Spring Walleyes + Cold Water = Stinger Hooks

The ice is out below many of the dams and many fishermen are out after spring walleyes. When the water is cold these fish bite very lightly. Often you feel a tic on your line and reel up to find your minnow is gone or missing his tail, or that your twister tail has been pulled partly off your jig. That’s because walleye and sauger hit short in the cold spring water.

The solution is a stinger hook, which is nothing more than a small treble hook that is attached to the bend of the jig hook. The stinger hangs at the tail of the minnow or twister and often catches the light-biting fish in the chin. Without them, the fish per strike rate is very low.

You can make your own by buying a box of #8 or #10 treble hooks. Then cut an 8 inch piece of mono and double it, putting the two cut ends together. Tie the doubled line to the treble hook and you end up with a treble with a loop of line on it. Then cinch the loop over the bend on your jig hook and you have a stinger hook that cost you about a dime. If you compare that to a price of about $1.50 for a package of “store bought” stingers, you can see it’s much cheaper to make your own….and they work just as well.

Make up a bunch of them at home and stick them in a piece of Styrofoam and you’ll be ready to fish. I guarantee you’ll get more hook-ups than with a plain jig hook.

post by: Dan Bomkamp
 
http://www.ruralpropertypro.com/