Eagle Claw 571 Hook

Made up some new jigs. These are 1/32nd ounce.

Attachment 415135

Attachment 415136


Attachment 415137

Attachment 415138

I am very pleased with this new-to-me hook. It is the Eagle Claw 571, formed in bronze and sized 1/0. The hook has a sticky sharp tip and a nice barb. Very rare that a rod will indicate while trolling and there not be something attached to the other end. Rarer still to lose a fish while reeling him in. I did lose a fat fish recently though but it was strictly my fault. Kind of hard to expect much more than that from a jig hook. So I have been using it for all my jigs no matter the weight of the head or style of lure. I did have to make some very small mods to my FreeStyle mold as when inserted the hook tip can reach over too far, and ride high on the material. I simply filed those areas a few hits to provide space enough and good to go. Easy.

I am suspecting that the reason the hook is so effective is that it’s tip is high up above the bait. Lots of room to catch and then lots of room in the bend to sink deeply. I had been using Victory sickle hooks size 1/0 and I could flop the fish onto the deck and he would pitch the lure free. That is not occurring with this hook. It stays pinned. I landed a 10 pound bowfin with one and there was no deformation at all.

The shortened shank makes it so much easier to skewer plastic baits as it doesn’t require a long stroke. I can manage with it much better. It also leaves more of the bait to wiggle waggle as less is affixed to the shank. I trimmed some off of the plastics before skewering. I cut off the tips and then thread them on. Then pull them back and add a drop of super glue to the shank, then slide the bait forward. This provides virgin plastic for the glue and seems to hold up as well as expected. The fish can still destroy the plastic but usually I get several trips before that happens.

If you ever need a short shank hook I can recommend this one.

Good job and write up, thanks for sharing

I have used this hook for years and have much confidence in it. Nice looking jigs.

Same hook in a 3/16th ounce underspin lure. I painted white, white, glow yellow, glow yellow, then quick dip in neon pink. The plastic bait is 2” in total length. This will be used close up to the boat while trolling so I like to make these heavier. I now run four such lines and six long lines using light weight jigs. Some days not a bite on the close jigs, other days the close in jigs out perform the long lines. Stupid fish.

Attachment 415139

I read that a short shanked jig snags less and is easier to wiggle free. I rarely get a snag so don’t know how reliable that info really is. Makes sense though as the line would serve as a weed guard if the tip were against it, so….. having the line closer might provide some of a weed guard’s effect.

Anyways I am dialing these fish in. One step forward, two back, two forward one back fashion. I think I have my colors pretty much figured out now. Sizing is still a mystery. The fish change too much for me to keep pace with my guesses. This time next year I should have a much better understanding of when to use what.

I no longer bake my painted jigs as they never encounter hard objects. Besides most get eyes and I slather the UV resin over the heads to secure them. This resin would protect them should I ever decide to slam them against a hard rock or something. This allows me to skip the fluid bed stuff as well as a heavy coat is no longer problematic. I coat the eyes and head with the resin, hit it with the UV light, then a second coat, hit that with the light, then cured outdoors in the Sun. The flashlight serves only to freeze the resin in place so it doesn’t migrate. Keeping the resin out of the hook eye is not easy. I tried using shrink wrap but it served as a straw and sucked the resin up and into the eye. Now I just try to be careful. Having a way to securely hold the jigs for that process is a huge help. I am using my clamps that I made for baking jigs in a vertical position.

I am liking Bob’s Jigs trident tailed bait that was just recently released. Been using it for my Whirling Dervishes. The action compliments the blade. Paddle Tails work well with blades as well though, but the new baits do very well in this regard. They use a less heavy plastic than Slabanator, but heavier than Bobby Garland. I prefer a heavy stiff plastic, but that is just because I am pulling in a straight line fashion and not trying to impart action. If I was dipping not sure what I would like better. The colors are excellent, too. Good job Bob.

I am also liking those Dakota blades. Swimming the lure alongside the boat and observing, they spin differently than Colorado blades. Like Willows spin different, these spin different. More of a rotational spin, or at least I am seeing them in that manner. I bought size #1 and think I would like to go a little smaller. They spin slower too it seems. So they will provide a different look and will come in handy on days when the fish are being overly fickle. Not sure they are better, just different.

Appreciate the informative report. Good looking jigs.

Same as above but this time used Road Kill hair. Deer lived in my backyard since birth and wandered out onto the road few months back. I scavenged her tail. Stink…..

Attachment 415141


The pink paint over the yellow makes for a very nice look when jig is held in hand.

What are you using to apply the resin? I use cheap little model/craft brushes. Get like a 10pk for $2 or something at Walmart and is in the crafting section.