Changing out Lucanus hooks

[gman]

Well I did this a long time ago but never posted it, this was inspired by J Latham, he had a great report showcasing Shimano Lucanus jigs. I believe they are great jigs but I hate the hooks IMHO they are entirely too small for larger bottom dwellers such as Grouper, Amberjack and big Snapper even Stripers for that matter. I have seen many straighten on big fish or even break but fish seem to love them regardless of the hook

I have been successful changing out the twin assist hooks for a single larger assist hook. Here is breakdown

The current jig comes as shown with two little hooks, cut the assist cord from the bottom and push it out



Once you cut the assist cord at the base you will notice you will have a single flat solid ring left over. put that to the side for later



Next you will need an assist hook pre rigged from either a 3/0-4/0 size. I prefer the 4/0 shout assist



On the top you will see the solid ring slot



On the bottom you will see a hole this is where you thread the new assist hook through



And thread it all the way through the top where you will open the assist hook loop



Now you will take your assist loop and run it through the flat solid ring to form a loop connection and pull tight



Finally pull from the bottom so the flat solid ring goes back into the jig.



The end result is you will have a large game hook for bigger fish that WONT break bend or come loose

Hope this helps some they are great jigs just with bad hooks IMHO

[Tenacious]

Awesome tutorial Glen,Thanks going thru the trouble of showing us nubies

[J Latham]

Wow, great detail! Thanks for showing us how to make a good jig better.

[gman]

no worries thats what its all about

[Sea Draggin]

That looks like a simple improvement that should yield some great results.

Nice job on the close up shots!!!

[kilsong]

Glen,
I made a special order of Lucanus style jigs with bigger hooks from Jigging Master. They'll arrive in time for next season.

[paul708]

thanks for posting glen
that was very nice
did you have to make the hole larger for the assist cord?

[gman]

thanks for posting glen
that was very nice
did you have to make the hole larger for the assist cord?

No Paul the hole is made for two thin kevlar cords wrapped in rubber so it is the perfect diameter for one thicker assist cord

[Russell A. Jost]

Thanks Glenn, I am going to give that rig a try for stripers in the rips off Cape May in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

[hattrickll]

Gman, thanks for the info.
I just purchased several Lucanus jigs for striper fishing in Cape May, was not happy about the hook size.
Going out now to get the new hooks and try them out Friday.

Thanks.