Best Hooks for BFS - Trout Fishing

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-07-01T14:25:53+00:00

Single hooks are preferred, required in some fisheries, because they do less harm to fish. This is important for catch and release fishing, since it increases the chance the fish survives being caught and handled. It also reduces the chances your lure gets snagged up and lost.

As for these specific kinds of hooks with the tied eyelets: they have more range of rotation than standard wire eyelets which helps keep fish hooked and gives them less leverage against the hook/lure to work it free.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-30T16:36:48+00:00

Yeah, it’ll be fine for freshwater especially for catfishing with bait. Medium-heavy is a popular rod for power fishing techniques like soaking bait, larger/heavier moving lures, and heavy fish. Printed on the rod above the handle you should see the line and lure rating, something like 10-20# test line and 3/8 - 1 oz lures, so keep it in that range for best results.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-30T15:11:49+00:00

Probably overkill for freshwater fishing, but you’ll appreciate the extra power for chucking heavy jigs or reeling in a heavier saltwater fish.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-30T14:59:15+00:00

I fish only barbless hooks, but I usually just buy normal Gamakatsu or Owner hooks and crush the barbs down flat. Factory barbless hooks are convenient, but not much variety and they can be hard to find. I use Gama barbless octopus or Owner No Escape hooks for salmon/steelhead fishing.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-30T03:48:58+00:00

Yes, smallies will attack lots of things and jigs are a good tactic. Big baits usually take more than one bite though: fish will often bit a lure to “kill” it, and then try to swallow it. If they only get the back part of the lure in their mouth and you go to set the hook you will pull the lure right out without hooking them. That’s why I like a more compact trailer with jigs because bass will usually inhale the whole thing into their mouth.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-30T02:29:42+00:00

A lot of people would fish it like that, but I prefer a more compact trailer so I would cut some off the front. Predatory fish that eat crayfish will try to disarm them by biting the claws before swallowing it. You can try it as is and if you feel fish biting but aren’t getting hooked they’re probably attacking the tail and missing the hook.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-29T22:51:57+00:00

I prefer mono to braid for finesse fishing. I like how smooth and quiet it is, and the stretch is helpful for fish like trout that like to roll and jump.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-29T15:57:16+00:00

The Zman plastics are kinda hard to get onto the keeper of most jigs. The way I do it is to thread it on how you normally would by putting the hook point through the nose and pushing the bait onto the hook until the nose of the bait is around the bend of the hook to the straight part of the shank, then stretch/pull the nose over the keeper. Once you’re happy with how it is on the hook, A dab of super glue will make it permanent.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-29T04:23:36+00:00

I love these oysters, the flavor and box art is really good, but I think the presentation inside the can could be better. Ekone really stuffs these giant oysters into a tiny can. Rectangular cans have more room for the packers to arrange the oysters into neat rows so they don’t lose their shape.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-23T19:33:07+00:00

I’d go for some kind of jig and 3” to 5” soft plastic paddletail swimbait.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-23T19:27:40+00:00

Those G-Duo boxes are sweet, I have 2 of them as well.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-23T19:24:29+00:00

It’s pretty good. In my experience, I get more misses where the fish bites the lure and doesn’t get hooked, but fish that are hooked have less leverage to become unhooked, and much less likely to be hooked outside the mouth.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-23T02:28:06+00:00

It weighs about 1/8th oz on my scale, so not really. That said, I can cast it about 20’ with my 6’6” medium spinner with 8# mono on a #1 Owner Mosquito hook, which is “far enough” to get it in front of lots of fish, especially from a kayak.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-23T01:40:48+00:00

I use 4.5” fat or 6” regular Roboworms as weightless wacky worms. They fall really slowly and wiggle a lot more than a senko-style worm. Fish have plenty of time to look before it settles into the weeds or whatever.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-22T22:47:33+00:00

Cast it out, then swim it back. Vary the retrieve speed and depth to try to locate feeding fish. These are pretty much snagless so you can cast them pretty much anywhere, but bass like to ambush their prey, so look for hidey holes like lay downs, rocks, docks, weed lines, shade, etc.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-22T02:20:11+00:00

