Stinger Hooks

[Arminacast]

As per Dave_W suggestion I will start a new thread here. I was just wondering if others tie in treble hooks as stinger hooks. I've been tying most of my wooly buggers this way for a couple of years.

 

[moon1284]

I dont. Probably not the best idea if you release fish.

 

[Baron]

I want to hear about how one might trim to two points. I have allot of fish that are playing with the tail and I bet a stinger would nail them more than half the time.

 

[Bamboozle]

There really is no need for a treble hook and no need to tie separate versions with and without a stinger.

While I don't use stinger hooks on any flies, I do use single “trailer hooks” on spinnerbaits which work just fine.

If I were so inclined for streamers, I would do the same thing: find a long shanked, ring eyed streamer hook with an eye opening large enough so that you could thread the point and barb (or not) of your fly hook through it.

Get some vinyl tubing or surgical tubing in a size that will fit over the big eye on your stinger hook. Slide a short piece of tubing over the point of your stinger hook and slide it up and over the eye. You can do this in advance and stash the hooks in a small box or Ziploc bag.

When you are ready to add it to a streamer, just push the point of your fly hook through the tubing and the big eye of the stinger hook and slide the stinger hook around to the bend of your fly hook. BTW – you will have a much better success rate if the stinger hook point rides UP.

Removing the stinger when not needed is just as easy if you don't have a barb but a little trickier if you do however, you can just cut off the tubing completely and replace it later.

If you feel compelled to do it with treble hooks, just cut off any unwanted hook points with wire cutters and dab a little head cement on the cut marks to retard rusting. I use to do it that way with in-line spinners when I was a kid to reduce snagging and it works just fine.

Also, if you can't find a stinger hook with a big enough eye (which I doubt will be an issue), adding a small split ring will work too.

 

[Baron]

Good Trick.

 

[Arminacast]

Short strikes are the reason that I began to look for a way to place the hook at or close to the tip of the tail. I did try several other methods ( longer hook, articulated design, single hook, double hook) but I wasn't satisfied with the results. The method I'm using now is to tie a treble hook at the end of a double strand of 15# braided line which is then tied to the hook shank. I feel this design gives me the ability to create a long tail (more movement) and still place the hook at the tip.

 

[drossi]

Do you have any issues with foul hooking fish that try to grab the streamer from the side?

 

[marcq]

did you ever consider that the fish might be hitting the head of the fly? I’m not knocking your idea it’s a good one if they are short striking a fly but There’s a lot of fly between the actual hook point and the eye of the fly. I’ve been buying a lot of hooks the not that sharp. I would touch the main hook up with a file before you fish them. It has made a difference with me.

 

[Baron]

All summer I meant to test these different theories. I know with Bluegills and Pickerel I can visually see them hit the tail whereas the perch often hit from behind Bass, Crappie and Trout I have no Idea. One minute you don't have a strike and the next you do with no clear picture of what went down how.

 

[McSneek]

Geebus. Why don’t you just toss a rooster tail?

 

[Arminacast]

I do still get strikes with no hookups and I think that it may be from trout that attack the bugger from the side. As I had mentioned in my first post(in "fly tying") I snip off the main hook on most of my buggers. I may have to rethink that.
I also think that the treble hook may give the illusion of a tail fin - to the trout that's chasing it.
I do know that tying buggers this way has increased my catch rate.

Thanks for your input.

 

[tomgamber]

I think another single hook would be effective enough. I think PA removed the language a few years ago but other state still only allow a single hook in some special regs areas. Mere possession is a violation. I can live with short strikes.

 

[Bamboozle]

Correct, the single hook for flies regulation is no longer a requirement in PA Catch & Release Fly Fishing Only Sections and wouldn't be a requirement on other Special Reg Sections since other tackle is allowed.

Other states, who know but if you don't go....

 

[allthingsfishing]

So, I guess the logical progression would be to tie eight buggers together for a woolly umbrella.

To me, a treble hook makes it a jerk bait. Might as well use a baitcasting rod.

 

[Dave_W]

Like many older FFers, I got my start in angling with spin gear and still fish spin gear on occasion. For this reason, I don't hold the disdain for treble hooks that many FF anglers hold.

I've long tied a "double" stinger at the rear of my trout and muskie flies. This is because these fish often nip at the rear of the fly. For my bass and striper flies I only use a single hook because they typically suck in flies head first.

I'll take a garden variety treble hook, snip off one of the hooks (be careful to check the position of the eye before you do this). I'll then crush the barbs and bend the remaining hooks closer together. The final hook resembles the old style double point salmon fly hooks. This "close point double" hooks very well and won't potentially pin the mouth shut like a conventional treble hook can (I think this rarely happens).

Although most of my flies don't have this style of stinger hook, when I'm using these flies I have a much better hookup ratio on trout, especially with larger flies.

 

[larkmark]

I bet most of fish that are nipping at tail are smaller fish? Big ones seem to either eat it or refuse it. A lot of misses on streamers fished down and across have to do with the way the fisherman sets hook.

 

[moon1284]

Agree with above

 

[sandfly]

for the last 15 years I have studied this. Iv'e seen 16-20 inch browns here in pine hit the tail. fish a streamer with no stinger and when that brown goes for it and you miss him change to same fly with a stinger. you will hook that fish.

 

[sandfly]

for the last 15 years I have studied this. Iv'e seen 16-20 inch browns here in pine hit the tail. fish a streamer with no stinger and when that brown goes for it and you miss him change to same fly with a stinger. you will hook that fish.

 

[Prospector]

larkmark wrote:
I bet most of fish that are nipping at tail are smaller fish? Big ones seem to either eat it or refuse it. A lot of misses on streamers fished down and across have to do with the way the fisherman sets hook.

This is something I’ve thought about “the way the fisherman sets the hook”, but I haven’t consciously changed what I’m doing. I position my rod when fishing streamers to get the drift I want more so than try to get a better hook setting angle. I fish streamers a lot and my hookup ratio usually falls 1:5 to 1:7 when I keep track.

It may be hard to put into words but can you describe the hook setting technique that might improve my ratio.