How to Use Weedless Lure Hooks for Soft Plastics

Table of Contents

Introduction to Weedless Lure Hooks

Welcome to this article on weedless rigging of soft plastic lures! In this article we’ll be going over the weedless lure hooks rigging system and how it works.

I hope that, by the time you have read through, you will have a better understanding of weedless fishing for bass from shore with soft plastics under weed cover.

As weedless system is often used in weedless lures. They are designed to run weedless by using weedguards, but because of the larger profile weed guards change the action slightly, resulting in lack of weedless capability.

So what’s weedless about this system? It allows you to rig soft plastics under weed cover without getting them snagged up.

How weedless hooks work?

The weedguard is designed to Guard the hook point from snagging up on weed and underwater structures when using soft plastics. When a predatory fish strikes the weed guard bends down revealing the hook point that will penetrate the fishes mouth.

It works great in situations where you are casting into an area with a lot of weed cover because it allows your soft plastic to sink deeper in the water column before

There’s many different types and designs of weedless hooks but they all have one thing in common, they are weedless because of the weed guard.

Weedless Lure Hooks for Sale

Weedless lure hooks for soft plastic baits in many different sizes that are great for smaller predatory fish like perch and trout to large 4/0 up to 6/0 hooks that are more suited for pike. Variations with blades, bait holder screws and weights gives you a broader range of techniques to fish soft plastic lures.

Quick Link and Swivel for Lure Hooks

Weedless hook rigging

Start by tying a loose double overhand knot at the end of your main line. Next, loop on a snap swivel and tie another (loose) overhand knot. Then thread the leader through the split ring and tighten with loose overhand knots.

Start by tying a loose double overhand knot at the end of your main line. Next, loop on a snap swivel and tie another (loose) overhand knot. Then thread the leader through the split ring and tighten with loose overhand knots.

Hiding The Hook

The next step is to embed the hook shank into the bait so it’s not visible. Burry the hook point into the plastic by taking your finger and pushing it through until its completely hidden under the plastic.

If you are using a shad for example, put the hook next to the shad, hold the lure as a marker to where the bend of the hook will come out of the centre line on its back. Start threading on the shad beginning in the centre of the mouth. While pinch the shad on the “marked” area slowly push on the shad.

When uyou feel the hook point getting to the marked area begin bending the lure so the hook point breaks the lures surface. When the hook is visible, keep the point end low and close to the lures back. Now bend down the hook guard loop and push it under the barb of the hook. It is now ready to be fished once you have connected it to a wire trace or thick mono.

 

Hook without weed guard

If you are using a hook with no weed guard, you still can use this method. Follow the same process but do not break the surface on the lure with the hook point, instead pust the lure on and start bending it round so the hook sits straight under the surface of the lure. The lure is then a weedless lure will the soft plastic acting as a hook guard.

Now that the hook is completely hidden by the plastic you will notice it has a lot more action. As soon as I started experimenting with this rigging method on my lures, my catch rates skyrocketed and I consistently caught better quality fish when they were in weedy areas.

Rigging Soft Plastic Baits with Weedless Hooks

If you have been struggling to properly use weedless hooks, these videos will show how. The first step is rigging a soft plastic bait with the hook in question and then getting it set on your rod for best results!

In this video, you will learn how to rig soft plastics and bait your hooks.
The tone should be professional yet still engaging enough for the viewer’s enjoyment!

Soft lures contribute a lot to fishing for perch, zander and pike. You can use them with various rigs which is what I’ll cover here!

These rigs will help you catch more fish.
“How to rig weedless soft plastics.” If a pike or perch likes hanging around in heavy cover, then this is the perfect bait for them!

What is a weedless hook and how does it work?

A weedless hook is a type of fishing lure that has no built-in weed guards. Instead, they have a rigid part along the shank of the hook. When a fish tries to bite these lures, this rigidity allows the hooks to pass through any weeds or grass without becoming snagged with the prey still in the fish’s mouth. Such a system allows fishermen to fish in areas with thick vegetation where treble hooks may become snagged frequently due to the windings of the weed guard around those lures.

Weedless hooks are often used with soft plastics as they allow the bait to sink deeper into the water column untangled by weed guards. In some cases, the hooks are tied on instead of being connected via a swivel with fast change clip or a fastlink.

Harmony-Fishing-Razor-Series-Weedless-Neko-Hooks-Size-10-10-Pack
Lure Hook with Weed Guard
Owner-Twistlock-Light-Weighted-Hook
Weighted Lure Hook
Gamakatsu-25-Pack-EWG-Offset-Worm-Hook
Worm Hook

Pros and cons of using a weedless hook

Weedless hooks are not effective in all cases. For example, fishing for larger fish that feed deeper into the water column may cause problems for anglers because the fish can swallow the bait. The rigid part of weedless hook system is insufficient to keep the lure from being swallowed by these predators.

Some lures designed with weed guards are effective for catching some kinds of fish, but anglers may catch larger numbers of lesser quality fish with them. For example, fishing with jigs designed to be fished in weedy areas can result in many small fish not worth keeping and will often cause trouble while trying to reel in the jig along with the weeds that get tangled into the line.

Tips for fishing with a weedless hook

When using weedless hooks, the angler should be aware that it is possible for small fish to get caught around these hooks. To prevent this problem, its best to use smaller lures when fishing weeds so they are less likely to become ensnared in the vegetation. An alternative method of preventing tangles is to tie one or two small rubber leg skirts on the lure. The extra material will prevent small fish from getting trapped and allow the angler to keep fishing even when tangles do occur.

Hooking a soft plastic on a weedless hook is fairly easy, you only need to push down on the soft plastics tail lightly enough so it bends around onto itself and forms a loop. Pull the weed guard loop back through this loop and pull tight to make a knot around the bend of the hook, now its ready to be fished.

EWG hook with Blade Weedless

When the weather changes and you can feel a new cooler season coming, but your lake didn’t get the memo. The only lures that will do are weedless ones.
Because of all those weeds on these ponds or lakes. which often grow around them in circles as well- there’s no way for to throw out hooks with exposed blades so my best friend needs be an EWG hook with a soft plastic shad if we want any chance at catching some pike! My favourite one is their aggressive blade option because it usually gets them interested with its flashy appearance underwater; plus this type has never let us down when fighting those hard fighters.

EWG Hooks for Sale

The best type of bait to use for catching fish on a weedless hooks

For the best results use soft plastic, this includes worms, eels and leeches. These are all very good for catching bigger fish like zander, pike, trout and catfish. For smaller fish, perch and small perch, working a weedless style with small soft plastic shads around weedy areas can be extremely productive even though the fish are small.

Conclusion

If you want to increase your catch rate, I would definitely recommend using weedless hooks. They can be used in difficult areas such as weedy swamps and other thick vegetation without having to worry about snagging the line while also catching more desirable fish. If you enjoy catching small perch or smaller predators like pike and zander, using rubber leg skirts is a quick way to prevent tangles without needing to change lures or re-rigging.

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