Hey Randy/Community, I lost my father two days ago ; He's the reason I fish. If everyone could crack a beer for him, I would really appreciate that. Best wishes.

Randy, You’re doing a kick ass job. I like the fact that you give people credit for different techniques etc. Keep the good info & rants coming!

Thanks for excellent advisory videos Randy. Awesome channel.

THESE TIPS ARE GOLD, RANDY!! I already figured out the smaller hook thing myself...but the trailer hook tip, the tip about bending the point out a tiny bit on ewg hooks, rigging the lizards..... these are things I will carry with me this tourney season. I love these type vids, and the vids on mental mondays. Keep on doin what your doin, soon it'll be the 100k subs you'll be celebrating.

Randy thanks so much for what you share but found this out some time ago fishing shallow grass on the Potomac River and totally agree with the hook size!! Again thanks for what you do and share and have learned a lot from you with some of your tips 👊

Great video awesome information thanks for the tips

Randy, I can totally agree with that. I only carry 1/0, 2/0 & 3/0 in my gear. I started out 1/0 with worm's way way back, but moved on to 2/0 with greater success. Than came along the mags!

Randy , you are the man. thanks for teaching us

Great advice I have done this and found the same results. I’m going to go ahead and thank you for picking me for the giveaway. It will help with the winter blahs.

Most informative fishing instruction on You Tube!

I love that zoom creature , and thanks for your expertise on how to rig

I agree with you Randy. I stopped using big flippin' hooks long ago. Jimmy Houston did a show decades ago about "mini flippin'", downsizing your presentation for more bites and better hook-up ratio. It works great. Best of luck to you in 2022.

Thanks for these tips Randy and I did get some of these straight shank hooks from baitwrx and some #5 gamakatsu round bend treble hooks! I was introduced to gamakatsu hooks a long time ago and they are awesome!! :)

Thanks 🙏 Randy u da man!! Wish I lived closer to you so we could go out on the water!! Augusta GA is a ways from you anyways maybe one day u could come up this way n show me how to catch these hardcore Clark’s Hill bass!!! Freakin lake is pounded with pressure n if you don’t stay on the water every day it’s hard as heck to catch a fish!!! KVD said it’s the tuffest lake he’s ever been own!! He hates it!!! It’s sad it didn’t even rank in top 100 lakes 😮 take care my friend 🎣🇺🇸🙏

Great video buddy thanks for explaining

i love this... i have always used smaller hooks on texas rigged worm and creature baits. those big 5 ot ones just dont work. i thought it was just me but glad you confirmed what im doing. bigger is not always better :)

Great tips Randy, thanks

I always appreciate the tips. Small things that us average anglers don't always think about

Ive noticed this last year, Now I never use a 5/0 flipping hook, started landing a ton more when I went smaller!

Good info, thanks for the vid

Great tip Randy as always! Thanks and let’s go 50K!

Great job randy spot on it just don’t look right with that #5 I’m using #3 profile more natural love the info spot on good luck on new season

Good Tip. Thanks.

Thanks for the great tip randy. Does your hook set change depending on bait, rod, etc? I’ve found a slow pull and continuous reel especially using spinning set up really helped me keep from losing fish rather than reeling down the slack and jacking them

Thanks for the info!

I've been Subscribed, and I enjoy watching your Tips & Tricks 🍺🎣

I started skin hooking my plastics last year and I definitely saw a difference in the fish I got in the boat

Good stuff Randy!

Not often I get to leave the first comment. Thank you for the recent videos on the do and don't for straight shank and EWG hooks .

Thanks!

Do you ever use offset hooks, and still place in bait same way? Great tip, and thanks for all the input, you have been busy!😃

Randy I can confirm your hook gap theory from my experience Snook fishing. When fishing live baits we match the hook to the size bait we catch. It's not unusual to use as small as a #2 not a 2/0 but a #2 when the bait is very small. A 10 pound Snook has a mouth very similar to a 4 or 5 pound bass, and that hook works just fine.

Good stuff randy, cant ever have to much knowledge

i was randomly just messing around with different flipping set ups last year. i've never heard of anyone using a snell knot with fluoro so i tried it and it worked awesome. i went one step crazier and tied a snell knot with fluoro on an ewg style hook. mind blowing results so far. owner wide gap jungle 3/0 has been flawless.

