Please pardon me Killdux for starting a similar thread to your "Kwikfish" post - I wanted the topic title to catch the eye of guys losing fish with these lures so they can try my trick out. ...

I think I may have the solution to this problem of so many springers coming off Kwikfish/Flatfish. The idea came from what I have used for years on my Warts with great success. The stock versions of Warts and especially Kwikies flap the hooks all over the place and are prone to poor peripheral hookups. What I do is remove both stock hooks and place a 1" bead swivel chain to the belly eyescrew (not the back tail end) of K-14/15 & T-50's, and 1 1/4" chain to the belly of K-16's and T-55's. I haven't tried it on the K-12 and new K-13's, but I think the 1" chain would also work well on them. Using split rings, add a stock sticky sharp treble hook to the end of the chain (one size larger than stock treble or large single siwash hook would be good to try also). The reason I didn't pursue this further earlier was the combo heavier treble on a long bead chain and slower currents in which these are often used allowed the hook to sink out of the strike zone. Now, for slower currents or the heavier hook on the bigger ones I use a 1/2" piece of foam cut from backer rod, or other suitable floatant, poke a hole thru it with a prawn threader and twist push it onto the treble's shank before rigging it on the split ring and chain. I then use a scissors or razor to trim a taper to it, narrower toward the upstream end (doesn't have to be a perfect cone, just tapered some). Then I use a red perma marker pen on the piece of foam for an attractor factor. I haven't tried drilling out a 'corky', 'cheater', or small spinning bobber such as a Spin N Glo; but I'd bet they would work great for this. This rigup keeps that hook stable and right in the strike zone! And not only better for 'nooks, but also for the notoriously quick short striking silvers (which will be thicker than Grandpa's clam chowder this fall!!!).
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Know fish or no fish. - RT

[ 04-14-2001: Message edited by: RT ]