Rapalla special?

[bazzdude]

I want to start out by saying that l love this site now that i have discovered it a few years back and now my wife says" fishing agian' i think it is funny. Anyhow, i am a bass fisherman for the most part but i am getting back into the trout game and there are a few lakes i want to fish that a selective rules only, which i am catch and release only most of the time anyhow. So my question is has anyone ever hear of or tried using a single barbless rapalla for the trout? I love me a rapalla ecpecally at rock lake next to the shore for the browns. do you think it would hook the fish or are the pretty much a double triple hook lure only? I have my ideas but just cerious what the real fisherman out there think? I like to jerk my rapalla a lot on the retrieve and i am a little worried that it might not get a good hook set with only the one single barbless hook. Stay safe out there and good luck to all the winter. Bazzdude.

[The Quadfather]

Take them trebles off, and replace it with a single barbless. Sure it may be a little tougher on the hook set, but it doesn't mean you can't try it at least. Let us know how you do.

[Anglinarcher]

Yes, and no. You might find that the Rapala is not stable with the single hook, which will need to be on the back. I have added weight on the second or even the third hook locations in place of the hook with fair results.

Sometimes though, the Rapala works just fine.

[blufin loui]

Hey ya bazzdude, up in rufus I use the rapala with a single octopus style hook in red color. I have had best luck using a hook that is a tad oversized for the given plug, and as mentioned, placed on the back of the plug. I don't have my box in hand, so I'm not sure of the model, but one of the smaller 2 hook models. pinch down the barb and away you go. I have to trial and error on the hook size to get one that balances the rapala, therefore getting around the balance prob mentioned by archangler. I havent noticed any prob with hook-ups yet, so give it a try. good luck

[bazzdude]

Anglinarcher, how could you add weight to the (seconde)hook on the set up? I am a little confused, are you both saying use only one single barbless hook on the back or just us a bigger one on the back> I would think that two single barbless hooks would work better. Blufin loui you have tried the double single barbless tech. before and was sucessfull for trout? I am itchen for some fishin!

[bazzdude]

Ocotupus style? Please let me know more, i have never heard of that before? Sorry i have been cought up in the bass fishing in the last few years. I only have a small 12' ALUMINUIM boat with a small trolling motor and a lot of creek fishing up my sleeve. Thanks for all the info so far guys.

[bionic_one]

They are saying add 1 hook to the tail, a single barbless hook. In other words, you can ONLY have 1 hook on the lure if you are in a selective gear fishery. You have to remove all the treble hooks from the lure. You would then add weight (not sure how, splitshot maybe?) to the other hook locations, to compensate for the hooks no longer being there.

Only unscented artificial
fl ies or lures with one single-point, barbless hook
are allowed. Up to a total of three artifi cial flies or
lures, each containing one single-point, barbless
hook may be used. Bait is prohibited; fish may
be released until the daily limit is retained. Only
knotless nets may be used to land fi sh except
where specifically allowed under Special Rules
for individual waters. If any fish has swallowed
the hook or is hooked in the gill, eye, or tongue,
it should be kept if legal to do so.

This is an octopus hook: Octopus Hook

You can also get a 'siwash' hook. If you decide to use something other than rapalas, say like a vibrax blue fox, those even come with a siwash hook to replace the treble hook.

[blufin loui]

bionic_one has it right, only one single barbless hook and that on the back. To C&R you need the single barbless on RW and selective rule waters. and I haven't had to use any additional weight "yet", but have lucked out with the hook being the right weight so far to balance the lure. The octopus hook is a style, and I've been using GamaKatsu (sp?) brand red color, although I think any of the shorter shank hooks would work. Just experiment and go out and knock em dead

[Anglinarcher]

Anglinarcher, how could you add weight to the (second)hook on the set up? I am a little confused, are you both saying use only one single barbless hook on the back or just us a bigger one on the back> I would think that two single barbless hooks would work better. Blufin loui you have tried the double single barbless tech. before and was successful for trout? I am itchen for some fishin!

If you are going to use a single barbless hook, putting it at the front or middle is useless because it will just lay against the body of the lure when the fish hits. You need it at the back. As blufin loui suggested, step up the hook size. As a rule of thumb, you want the hook gap to equal the diameter of the trebble hook you are removing.

Now, as for adding weight, the roll of the Rapala is balanced by the hooks at the front, and center on three hook systems, so if it is not there sometimes the Rapalas will roll over and now swim right.