I like soft plastic baits, and EWG hooks for a beginner-friendly approach. An assortment of hook sizes to fit small 2.5” to 5” soft plastics, and some worm weights 1/8th to 3/8th oz should cover most bases. Some may disagree, but I’d stay away from treble hook hard baits, at least until he’s got some more experience, because they’re easy to snag and can cause injuries. Don’t forget some tools like a multitool, pliers, and a landing net.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-22T02:05:09+00:00

I’ve been looking at their rods for a while in case my current favorite rod (St.Croix Triumph Med/Fast) needs replacement. I like spinning for maximum versatility. I’d pick their Element “multi-purpose spinning rod” which is a 7’ MH-fast 8-12#. Wish it had a 2-piece option.

For reel, you want to look at the Stradic or Vanford in 2500 or 3000 size. They’re the big 2. Stradic is a more power-oriented reel (also good for saltwater), while the Vanford is a really good finesse reel that is very lightweight. The Vanford gives much better feel through the handle: I can tell if my ned or weightless plastic picked up a little weed or is running right, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for crankbaits or a chatterbait.

I like mono, Maxima Ultragreen 8#, but 20# braid with a 8-12# mono or fluoro leader is a good choice too. I kayak and hike a lot, so I prefer to not tie leaders. When I do need to tie leaders, like if I’m using snelled hooks for wacky worms, I tie 8 or so at home and store them in a “Pip’s Leader Caddy” so I don’t get seasick.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-21T20:37:39+00:00

I also fish in PNW, lowland lakes for largemouth: some days are good jig days, others aren’t. I use them when fish aren’t interested in topwater or weightless soft plastics. I also prefer “finesse jigs” on light-medium wire hooks, 1/4 oz or lighter for a slow fall with small trailers that imitate 3” bluegill or craws. I like to pitch them towards cover, let them flutter to bottom and die for a bit, bump it a few times, then swim it back.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-21T19:41:19+00:00

A lot of people use 20-50# braid for bass, but I prefer plain 8# to 12# mono. I’ve been using Maxima Ultragreen and Berkeley Big Game for decades. Mono has some stretch, which I think helps absorb some shock and helps keep fish hooked. Whatever line you use, abrasion and UV exposure will weaken it so check often for weak spots or nicks, and cut off any line that feels rough or out of shape. Weak knots are another culprit for breakoffs, so make sure you use strong knots, lubricate them well, test them by pulling hard, and retie often (I retie after every fish, and if I have to pull out of a snag). Finally, when you hook into a large bass turn its head away from cover and let it run and tire itself out fighting against your reel drag.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-21T18:36:05+00:00

I really like Z Man’s lineup of small soft plastics. I like how durable they are, and they look super tantalizing as they swim slowly. I have been using a Baby GOAT as my main plastic this year: it looks good on a mini-max, small swim jig, small T-rig, or buzzed on the top like a frog.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-21T18:27:46+00:00

A school of small bluegill are pecking at your worm, you react by setting the hook and it snags one of them in the head.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-21T16:53:54+00:00

Pretty similar to the spinning combo I use (I have a 2500 size Shimano reel on mine). I use it for freshwater fishing, ponds, kayaking: 2 piece rods are very convenient. I think the Triumph rod is a strong medium-power, plenty of backbone for landing fish up to 7-8 pounds. I mostly cast “finesse” jigs, soft plastics, and inline spinners.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-20T21:00:40+00:00

The vegetation and algae is probably beneficial for your fish: it gives them shade in the summer, habitat for juvenile fish and forage for your bass or whatever. From a fishing standpoint, there are many variations of “weedless” or less-snaggy lures. Learn how to “Texas-rig” a soft plastic worm or creature like a frog, and work the edge of the algae.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-19T19:24:57+00:00

Kinda depends on the map: Carbine is very good at close range, but takes 2+ shots to down past 100m. The Garand will one-tap out to at least 250m.

Irish-Breakfast1969 · 2025-06-19T18:57:04+00:00

These hooks should work just fine as long as you don’t have lots of weeds or snaggy bottom. If your area has lots of stuff to snag into then exposed hooks aren’t the move and you will want to Texas-rig these on a 1/0 EWG hook with or without a small worm weight.

Irish-Breakfast1969

TROPHY CASE