Your last few videos concerning rigging soft plastics have been a revelation to me on how I have been loosing fish.

People think small hooks cannot hold big fish. I caught 30 inch brown trout in the Au Sable river in Michigan on size 28 hooks when tying the small tricos. As far as the fish coming unstuck, with a larger hook the fish when jumping of running toward you has a longer heavier lever to work the hook out of where ever it was stuck. I don;'t agree with everything you suggest, but I do still listen and evaluate for myself. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Great info! I’ll be putting this to use down on Toho this month. What’s the best knot for flipping rigs? Do you use a snell on flipping hooks?

Randy just left uncle Bob in the shed. love your channel

Great tip...!!!

Unfortunately I bought 3,4,and 5 hooks. Thanks Randy for the knowledge!

Loving the hat!!!😁now I understand the hate comments on social media🤓loving the tips Randy😁come on 75k!!!

Ur the man randy!! Smartest bass master on KZfaq!! #randy4president!

4/0 straight shank for flipping. Will go to heavier wire in thick stuff with braid. Only thing I flip with a EWG is a 4/0 ringed EWG on tubes in deep submerged grass. Keep in mind not all sizing is the same across all brands!!!!!! What a 4/0 is in one brand might be closer to 5/0 in another etc.

50k Congratulations Randy!

You may have covered this already but when using straight shank flipping hooks do you use a snell knot or a tie a regular knot?

I'm guilty of the 5/0 hook deal !!! Got me ! I'll try to down size it !! Ty Randy ! You got candy ! ! She's a dandy !

Hey Randy, solid points here. Would love to see a brush hawg tutorial from you - they’re a bait that’s always floating around in my boat but I never pick up simply because I have confidence in other things. Would be curious to know where you think a brush hawg can shine over other options. Carolina rig? Flippin ever?

Finally someone who has some sense!!

Been Flippin with 4/0 ewg for a long time and noticed the lost fish. Flippin hook is way to go for this style

Skin hookin will work for sparse cover but if ur flipping reads or heavy Florida style cover that’s gonna pop out everytime and hook whatever cover you’re in.

Randy puts out videos like a banshee! 😀

I would have thought the hook in the middle would be best because the plastic is a bit thinner. I’ve just now bought some flipping hooks to try out. Always used EWG for everything.

Sorry for your loss 🙏

skin hook is a good thing I always put my hook through on an angle and put the point of the hook in the outside edge of the bait never in the center try it it's a good way

I have done this in the past and from my experience that little bit of plastic the hook is buried in breaks or tears after several casts and the baits are basically ruined because they are no longer weedless when that happens. I flip the bait over some times to get more life out of it only to tear it again. seems like you can burn through baits and waste so many casts and so much time in a day like this. Am i not hooking the point back into the bait deep enough? I have fished wood, grass, pads, and about anything else you can think of with a straight shank hook and it gets so frustrating I have went back to only using EWG grip pin style hooks for the last few years and i have no issues at all. Im sure im doing something wrong. thank you for all of your videos!

What are your thoughts on 3/0 vs 5/0 when using 1oz or bigger tungsten weights? I'm inclined to use a wider gap hook because the weight has a larger diameter. LMK what you think.

Great video Randy. What do you use the EWG for then? Anything? Man, I have a bunch of EWG hooks bud!

Same… I’ve lost too many hook ups on EWG and creatures. I use a 3/0 99% of the time.

for no reason i just decided to go with size 2/0 &3/0 for most of my hooks i bought hindred packs of vmc reg straight shank, and ewg in the blk vanadium hooks.some like big 8 inc lizars or bigger baits i guess u should use bigger 5/0 hooks .i mainky use 3 ,4/0 octopus hooks now for wacky riggin and neko rigs.if i use luzard or tubes i use ewg.i use to get the eagke claw lazer point 100 pk from bass pro shops in the 90s lol.the big plastic box was cool.

Home lake is Okeechobee I use a 4/0 on 50 lb braided line works great

if i may ask can you speak on baits and what rods to use with different baits. or lines on rods what you like to use.

I always used EWG never really lost fish figured I try straight shank because the idea seems to be better to me. Started losing alot of bigger fish. Went back to EWG havnt really lost any since. Not sure what I’m doing wrong with the straight shank. Iv always been a 3/0 guy also for most all applications.

See look at you randy got other video up already KZfaq you owe this man……. Great tips

What brand of straight shank hook are you using in these videos?

