Dressed vs. bare tail hook

[kenyee]

Originally Posted by ivanputski

why do so many plug builders put trebles as a tail hook?

I've always wondered that myself and prefer plugs w/ dressed tail hooks like #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&'s.
I think the main reason is they probably add more action to the lure (heavier hook waving around from the currents)...e.g. some Al Gag's lures have trebles on the back, some have siwash hooks.

[emgred]

I've had this discussion many times. I know that cost is a factor for many plug builders. John (JNSki) told me that it is the reason his plugs do not have dressed siwash tail hooks. He also told me that he dresses the tails of the plugs he himself fishes. I have found some plugs are MUCH better producers with dressed tail hooks. SS sinking Little Neck Popper is top of that list for me. Yoziri Mag Darter is number two on that list. I have had people tell me that they feel the action is worse on a Mag Darter with a dressed tail. Might be the amount of current I'm used to fishing them in. The majority of people I asked seem to think that needlefish are better with dressed tails UNLESS the dressed tail makes the profile appear to big. Most agree that metal lips should have dressed tail hooks or dressed flags. Darters, on the other hand, seems to be a personal preference. By their very nature, they seem to get the most "Hook Tweaking" from people. IE: I like to dress SS Darters most of the time. Some like to swap the front hook for a 4/0 and leave a 3/0 on the back.
Bottom line. Some things work better for some people, so experiment!

[cow tamer]

Emgred - For the SS sinking Little Neck Popper, is that when swimming it or popping it or both?

[GonnaCatchABig1]

i'm going to dress almost everything from now on. three cast in with a dressed gibbs, a fish exploded on it. jumped about 2ft in the air.(and took it due to a poorly tied knot ) the other gibbs i had was an exact replica (i learned my lesson two nights before about only having one of each plug with you) that i didnt have a dressing for. and all i got in about 40 minutes was a small bump at it.

so from now on everything gets a dressing. until i find out otherwise theyd prefer it with out.

while on the topic though.. how big of a difference does the color make. ie: a white dressing on a black plug or vice versa? is it more effective to color code OR clash colors?

[emgred]

Originally Posted by cow tamer

Emgred - For the SS sinking Little Neck Popper, is that when swimming it or popping it or both?

When I fish this plug, I use a combination of swimming and popping; slow pop pop, let it sink a little, swim it back to the surface and repeat or vary - you get the idea.
Just a note - I use a split ring with the dressed siwash so the hook folds closer to the plug when it is cast.