# A couple quick questions about using a hopkins...



## fishinthejimmy (Mar 19, 2009)

I've never thrown these and I have a couple of questions. With the hopkins do you guys tie directly to them or do you use a swivel and/or leader? I bought a 3/4oz shorty, but I'm just wondering what you guys recommend.

Also what colors do you recommend for stingsilvers?

Thanks a lot in advance!

Brent


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## bluefish1928 (Jun 9, 2007)

use a leader, heavy 50 like 50 pound test is good. this prevents(but not bite off proof) bluefish or spanish mackerel from stealing ur lure.


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## Peixaria (Dec 31, 2008)

3/4 oz. Hopkins is usually on spinning rods 7-9' on light line. Like 10-15 lb. mono or 20-30 lb. braided line. 50 lb. shock leader on this setup will rob you of distance and the knot itself will probably be big enough to rip off the tiptop. On small hopkins and stingsilvers you can tie directly on if its mono, or use a 2-3 ft. section of fluorocarbon and a very small snap in between. You can prepare several different color choices and then switch quickly to find out what is the hot color when fish appear. tie them up with surgeons loops on both ends. 1 loop in the snap the other loop to improve the action of the lure. you may lose a few from time to time, but you will improve your catch ratio this way.


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## Peixaria (Dec 31, 2008)

Hot Mackeral colors are white,with mirroflash sides, the natural green grey combo, and anything with pink, yellow, and green. You can catch Mackeral on any color when they are biting but these 3 are money when they are being "difficult".


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## fishinthejimmy (Mar 19, 2009)

Awesome. Thanks for the info! I've bought a few to try out. Ill be throwing with a shimano sedona 4000 spooled with 20lb power pro on a 7' tsunami trophy series.

Thanks again


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## Peixaria (Dec 31, 2008)

Don't skip the Fluorocarbon,it is essential with power Pro.


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## fishinthejimmy (Mar 19, 2009)

I have some. 

What is the purpose though?
Is it to allow for a little stretch?

Brent


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

fishinthejimmy said:


> I have some.
> 
> What is the purpose though?
> Is it to allow for a little stretch?
> ...


 I use both flouro and regular mono leaders,usually 20 to 30 and tie an alberto or uni-uni to connect, then either a loopknot or uni to hopkins,bucktail, or stingsilver. I can't use a swivel for the connection,cause in the excitment,I'm just dumb enough to try to crank the dern swivel into the guides..  You can use 50,but if you don't keep it outside the tip when casting,as Peixaria said it can rob you of distance as well as it probably doesn't do your guides good to have a knot that big going through them.. 

Leader is not so much for stretch,but for cutoffs.. Many times I've used straight braid to the lure and been cutoff,mono leader or flouro seem to get less cutoffs than braid.. Also,flouro is said to be less visable under water,which can lead to more strikes.. jmho,haven't seen a difference if using a good mono leader though,except the flouro is less prone to abrasion..

Some excellent colors,Peixaria,will add two more that work good for me,chrome on stingsilvers,and a small gold hopkins can do a trick for some fish as well..

Going to move this to open forum to get even more replys...


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## Peixaria (Dec 31, 2008)

Drumdum and Jimmy, I fished braid without the leader for many years and caught my share.Palomar knot right on the Stingsilver. Unless the leader is too heavy you cant really avoid the cutoffs. With bluefish, presentation doesn't matter, they eat anything. The purpose of the short lead is to disguise the connection of the line to the actual lure, from fish that are discerning visual predators. The tiniest snap is critical so Mackeral don't see it. Many bite offs occur because Spanish attack the snap first or a second fish comes in on the one you have just hooked up. Fluoro costs money so short leads don't hurt so bad.They are also easier to travel and change quickly. I've also heard of people using 15 ft sections like a mini topshot, but the knot is still on the spool, and it means retying a new lure every time you wish to make a change. In reference to the invisibility of Fluoro underwater, I'm not sure how much less visible it actually is. I read somewhere that Fluoros lack of refraction was designed for those who chunk Tuna and with that, it is implied that the the line should be vertical in the water for the dissapearing trick. If any scientists have the skinny I would be curious to read the exact explanation.
I have not tried gold Hopkins on Spanish. I know it is money for wintering puppy drum in the surf. I bet gold does the job. I've fished gold spoons on Skyway in Tampa and thats all the Macks will touch. 
Drumdum, What do you use when Spanish are in the break chasing whatever tiny fry hatch they are after and refuse to bite any lures?


