldom use any size less than 4/0.

Although I started using straight shank hooks sixty years ago I went to EWG hooks as baits became larger and bulkier. Have gone back to straight shank hooks with the option of a wider gape straight shank hooks that are now available or as in the past--I bend out Gammie or Owner straight shank hooks. Especially the Owner straight shank wide gap hook.

Also bend out Gammie staight shank worms hooks when I want a lighter hooks for smaller baits. For example the Net Bait Paca Craw.

Catt reply :

Quote
Straight Shank or Round Bend Offset or Extra Wide Gap?
Wide gap hooks have the hook point directly in line with the eye of the hook or slightly above the line eye on extra wide gap hooks. When you set the hook, the sinker and the front of the lure clear a path for the hook point to escape a bass's mouth without embedding. On straight shank hooks the point rides substantially above the eye of the hook and aims for the roof of the bass's mouth, resulting in a more hook-ups. The extra wide gap hooks do an excellent job of holding fish if you manage to get the hook through the bass's mouth on the hook set. There are plenty of times when a bass completely takes the bait and even on a short pitch with braided line, the hook flies cleanly out of the bass's mouth on the hook set. Missing an extra fish every once in a while doesn't sound like a big deal, but if that fish is the Lunker of a lifetime, losing it is a huge deal.

It's simple geometry guys

NBR reply :

I seldom use any hook other than Gammy ewg on soft plastics and haven't had any problems.The lakes I fish are pretty much weed free so I only tuck the barb under the skin if I find that rare tree in the water.

Dave D reply :

I fish 10" worms a lot and have traditionally always used 5/0 Gammy EWG's but got the bug to order some 7/0 monsters and boy are they giant! I can't wait to test these babies out.

brushhoggin reply :

the z neck owners are really nice, worm doesnt slip.

90x reply :

i love gammy hooks. they basically hook themselves for me. Try texposing them.

I dont mean to offend you, but maybe you are mistaking bites for pieces of cover.

fmoore reply :

Quote
i love gammy hooks. they basically hook themselves for me. Try texposing them.
I dont mean to offend you, but maybe you are mistaking bites for pieces of cover.

No offence taken. I've since opened the gaps of the hooks and I'm having no problem with hookups now!

6607

Gammy EWG hooks: Hookup problems 2024

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