Jiggin Raps

[Pork]

Just a personal preference question here....sorry if it's been covered already...

I've seen mentioned, guys will cut off one/some of the hooks on the jiggin raps.
Some say cut back hook off, some say front hook should come off.
Still others say leave them both & remove the treble from the bottom.....

I lost a hog of a fish at the hole due to the front hook of the jigging rap hooking the bottom of the ice & the fish making one final run. Promptly de-hooking what would have been my biggest fish through the ice.
The fish was hooked by the back hook & the treble.

I want to snip the front hook off in the worst way, I feel like there's a good chance of it causing more lost fish.
Plus, it just seems like too many hooks on these little guys.
But the thing is, I had a mini head on the front hook for some scent & that could be the sole reason I got the bite to begin with.

Question is, how do you run the jiggin raps & have you had any similar issues?

[slipperybob]

I lose the front hook...mine are snipped off and filed clean.  I have more trouble with the hook hanging up on bottom of ice rather than hooking fish.

[stoph]

i leave the front and rear hooks alone and i never tip them (i think it would screw the balance/action). the treble however i remove and add a chain dropper instead, 90% of the fish i've taken on the rap's this yr have taken the dropper hook. If i have a big fish on i'm just always carefull as i get to the leader swivel, i know to take it extra easy for that last 2'. I can see where the issue with those end hooks may arise, but i've never lost a fish in that manner with raps (i have with other jigs/lures, but i don't blame the lure, its my contol at the hole that let me down!)

[Pork]

Thanks for the replies guys.

Good idea with the dropper too. I think I'm going to combine methods on one....lose the front hook & maybe add a dropper too. 8)

[Wild Turk]

One of my suggestions is after fishing with rapala's for 30 years is to remove the treble hook they came with and add 1 size up as a mininum or 2 sizes are even better. You just can't jig it as hard as the hook will swing around and catch on the back and stay there/But after catching hundreds of lakers on them- 95% of the time they hit from the bottom and with the bigger treble you get 75% better hooks with the larger sized trebels on the jigging rapala's bottom.

Do yourself a favor and put a bigger treble on the bottom.
Kevin

[Wiener]

i leave the front and rear hooks alone and i never tip them (i think it would screw the balance/action). the treble however i remove and add a chain dropper instead, 90% of the fish i've taken on the rap's this yr have taken the dropper hook. If i have a big fish on i'm just always carefull as i get to the leader swivel, i know to take it extra easy for that last 2'. I can see where the issue with those end hooks may arise, but i've never lost a fish in that manner with raps (i have with other jigs/lures, but i don't blame the lure, its my contol at the hole that let me down!)

X 2

[GotEmHooked]

I lose the front hook...mine are snipped off and filed clean.  I have more trouble with the hook hanging up on bottom of ice rather than hooking fish.

                         all the walleye i have caught this year has been on the hook you cut off

[captain54]

I'm with Wild Turk,up size my trebles,I have cut the front hook of some,and not others,and have lost fish at the hole due to the front hook on the ice and on the ice ducer,but I guess that's part of the game,I'm really careful when I hook a good fish and get it to the hole.

[wesson4]

I'm with Wild Turk,up size my trebles,I have cut the front hook of some,and not others,and have lost fish at the hole due to the front hook on the ice and on the ice ducer,but I guess that's part of the game,I'm really careful when I hook a good fish and get it to the hole.

X3

[slipperybob]

Method to the madness.  Gotta have mad skillz.

If someone cuts off both front and rear hooks...that's essentially changin it into a jigging spoon of the sort.  Upgrade hooks and convert to dropper set up.  Using size 2 and 3 jigging rap.  The jigging shad rap might be a better candidate for that with it's stout shad appearance, size 3 of course.  Essentially the treble is always tipped.

[Fridge]

I cut the rear hook off and up size the treble.  This is the best combination I have found for hooking and holding fish.  Many of the fish I catch take the rap head first.  I think it is very important to leave the front hook on.  I also use a barrel swivel about 3 feet up from the lure.  When the barrel swivel comes out of the hole I start to take it real slow so I don't hook the ice.

[slipperybob]

I think when I'm jigging very lightly or just rod tapping the fish has the tendency to take the lure head first.  I've angled the bottom hook eye slightly forward on #2 and #3 sizes.  Of course this means, no being able to quick change the treble but I've no reason to do so.

[slipperybob]

 
My modified Jig'n Raps.

[Wiener]

The yellow piece on the rear hook, is that Foam?

That would be nice to soak with some fish attractant.

They look nice, do you put shrink tubing on the rear hook to hold it straight out?


Thanks,


Wiener

[slipperybob]

I merely crushed the old rear hook down to make it hook on the treble.  I had tested it out with a swinging treble but it merely caught my main line on my jigging.  It's a rubber glow bead, set in there to help keep the treble hook upright. Shrink tubing won't work because of how the Rapala rear hook is so small and bent on the plastic tail already.  I'm not much for aggressive jigging on the Jignning Raps so this works out a little better for me.  I added the glow bead onto the treble's too late to test them last season.  So they'll get a good run this season.

[jasond37]

I have a couple of jiggin' raps in different sizes, but haven't used them much.  I haven't had much success.  I'll have to give them a good whirl this year.  I really like your addition of the skirt there slipperybob, looks real nice. 

[slipperybob]

Thanks jasond37,

I admit that my success with the Jiggin Raps have been very low and most of my strikes have been very aggressive fish coming from the edge of sonar cone.  Sometimes I hook up, sometimes they tug and let go of lure.  Any of those that seems cautious usually only sniff at the lures.  So that leads to dressing them up.  Can't wait for first ice...