i did a quick search on this and didnt find any threads and i wanted to know your opinions. ive long been a fan of the single rear hooks on my crankbaits. maybe times are changing.

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im a really HUGE fan of rapala x rap lures. their best color patterns(per my opinion) are of the line that comes with sure set hooks. (those colors being moss shiner and blue back shiner).

a while back i found some clearance rapalas at a mom and pop tackle shop. apparently the sign meant "3 for $12" but the way it read was "3/2". needless to say i got a few... they all came with 2 sureset hooks. ive been fishing with sure sets on the lures i use on the river here and have been extremely pleased with the results. it prompted me to change all the tail hooks on my plugs that are making the trip to canada this year to sure sets.

my question is this, what are your experiences with sure sets? so far i havent had any gill/deep throat hooked fish, only lip. i would assume sure sets would be somewhere less harmful than a standard treble but more harmful than a single hook. whats your take?

mastertangler wrote on May 5^th, 2012 at 1:45pm:

i have never once straighted out the extended hook. i think they do some sort of hardening on the thing. . ive straighted the regular tines on a sure-set, however.

when adding the sure sets(only on the tail hook) i always make sure the long tine is pointing up. this way you get more upper lip hookups and less snags. rapala seems to like putting sure sets on the front hook on a few of their lures with the long tine facing down. (i see this mainly on the DT thug/flat series') i really dont understand this thinking per these lures are made to bang on bottom/structure/wood and that hook hanging way down doesnt make any sense. i remove the front hook on those all together.

Quote:

You'd have the ease of hooking of a treble but the holding power of a single hook. I fish barbless everywhere, and I've noticed improvement with the sure sets.

xcskibum1, jaximus,MT,

What model # XRAP do you guys prefer for walleyes ?

XR06   3-5' deep   2 1/2" long
XR08   3-5' deep   3 1/8" long
XR10   4-6' deep   4 in long
XR12   4-8' deep   4 3/4 " long

Seems like XR12 would suit me better for late June/early July trips.

How is the XRAP on smallies?

Early spring xr6 is a solid choice for smallies. then as water warms i stick with the xr8. Sometimes i will toss the 10 but not all that often. Smallies will hammer them all year long. For walleye I have had good luck with the 08.

As for the shad shape, I would agree they work quite well and even better in some situations. I think its the shallow shad x rap? but that works best for bass, at least for me. Trolling a xr08 is really tough to beat for the walleye. if you want deeper try the deep running xraps before going up in size. I know there are alot of believers in "bigger baits catch bigger fish", but i strongly disagree haha. My biggest fish ever have hit on small baits. including a 46in pike on a 3inch bait.

I have seen 44inchers caught on 1/8oz mistertwisters, and I have seen 10inch pike caught on 12inch baits...