Best Weighted Hooks For Inshore Saltwater Fishing
- By: Joseph Simonds
- on
It’s weighted hook time!
Weighted hooks are complete game-changers for inshore anglers.
They let you rig your lures weedless and avoid getting snagged, you can get better hooksets, and you can use them for finesse fishing in the shallows.
And since there are so many options out there for weighted hooks, we did this whole video sharing everything you need to know about them.
Here’s a sneak preview of what we covered:
- Which hooks are best for certain soft plastics (and certain depths)
- Weighted hooks vs. jig heads
- Pros and cons of different brands and different weights
- How to rig lures weedless with weighted hooks
- And much more
You can watch the video version of this podcast below (which I recommend since we show some of the different hooks), listen to the audio version by clicking the play button underneath it, or listen to it on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify.
P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Best Weighted Hooks [VIDEO]
Click here to join the Insider Club
Best Weighted Hooks [PODCAST]
Note: Don’t forget to subscribe to the Salt Strong podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify and leave us a review!
Click here to join the Insider Club
Related Podcasts:
- HOW TO FIND 90% OF ALL FEEDING FISH IN YOUR AREA (90/10 FISHING RULE)
- PADDLETAILS VS SPLIT TAILS (BEST COLORS, SIZES, RIGGING, & MORE)
Here’s a timestamped table of contents from my conversation with the Salt Strong Fishing Coaches Luke and Justin about the best winter fishing lures:
1:04 – Introducing our new Head of Tackle, Justin Ritchey
3:26 – A funny story about Justin’s kayak tournament in Amsterdam
7:30 – What our favorite weighted hook is
9:11 – How to catch redfish and trout in the winter when using weighted hooks
10:52 – How to catch BIG trout in the winter
11:52 – Why we like the Owner TwistLock hook (but when you should use other brands)
13:41 – How to rig lures with Mustad Grip Pins (and how to rig extra tough lures)
18:10 – When to use Mustad Grip Pins & Z-Man ChinlockZ (and when NOT to use them)
20:02 – Which weighted hook has the best centering pin
25:11 – Using weighted hooks vs. weedless jig heads
34:15 – Pros and cons of the Texas Eye jig head
39:00 – Where to get the hooks we talked about in this podcast (and how to get 20% off of them)
Conclusion
What an awesome episode!
Whether you’re fishing grass flats, mangrove lines, or shallow docks, weighted hooks are great for keeping your lures weedless and in the strike zone.
Here are some of our favorite weighted hooks:
Have any questions about using weighted hooks?
Did we miss your favorite hook?
Let us know in the comments below!
P.S. Want access to our best fishing spots and tips, plus discounts to our online tackle store? Click here to join us in the Insider Club!
Related articles:
- SIMPLE PADDLETAIL RIGGING TRICK TO INCREASE HOOKUPS
- HOW TO SET THE HOOK WHEN FISHING WITH BIG PADDLETAILS
- KNOW YOUR REEL SIZES (PROS & CONS OF 1000 VS 2500 VS 3000 REELS)
Disclaimer: When you buy through links on our site, we sometimes earn affiliate commission from places like Amazon, Bass Pro, Tackle Warehouse, etc. It’s one more way we can help you quickly find the best deals on the web while making sure we’re still around to serve you for years to come (and you do want us to be around to help you catch fish for many more years, right)?
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
Would you use a Texas rig or weighted hook? I have both but am still trying to figure it out for sight fishing spring striped bass, trout, and possibly a redfish if they are in the bay by then. What do you recommend?
Both work… the most important thing to consider is the running depth of the jig head or weighted hook, and go with whichever one hits the ideal depth best.
Not a fan of ChinlockZ. Lost a very nice Redfish when my hook straightened a while back. Great design but I’m not willing to take a risk with them after a failure.
Good stuff! Any consideration on hook weight when differentiating a buoyant soft plastic (ie z-man) vs. a sinking soft plastic lure?
Yes, definitely. I tend to compensate for the buoyancy for any TPE style plastic. I would go 1 size heavier for any TPE type of plastic to get the same performance as a regular plastisol type of plastic.
Thanks so much for the great information.
Why not use the worm hooks for the Zman baits and either use a texas rig with bullet weights and a flat tooth pick or use the crimp on weights.
Great question! You could rig baits both ways (with either a weighted hook, or Texas Rig w/ a bullet weight). It will depend on how you choose to present the lure. With a weighted hook, lures tend to glide left & right a little easier. With a Texas Rigged plastic with a bullet weight, the lure will dive head first, which can also be a successful tactic when trying to cover deeper water. Both have their advantages. The biggest factor is water depth and target species.
Awesome information!! I find myself taking notes just to remember everything! And Luke, that was an appropriate use of the word “malleable”, aka “pliable”! I have been an RN for almost 40 years and have used that term many times!
Keep up the great classes!
Thanks Marcy!
Very informative video. Have watched several times. Trying these hooks on 1-24-2021 for reds in Charleston SC weather permitting.
I bought some weighted hooks on Amazon a couple months ago. I checked my history to find out the manufacturer. What I found interesting was they clearly said they were for ‘salt strong slam shady paddletail lures’.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PKKRRMG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_.WycGbJPQ3GTC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks for all you do.
Owners pins are the best. You can buy just the centering pins from Owner in all three sizes, and I typically use the smallest as the non-elastic baits last a bit longer on the small pins. It enables you to use any of screw on type hooks (not the chin locks ) such as Gamagatsu, Mustad, etc by replacing the centering pins with the Owner.
https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_CPS_Centering_Pin_Spring/descpage-OCPSS.html?from=gshop&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIu_X6kv-s7gIVRrGGCh1ILQp1EAQYASABEgKSqPD_BwE
Great podcast. I learned alot.
Today I received my Slam Shady. Went to Galveston State Park landed my first Trout 13″.Sadly I have to say it was not on the Slam Shady. It was on a gulp jerk shad. It was given to me when I showed my buddy the Slam Shady. So I put them both to the test. Only landed the 13″, but tomorrow is another day. Note, not giving up on Slam Shady. I will be joining the club soon, NEED THEM WEIGHED HOOKS!
I’m from southeast Texas, and fish crystal beach and Galveston all the time. In my personal opinion… Berkley is by far the winner in this scenario. The water here is almost always incredibly MUDDY, unless you go WAY offshore, or to marsh areas (only accessibly by boat/kayak) certain times of the year. While pier/bank fishing… the water is dark brown gumbo. We do have a few clear water days, but they are far and few in between. As soon as the lure goes down 3” in the water, it disappears. So the fish are using scent to hone in on the lure. And berkley arguably has the best scent in the industry, especially the gulp series, but even power baits are fantastic. They work better than scent dips or sprays. I’m also not sold on the slam shady white color for muddy water. Does it work? Sure… I can catch fish on literally any color. But darker colors (or even bright neon colors) are more effective in murky water. Look up some underwater lure tests in murky water on YouTube. Black/blue is proven to stand out the most. Fishing in Florida is a different story. White with sparkles ALL day, and it IS the perfect lure there. Texas isn’t Florida. Another factor, it depends on if you have the Original Slam Shady Zman lures, or the cheapo tiny 2.0 shadys. Yes the 2.0 can catch fish… but the zman is exponentially better in every way that matters. Hope this helps