To fix that, you can tie a leader tag on it then clamp on a micro shot, or you can also just clamp a shot on the hook eyelet on the larger models.

As you can see, it can be a real pain. If you can get away with a fat bodied bait, like a Bomber Model A, then you don't need to mess with the balance and you can just go with the single hook.

PS, I prefer a large eye, straight eye and shank, hook like the Siwash.

[bazzdude]

Wow, thanks guys for the good info. I now bought some octopus style hooks for the back of my rapallas. I will put them in a bucket and see how they float i guess that is a good test right> What are you guys strike set precentages compared to the normal hooks on the rapalla? I am thinking about going out this sunday weather depending. I went and got the hooks and wholy crap there are a lot of diff hooks and brands. I sure hope the fish will be hungry.

[blufin loui]

Wow, thanks guys for the good info. I now bought some octopus style hooks for the back of my rapallas. I will put them in a bucket and see how they float i guess that is a good test right> What are you guys strike set precentages compared to the normal hooks on the rapalla? I am thinking about going out this sunday weather depending. I went and got the hooks and wholy crap there are a lot of diff hooks and brands. I sure hope the fish will be hungry.

Yep, there are so many different styles of hooks that it can be overwhelming. You'll need to do a retrieve to see if the lure will track true with the single hook set up. As for as strike/hook-ups on the single hook, Personally I haven't had any trouble, the hook-ups have been solid. BUT next time out I may have different results, so please let us know how your experience goes.
Good luck and wishing for your success

[Anglinarcher]

Wow, thanks guys for the good info. I now bought some octopus style hooks for the back of my rapallas. I will put them in a bucket and see how they float i guess that is a good test right> What are you guys strike set precentages compared to the normal hooks on the rapalla? I am thinking about going out this sunday weather depending. I went and got the hooks and wholy crap there are a lot of diff hooks and brands. I sure hope the fish will be hungry.

The hook-up rates differ from day to day.

You already toss Rapalas, so you have probably caught a lot of fish on the front hook only. This is especially true for the larger Rapalas and the more aggressive fish. As you know, in theory, the fish strike the head of the minnow so the food slides down head first. These fish will not be hooked.

On the other hand, smaller Rapalas, or when the fish seem to hit from the back, well that is a different story, you will hook up as many or perhaps more with the single hook.

My observations, while not formal and documented, suggest that I catch about 25% of my fish on the front hook, so that implies that with the single hook I would hook up only 75% of the time. Still, for me to be able to use a stick bait on a selective rules water, it is more then worth it.

[bazzdude]

Well maybe i will try a few diff. colores with some on the front and some on the back. So AA says best on front or on back for smaller rapallas. And blufin says back. This will be fun no matter how it goes. I will go give the lures a test run on the river tomorrow since i have the day off. They should work just as they do with both hooks on right> If not i need to adjust my hook size? Or add some weight some how i guess>? Thanks again guys for the input. :bounce: 9

[blufin loui]

Well maybe i will try a few diff. colores with some on the front and some on the back. So AA says best on front or on back for smaller rapallas. And blufin says back. This will be fun no matter how it goes. I will go give the lures a test run on the river tomorrow since i have the day off. They should work just as they do with both hooks on right> If not i need to adjust my hook size? Or add some weight some how i guess>? Thanks again guys for the input. :bounce: 9

Can't wait to hear of your trip. What AA mentions about the larger Rapalas and the fish taking the head is true of most all the preditory fish that feed on minnows, so with the larger lures and a single hook on the rear a missed strike would be prominent, But All my single hook fishing with the stick baits have been with the smaller lures, so even a hit to the head will result in the hook being in proxemity of a hook-up except on the smaller fish. It is great to be able to try different methods/techniques in this great sport called fishing. Good luck and tall tales

[bazzdude]

Well i made my trip to Amber lake yesterday. Wes a little bit windy and the fishing was slow so only fished for 2 hrs and 15 min. But i did get ony hit on a rapalla with a single barbless hook on the back and it did set. A very nice 17'' rainbow hit right at the boat. I tried getting a picture but the camra man pused the wrong button and i did not want to leave the fish out for too long. I can say that it was the prettiest fish i have cought in years. Very dark red with one big yellow spot underneath. What was that spot all about? one other boat on the lake fly fishing but they left shortly after we gt there. Thanks for all the tips seems to work just fine.