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[Snagly]

Finally got out on the water with the spoon-and-Dacron combination. Nose-hooked a 33" Spring on an old Mortac #3 after several short strikes . . . tap, tap, tap, PULL. I think the trailing hook worked when my standard 2/0 Gami Siwash may have come up short. The 1/0 Matzuo was partially opened, so I swapped it out.

So with a single real life example to report, Every Day's method is batting 1.000.

[Snagly]

More data points from spring fishing with the trailing hook. Feel that the hookup and landed percentages are higher with the loops than without. Would need many (many) more than 15 hookups to validate this theory, but I'm convinced to the point where I'm swapping 100% of old style #6 split rings and 2/0 Siwashes before fishing.

On the plug front, have gone 1-for-2 on landed fish using a Dacron loop and dangling 1/0 Siwash under an M2 or K14 which is then cast and reeled up slow. Very early days here, but I think it will be a winner, too.

[fic]

Tried out this trailer hook method using 30lb braid. Fishing was slow as I only hooked 1 but landed it with the trailer hook using 30lb braid.  I'll keep experimenting , but so far so good!

[NexusGoo]

^
I'm digging the pink spoon tape

[redder]

That looks great i will be trying that 100%.

[Snagly]

Couple more observations after Sep-Oct use on the Skeena & tribs:

1. Matzuo 1/0 hooks straighten out too often to be trusted on big fish. I've lost 3 large steelhead to partially-opened hooks, likely nose-hooked bucks. That was too many so I started looking for alternatives. At Canadian Tire, I found Eagle Claw L-1 style octopus hooks in #1 and #1/0 sizes which are of heavier gauge stainless steel. Too early to say how well they'll do, but for now they are holding up.

2. I couldn't find the exact hooks online for a cheaper bulk purchase, but at luremaking.com 100 Eagle Claw 1/0 Octopus hooks were $12 plus postage. It's a Canadian outfit, so the postage wasn't too bad and the service was prompt. (They have a minimum order of $20 so I bought some lure tape as well for jazzing up the spoons.)

3. Threading that Dacron loop through the hook eye can be tricky with the Eagle Claws. Here's a trick from an old trout fisherman who saw me struggling. Take your preformed loop of Dacron. Threat a short length of mono through the loop. Feed both ends of the mono through the hook eye. Pull on the two mono ends to draw the loop through the hook eye every time with no muss or fuss. Remove mono and rig as per normal.

* * * * *

After many more hookups and fish, I'm convinced that the trailing hook method hooks a higher percentage of strikes and lands a higher percentage of those fish hooked than does a Siwash. The trailing hook has to date hooked 1 (out of maybe 75) springs and steelhead outside the mouth, and there's been one spoon swallowed (a spring, which I kept) with resulting heavy bleeding. So I don't think the method leads to snagging fish in the face, or more hooks in the gillrakers.

[Every Day]

Hey Snagly.

Just curious, were all the hooks that bent out from a single pack? I have had a couple bad packs lately. I got in the habit of giving my hooks a good torque with my finger before putting them on. If they have any bend, I tend to just use them as a shank for intruders and don't use them on my spoons. I haven't had any problems with bend outs on the matzou's since then.

Obviously any hooks work though, and I highly recommend people play with what they have confidence in. I have just always liked that matzou's based on their shape, their cheap expense, and how razor sharp they are.

It's very interesting that you have a deep bleeder hook up on this. I invented it to avoid that completely. I've had maybe one deep hooked fish out of many hundreds now in the last 3 or so years (and thankfully that one wasn't bleeding somehow). I'm curious to see how many more you get deep like that, and how many more other people get. I'm still convinced that this method drastically reduces mortality due to bleeding. The extra hook ups and landing are just a bonus. The hit is the fun part anyway 

Cheers,
Dan

And thanks for the feedback! Keep it coming everyone!

[Snagly]

The Matzuos were from multiple packs, but the same Cabela's order. I don't think they were bad batches, just the combination of 20lb or so fish hooked in the nose and being fought on tight drags in heavy water.

Today I hooked and landed two steelhead on the #1 Eagle Claw L1 Octopus style hooks I just purchased. I landed both (31"+ and 33"+) bucks fishing drift gear, and noted that both hooks had partially opened even though both were hooked in the jaw and the fights hadn't been particularly stressful. So I'm already looking for another hook.

* * * * *

As for the bleeder, the spring simply swallowed the spoon and the hook lodged even farther down the gullet than an old style Siwash would have. I kept it (my one fish for the month from this Skeena trib) and ate it. So at least it didn't go to waste.

[Flytech]

I will only fish spoons using this method now. I have yet to lose a hooked fish.

[Snagly]

Couple more hookups on Friday resulted in partially opened Eagle Claw #1/0 Octopus L1 hooks. I've taken them off, and view them as less reliable than the Matzuo's (which don't open up unless the fish is nose-hooked).

I dug out a packet of 1/0 Gami Octopus hooks and had no problem threading the 30lb Dacron loop using the mono trick (as described above). I think that #1 Gami Octopus hooks will be big enough for spoon applications.

[Snagly]

Reporting in that I've corresponded with EveryDay about the several deep hooked and/or bleeders I encountered over the summer and fall. He suggested reducing the loop to 1" to 1.25". Mine vary from 1.25"-1.75" right now. That should help.

EveryDay asked if the Matzuo's sickles were from the same batch (they were). He asked if I had any octopus Matzuo's (I do, but they're not with me now that I've left BC) and suggested I try those as they are made of heavier gauge steel. So that's another option.

On the hook front, I've bitten the bullet and bought a lot of Owner SSW 1/0 octopus hooks. Big eyes, thicker gauge steel and legendary sharpness. I won't be putting them into action till next year but I'm busy tying up smaller loops, rolling the knots in a dab of Aquaseal to rule out any slippage, and pinching barbs.

It's a great technique and with EveryDay's assistance I think I've got it fine-tuned.

[bigblue]

I will only fish spoons using this method now. I have yet to lose a hooked fish.

Fly tech, what is the brand of the spoon you are using in your pic?

[badboi]

Does this method work when bites are very light or just small taps? 

Sometimes when I retrieve spoons I notice taps or bumps on the lure  Perhaps the salmon are just chasing the lure and swiping at it?

What do you do when you encounter a situation when you notice frequent taps on the line with no hard strikes?

[fic]

What do you do when you encounter a situation when you notice frequent taps on the line with no hard strikes?

If the taps are light, I might give it a slight pull to see if anything is connected and increase pressure if it does.

[243Pete]

Does this method work when bites are very light or just small taps? 

Sometimes when I retrieve spoons I notice taps or bumps on the lure  Perhaps the salmon are just chasing the lure and swiping at it?

What do you do when you encounter a situation when you notice frequent taps on the line with no hard strikes?

Depends on where you are fishing, ocean or river? River it can be the water current, the unseen turbulance under the water and bottom like rocks and such that makes those taps and bumps sometimes. Ocean it could be waves or even debris in the water.

Frequent taps I would either slow down or speed up my presentation depending on what I am targetting. If it's pink I sometimes slow it down or just keep the same pace, speeding up the retrieve in a short burst can sometimes produce a hard strike as a fish will basically charge the lure.

As for frequent taps, I mostly get that while river fishing with spoons and just wait for the grab as most of the time salmon will hit hard enough to hook themselves but that isn't always the case.