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## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Best answer I could give for that would be the dronespoon with egg in front of it... Out of the boat or on the planks,many times a straw rig (never used it,but watched the success of it),sometime sibiki rig ,the dronespoon deal,or ole faithful gotcha will do the trick...

I was recomending the gold hopkins for pompano in late summer (trick that an ole planker told me about) and pups.. Jimmy never said spainish,so I was just throwin it all out there... 

Move this thread to open forum to get some more input from Fla and SC guys as well as upnorth folks.. You know get a good thread perculatin...


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

It boils down to personal preference. You don't HAVE TO use a leader and ya don't HAVE TO tie it directly to your line and ya don't HAVE TO use a snap swivel. I normally don't use a leader but I depending on the situation. I usually use a snap swivel or tie directly to the line there again depends on the situation. I even use the short wire leaders with the snap swivels as well.


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## fishinthejimmy (Mar 19, 2009)

A lot of awesome info here so far. Thanks!!! 

I had a few break offs when casting from the surf here in carolina beach this morning. I tied a uni directly to a 3/4oz jig with a gulp jerk shad. It broke in about 10 casts. Then I tied another uni to a small swivel to about 1.5' of floro to a tiny snap swivel to hopkins. Again, the pp snapped at the swivel. I'm gonna try your suggestions this evening and find what works for me. I don't think a uni is my friend lol.

Keep the info coming... Its great!

Thanks again
Brent


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## zztopsail (Jul 23, 2009)

I don't fish Hopkins but I do fish spoons. Not a major expert on this but will weigh in on how I use spoons in fresh water and in Salt and Surf

First of all, if the treble does not have a buck tail, I remove it and add my own real WHITE buck tail to the treble, if you don't know how to tie real white buck tail to the treble, buy some already made and make damn sure the buck tail is long and the real taper end of the tail hair is at the end and has not been snipped.

Second, make sure there is a split ring at the top of the spoon's hole, if not, add one and add a barrel swivle, For Saltwater add at least a 50-80 lb barrel swivel to the the split ring, for fresh water, smaller will do.

Third, tie low vis or camo mono directly to the swivel.

The above combo will render a spoon that will sashay through the water like a hot blonde walking past a bar full of hard tails like us.

If the fish don't bite, they sure as hell will turn their heads and check it out. And if the fish ain't looking, they ain't biting.

Put me down for that:beer::beer:


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## A.M (May 17, 2009)

With braided line I usually use a palomar or improved clinch. I use 50# PP on my shark rod and have the improved clinch knot onto my barrel swivel and it has never broke or slipped.


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## Fishman (Apr 23, 2000)

I tie a spider hitch to the main line and a no name knot to that (I like to double the size of shock line 14 main to 30lb test shock line) then tie the shock line to the lure with a uni knot.

As far as color I like silver


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## dawgfsh (Mar 1, 2005)

Stingsilver must have's, 1547 ( 2 oz) in :

pink /white 
silver 

Also Hopkins gold, 101G ( 1 oz) mostly for pups

I tie direct, but I use mono 8-10# with or without a 20# shock


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## bassnut (Jun 4, 2006)

fishinthejimmy said:


> A lot of awesome info here so far. Thanks!!!
> 
> I had a few break offs when casting from the surf here in carolina beach this morning. I tied a uni directly to a 3/4oz jig with a gulp jerk shad. It broke in about 10 casts. Then I tied another uni to a small swivel to about 1.5' of floro to a tiny snap swivel to hopkins. Again, the pp snapped at the swivel. I'm gonna try your suggestions this evening and find what works for me. I don't think a uni is my friend lol.
> 
> ...


When using small diameter braid, such as 20lb or less, it's best to tie a palomar knot. Most others knots will slip with small diameter braid. 40lb and up, you can probably get away with a uni or improved clinch.


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