How To: Homemade Stinger (Assist) Hooks

[Bucktail]

After posting "Rigging the Bucktail Stinger: 101"  last month I received a PM from a member asking me how I made them.  Well, I explained that I didn't make them.  I simply bought them "pre-made" and looped them onto my bucktails.  What could be easier?  Several manufacturers sell quality assist hooks, including Owner, Gamakatsu, ProFishCo, Williamson, etc.  The only downside to these is the price.  Assist hooks can run upwards of $3 a piece!

Faced with that situation when I first started using them, I began a search for some cheaper versions.  What I found were a couple of brands that seemed to be the answer.  However, while I did save some money, the hooks were just not up to par with the bigger name brands.  And, while they did the job, I wound up having to sharpen each of them right out of the package.

So, after receiving the PM, I decided to find out just how hard it is to make these hooks.  What I discovered is that they are almost ridiculously easy to make!  

All you need is some Kevlar cord, a pack of your favorite hooks and the ability to tie an overhand knot!  Since I'm a fan of Gamakatsu hooks, and I had a few packs of their "Live Bait" hooks laying around, those are the ones I chose to use.  

If you'd like to make your own assist hooks the video below will show you how.  The Kevlar cord can be purchased through several different sites:

JDM Tackle

Saltywater Tackle

Ron's Tackle

Uncle Mike's Rocket Shack

Here are a couple of pics of the ones I made.  I used 8/0's for the my Butterfly jigs. I will be making some with 6/0's and 9/0's as well.   For my fluke bucktail stingers I used 5/0's.

Good Luck! t^



  

[ChrisL]

  Nice job Bucktail

[SurfJockey]

Very nice! 

[Hotrod]

 

[ped579]

Nice Bob...

[Reckless]

 Good job! Saving money.

[Ranger79]

 

[Pops Soul]

  Great Thread Bob 

[Kenny]

Great post and info Bob   

[Pfishingruven]

Nice job and great info!  You are the tackle man .

 

[Drew806]

Nice work Bob. 

[PeggyLee]

Nice job Bob.

[pilot2550]

Excellent.  I've taken a pass on buying pre-packaged cause I couldn't justify $6 for three hooks. Don't get me wrong, some how I've justified spending upwards of $8 on a spro.... go figure

Thanks!

[IrishAyes]

Nice post Bob. Where do you get the kevlar?

[Bucktail]

Excellent.  I've taken a pass on buying pre-packaged cause I couldn't justify $6 for three hooks. Don't get me wrong, some how I've justified spending upwards of $8 on a spro.... go figure

Thanks!

Yeah, I hear ya Jeff.  It's hard to pay that much for a hook.  The Kevlar works out to about $ .50 per assist (partially due to the shipping).   That plus the cost of your hook is the bottom line.  The Gamakatsu hooks I used are kind of expensive, but if you buy them in packs of 25 you can get them for less.  Standard VMCs or Mustads will work as well.  I just prefer the sticky sharpness of the Gamis.   Either way it works out to be less than the "pre-made"!   

Nice post Bob. Where do you get the kevlar?

Joe.  Angler's Pro Shop

[Bucktail]

UPDATE

For those interested in trying this, I just found another place that sells Kevlar at a much cheaper price!

What I bought cost me ~$16.00 (including shipping) for 5 meters (which is around 16').  Average cost = $1.00/ft

This place has it for ~$20.00 (including shipping) for 100'!
Average cost = $.20/ft    

Or, if you figure the average size assist hook requires about 6" of Kevlar, it works out to only $.10 a piece (plus the cost of the hook).

Here's the link http://bigronstackle.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=215

[njbob49]

Thanks Bob for the great info and the links.  This method is so much cheaper than buying them already made.  I like to use whole squid at times for bucktailing fluke and I found some of the assist hooks I bought were too short to reach the tentacles without bending the whole squid. This made for an unnatural looking squid. With this method you can vary the length if you are going to use a big piece of bait.

You forgot to add the cost of the super glue into your calculations.  LOL 

Tight Lines,
Bob G

[pilot2550]

Bob,

Thanks for the info.  Particularly on getting the Kevlar.  Just started looking at local shops up here in CNJ and nobody carries it.  I thought Effinger's might but the guy looked at me like I had three heads. Your last post looks like a steal.

[IrishAyes]

Patiently waiting for the UPS guy to arrive with the kevlar and 65# braid I ordered. 

[CapBob]

The have some on EBay