Tandem or single?

ChilliSpoons

Well-Known Member
On your Hootchie hook setup what is your preference, tandem or single? Hook sizes? Swivel before hooks? Beads, color/glow?
 
Down here with smaller fish prefer the tandem set up, up north with bigger/more fish prefer the single, I find it easier releasing with gaff, just don't go too big on the single or you'll turn them into unicorns.
 
What about beads???? Color combos and/or glow? How far back do you want the hook to ride when running a single?
 
Tandem 4/0 with just a hootchie head insert, Trailing hook 1/2 inch past end of skirt then fillet a herring and cut fillet into strips and hook strip on top hook.
 
Single siwash, with the hook point bent off (off set) to one side for better hook ups. Leads to less throwing of the hooks and easier to release if needed. The end of the curve of the hook should be the same as the end of the hootchie. Go for the largest bead(s) that will fit into the head of the hootchie to help it stay in proper shape. Use glow beads when fishing deeper than 100 ft. If the hootchie is light or clear in color go with darker green or red beads. Got this from a commercial fisherman.
 
Single hook off a swivel, 3/0- 5/0 pending the hoochie size, couple beads, usually glow, an arms length of leader. Sternum to the hand. I used to use tandem, but find if hooked up on the trailer I break off, so i switched
 
Single Siwash - 4/0 or 5/0 depending on hoochy size. Hooked to a barrel swivel. Hook/swivel joint where the body changes from solid to tassels should put the hook right where Whole in the Water says. Can put beads/gum pucky/mylar skirt in front of the swivel. Adding bait is an american thing. I am one but IMO it wrecks the action.
 
Glad this came up as I have been toying with the single vs tandem issue. For me, it depends if I'm fishing the hoochie or fly naked (without a flasher) or behind a flasher. If naked, I want my lure as light as possible so I use a single 5-0, and a coffee stirrer straw or tubing to get my hook to the back of the lure. With a flasher, the weight isn't as much of an issue. that being said, I am switching to a single behind a flasher for different reasons. I think the tandem hook is a pain when trying to get the hook out of the fish. Usually the other hook grabs the net, or my hand. I think that if you are fishing a tandem hook, that the biggest benefit of the front hook is to place a strip of herring. I think that a very small strip of salted herring on the lead hook gives the best scent possible.
 
Glad this came up as I have been toying with the single vs tandem issue. For me, it depends if I'm fishing the hoochie or fly naked (without a flasher) or behind a flasher. If naked, I want my lure as light as possible so I use a single 5-0, and a coffee stirrer straw or tubing to get my hook to the back of the lure. With a flasher, the weight isn't as much of an issue. that being said, I am switching to a single behind a flasher for different reasons. I think the tandem hook is a pain when trying to get the hook out of the fish. Usually the other hook grabs the net, or my hand. I think that if you are fishing a tandem hook, that the biggest benefit of the front hook is to place a strip of herring. I think that a very small strip of salted herring on the lead hook gives the best scent possible.

You fish hoochies with no flasher? Never heard of someone fishing a naked hoochie, are you using one of those jughead things?
 
I use the tandem setup. 3 or 4 hook size with the lead hook in the skirt and the trailer about 1 inch behind the skirt. I use a glow (bead/plug) inside the head with about 40-44 inches of lead.
 
fishin solo, adanac,

There are multiple products on the market that give a hoochie action without a flasher - jughead, wiggledisc, wiggle fin, scotty squid devil, OKI crazy 8 just to name a few. I've had success with most of these, and always run a dummy flasher off the ball. Catching salmon without a flasher is a hoot compared to the drag of an in-line flasher.

Howard
 
This is what I've gone to lately Yes there can be issues from time to time with the trailing hook embedding itself in someone's hand you just have to be careful.

Owner SSW 6/0 Cutting point hooks and beads from Radical Glow outstanding product with intense long lasting glow nothing like the useless POS sold by local companies.
20170627_130514[1].jpg
 
fishin solo, adanac,

There are multiple products on the market that give a hoochie action without a flasher - jughead, wiggledisc, wiggle fin, scotty squid devil, OKI crazy 8 just to name a few. I've had success with most of these, and always run a dummy flasher off the ball. Catching salmon without a flasher is a hoot compared to the drag of an in-line flasher.

Howard
Ahh ok when you said just a hoochie I assumed it was without a wiggle disc etc. Cool cheers
 
First off, tinsel body in the Hootchie, has a bead head already anyway. Sometimes the mylar hootchie skirt in the iridescent white, very flashy.

Next, a red bead behind the hootchie skirt.

Then ... a 5/0 Circle hook! (if you know me this is no surprise).

Every year I land fish that are jumping close to the boat, thrashing on the surface, rolling, etc, because they stay hooked. No, the circle hook has no barbs, and if you try one, you will understand why the fish stay hooked.

More important, use 50 # Florocarbon leaders behind the flasher. Way stiffer, more action imparted to the hootchie, and supposedly, invisible to the fish.
The leader really has to be 50 # we have found. A strong fish gets a huge drag from a big flasher, and any unseen nick or fray will let go on a big fish on a strong run.

Drewski
 
Tandem single octopus for small fish, large commercial sized singles for big fish, exception: 5/0 9510 for Sox.
 
10mm red or glow bead in the head of the hoochie, 5/0 Octopus, two small glow egg beads then 4/0 Octopus flush with the end of the hoochie. Last two years I've mostly used the Trokar Big Nasty TK11 hooks which are pricey but badass. This year I'm going to try those new Owner 'No Escape' Barbless hooks. Don't know if I've felt anything that pointy before. Should be a winner...
 

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For octopus and cuttlefish hoochies: Gumpucky (glow if I can get them) inside the hoochie and a 4/0 Mustad Ultrapoint Siwash on a swivel. Gumpucky and swivel give the perfect spacing with the 4/o (i.e hook is outside of the body of the hoochie but doesn't quite reach the end of the skirt), the mustad ultra points have a great shape and haven't let me down - stay sharp, don't rust quickly and have yet to break one (where's some wood to knock on?!!).

For needlefish, due to their slimmer profile, I still run tandem octopus hooks - a #3 upfront with a #2 trailer. I use the cylindrical beads that fit perfectly into the needlefish hoochies in glow or green glow. Agree that tandem hooks can be a PITA when landing but I rarely use a net - gaff fish under 20lbs 90% of the time and don't put fish to be released into a net - EVER!

I usually run 40lb Maxima for either set up for hoochie leaders to maximize the flasher action.

Not sure if others do this but I also occasionally run a red bead in front of the hoochie, not sure if it makes any difference but looks kinda cool.

Cheers!

Ukee
 
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