When fishing with live or fresh bait, I think we can all agree that there is nothing quite as frustrating as having your bait repeatedly stolen by pesky bottom feeders. You’ll feel that peck-peck, you’ll feel that subtle tugging, and then reel up to find nothing but a tiny scrap of what you put on there in the first place!
Another precarious side effect of bait fishing happens when you’re fishing a live bait like a snapper blue, spot or peanut bunker, as the battle progresses, the bait somehow finds its way up the line. This is not just annoying, but it might also become the target of another fish…and if that fish has teeth, it’s sayonara to your hookup, your terminal tackle and all your rigging!
It seems quite obvious that the folks at Eagle Claw have experienced these same frustrations and set their minds to solving the problem. Their simple and elegant solution is something that we think will become a staple component to any bait fisherman’s box, from the bottom fishers targeting porgies and sea bass, to the live bait guys with their hopes set on a stripers, fluke and tog. And all it took was a little loop of monofilament line and a drop of epoxy.
Look at the image and you’ll see, just a tiny red bead of epoxy affixes a short loop of mono to the hook shank, which is strategically placed to serve the dual purpose of keeping whole baits from riding up the line and making it harder for nibbling bottom feeders to run off with a free meal. You can think of it of as a second barb, if you’re baiting a hook with something like a gob of clam, a seaworm, squid strip or green crab, pull that loop of mono inside the bait, this will act as a second line of defense when the crabs and tiny scup are trying to score a quick snack. When you’re fishing with live, free-swimming baits, bait the hook as you normally would and the Bait Saver concept keeps your bait secure and maximizes longevity because the bait can’t slide around on the hook and incur further damage to its gills or other areas. Furthermore, when you hook up, you will almost never see that bait riding up the line.
So, if you’re after fluke, sea bass, tog, porgies or fishing smaller baits for stripers, look no further than the Lazer Sharp Bait Keeper circle hook from Eagle Claw. The Lazer Sharp line is available in both 3/0 and 5/0 sizes, the ideal choices for the bottom species mentioned above. These Bait Saver circles are non-offset, so they comply with all circle hook laws and are tournament approved, as well. The hooks are saltwater ready, come in the black nickel finish we’re all accustomed to and come with that forged and ‘Lazer Sharp’ point we’ve all learned to love and trust. These Bait Saver circle hooks sell for $9.99 per pack of eight and are sure to become a fast favorite for any bait fisherman.
