Deltaman Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 Little background for you guys and the reason for my question. On Thursday morning, it was cloudy/raining here on the delta. Typically prime conditions. I threw a 9" glide bait the entire time we were on the water.... I missed 12 fish. All swiped at the bait but never committed. I watched one of these fish following under the bait and nipping at the hooks. Hooks are 3/0 black nickel. The ensuing thought was, why do I have black hooks when the bottom of my baits are all white? I won't use feathered trebles. I feel they add too much drag. Have many of you experimented with white or silver hooks on your baits? In clearer water, have you seen a difference in the number of fish that have committed? Are my hooks too large? Should I downsize to a size 1 same color to see if it's the size? Thanks for your feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brushhawg1 Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 Southern Trout Eaters show how to camo your hooks with white spray paint. I've done a few like they recommended. Just cover the hook points to the Barb and spray the rest. Deltaman and Willluvstafish 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swole_t Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 What is the profile of the lure? From fishing lots of different baits I'd say 2/0 should go on that length bait, but it also depends on the profile of the lure as well. I personally don't think that matching the color of your hooks to the color of the bottom of your bait is going to increase your catches, but I'm sure a lot of people do. It's probably a confidence thing. basskickinrednick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Ramen Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 I sometimes use sliver colored hooks on lighter baits but I have no idea if it actually makes a difference. If you feel more confident with them, do it. That's half the battle. Deltaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 Red hooks create a feeding frenzy and that is fact. Lol.....I don't like painted hooks cuz I think they can dull the barb, and I also like touching up hooks cuz sharpness is key over color I'm. Low&Slow 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 Btw glides r notorious for followers. Try some scent on the tail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceaser Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 (edited) ive went from no bites to hook up on glides in super clear water to hook ups and fish landed by switching from black nickle hooks to bronze. they are definitely more camo under water. But i myself prefer silver hooks for most baitfish applications, they seem alot more natural flashing around down there. I dont know it it mattes though. One thing I have noticed with black hooks, using black feathers/bucktail on the rear treble of a rat bait to imitate feet hanging down definitely gets targeted by fish. I think they definitely notice black hooks, but not sure how often they would actually hinder a bite. I love st-46 tinned hooks and also the st-66. I run those on my personal stuff and have been very happy with the results. bronze gammys are the most invisible IMO and are great hooks, but i have bent out too many wrestling big fish away from delta cover, so i stick to the ones listed above. Edited June 11, 2017 by Ceaser brushhawg1, basskickinrednick, Primus and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigpoppabass Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 ive went from no bites to hook up on glides in super clear water to hook ups and fish landed by switching from black nickle hooks to bronze. they are definitely more camo under water. But i myself prefer silver hooks for most baitfish applications, they seem alot more natural flashing around down there. I dont know it it mattes though. One thing I have noticed with black hooks, using black feathers/bucktail on the rear treble of a rat bait to imitate feet hanging down definitely gets targeted by fish. I think they definitely notice black hooks, but not sure how often they would actually hinder a bite. I love st-46 tinned hooks and also the st-66. I run those on my personal stuff and have been very happy with the results. bronze gammys are the most invisible IMO and are great hooks, but i have bent out too many wrestling big fish away from delta cover, so i stick to the ones listed above. I prefer bronze for other baits because they hold better than chem sharpened hooks and u can touch em up razor sharp. brushhawg1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassin8r Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 All good stuff here. I also think you need to let the fish tell you. I imagine it varies from day to day depending on conditions. Some hook colors may work better than others most of the time though, but this would be way to easy and not as fun if one answer fit all situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Basser Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 HHey Clayton, I don't think it matters what color your hooks were the other day. Right now out there the fish are in all phases of the spawn. Tail nippers are just a normal response, most will nip at a bait or "threat" in their area around their fry, and some will crush it just depending on their level of aggression. If they're not hitting enough to get hooked, there's not too much else you could be doing different. Focus more on conditions like tide shift or lil pick up on breeze to change your odds. Sometimes swimming the bait a lil faster or erratic can elicit that instinctive/reaction strike. In the past few weeks I've had countless GIANTS out where you're fishing, following and sometimes nipping/swiping at the belly and tail. It's frustrating, but it's also just part of the game rt now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jace D Posted June 11, 2017 Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 I like dull silver hooks. I can't prove it but I think it makes a difference. I'm also fishing mostly reservoirs with very clear water. Deltaman 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltaman Posted June 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2017 I've also seen some people running pretty small hooks on their hinkle glides as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoblinSlayer Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 I dont think hook color really matters at all for smaller un educated fish. Just proper presentation. Ive had plenty of friends and family fish with me on dual live bait rigs and we didnt catch enough bait and fish still bite the bare hooks many times. Now some very large bass in heavily pressured waters,,,,it does matter im sure. Them fish will scope out a bait for a while to make sure it looks normal before wven thinking about eating it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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