Would you use a 3/0 hook on an 8” zoom lizard?

what knot to use with a straight shank hook ?

Appreciate you much dear Randy i own a fishing lure brand and currently work with wes for our marketing and website . Regards from france, romain

Done!

I know people love those straight shank hooks for flipping, but they are way worse for me than a strong EWG hook like an Owner Rig-n hook. With the straight shank hook I lose way more fish, get way more line twist, plus your bait becomes a one bite-one bait thing. The key is finding a hook that works best for you, and sticking with it, because we all set the hook differently and what works for a pro might not be the best for you all the time. Thanks for the tips though Randy, they do give us all a different perspective on things.

Wouldn't you want to use a larger (say 5o hook) for large worms (10" + & magnum worms)?

I exclusively use 4/0 and 3/0 for all Flipping applications.

Does the old tail of 3in bait 3 in hook , 4 in bait 4 In hook not apply . I know with swim baits a smaller hook on a larger bait u can miss fish . ?

Great tip Randy, a good friend of mine always flips creature baits I will forward this to a him.... who knows he may subscribe...does it work on tubes?

Love your videos but 4/0 is what I'm confident in... will definitely give the 3/0 a try tho🤘

Great information! What size weight...im from Illinois and fish ponds and lakes with most fish up to 5 lbs. Usually from shore and average depth 3-6 feet i bought some tungsten 1/4 -3/8 some of our ponds are matted but most are sparse vegetation...not much wood at all? And do u allow the weight to move or pegged, sorry just getting started using only a 6 foot 8 saint croix eyecon med/ extra fast action...i know, also. Is 10 pound floro invisx to light? Love your channel im 55 and just love learning new things...i m traditionally a walleye/smallmouth guy, and have placed 2nd in 96 on the illinois river for walleye/sauger...pro/amature tournement...thank you for all the help, and time. PEACE/TIGHT LINES.

ive always ran the hook thru and skin hook it i get way more hookups than my buddies that dont do it they b yelling loosing fish i try to tell them but they r stubborn lol more for me

randy what about the magnum creature baits

ok sounds good

Randy... That's the size hook I use .. But never over a size 4 ... 99 % of the time it's the size 3., Years before I would always bury the point of the hook into the meat of the plastic , but now I skin hook it... Save a lot money on plastic because the plastic last a lot longer.. The Frye Guy

Is your rigging the same if the bait has a hook slot?

Do you use snell knot?

Greg Hackney uses a 6/0 flipping hook and has amazing results. I suppose everyone has a different style.

You are a big zoom bait man, was wondering on the brush hogs is there a right or wrong way to rig them, the way the they are made the flappers are smoother on one side than the other?

Dang, now I gotta buy me some 3/0 straight shank hooks!🤔

👍

I use the correct hook. My issue is when a bass inhales my bait the tungsten sinker, up against the fishes bony lips prevents me from hooking the fish. I lost two very important fish like this last summer. I don’t have a solution.

What about snell knot ??

Agree. I like that 3/0 flipping hook for creature baits

What about a weightless fluke. Straight shank or ewg?

Love the vids and would love to win

Looking for more tangible evidence as to why a 3/0 would be better than a 4/0 or a 5/0 with a big creature bait? The topic is intriguing, just curious about the true benefit /advantage.

I use 4" pit boss with a 3/0 hook. I've ALWAYS done better with 3/0 hooks than 4 or 5/0

Spread that giveaway around a little. Sounds like a load of stuff to give to one person.

I usually fish a super clean lake, I can’t bring myself to throw a 5/0, makes my bait look like a gummy bear tied to a coat hanger

I wouldn’t sell myself for lessons. I’d say you can fish with me for a price and I’ll give you pointers. But, you HAVE to have already learned about line types and little tidbits like that and HAVE be able to cast to any spot when you’re standing side by side with me on the front deck.

More ranting please 🤣 have great competitive year !

Skin hooking the hook point comes loose after one flip.

I use 3 even in salt water cause you can better caught and hide the hook. I fish shallow water

Statistically though... I think if 99% of people done something and 1% doesn't... the 99% probably arent ones that are wrong about it lol

I have no idea how you land 25% more fish. When it's a single hook and put a good hook set on them you will very rarely lose a fish regardless of hook size. I don't loose 25% of all fish I stick , so there's no way I can increase by that much