I have a ton of hotshots.....since there are so many waters the prohibit trebles I was thinking of siwaching them....
Any issues, successes?
Thanks In Advance
Talljeeper

Just remember the old Aretha Franklin hit....

CHAIN CHAIN CHAIN

I prefer bead chains for any of the larger models with a belly screw-eye. Leave the tail screw-eye empty.

For all the other models, extend the hook back with a barrel swivel.

Modify your siwash as per General Zog.... slightly offset with the tine bent slightly inward toward the shank.

Now touch up that point with a LJ hook file, and you're good to go!

Awesome..thank you

Also, if you want to switch out the hooks for a U-20 or smaller flatfish. Remove the hooks and the tow eye. Drill a hole for your line to go through. I use two barbless hooks with a small corkie on a four foot leader. Place a small baitwrap on the belly and adjust the wrap to tune the lure.

The corkie just keeps the hooks away from the plug far enough to hang on to the fish when they crush the lure.

Wow Slabhunter, I love it!! I'll be doing that mod to my Kfish for next time out!!

SlabHunter:

How do you ensure the plug doesn't leak after drilling that hole?

Awesome idea Slab. I'm going to try it on a couple kwickfish. However, per Doc's comment, I think I'll drill mine oversized and slide a 1 or 2 mm clear diameter piece of PVC through the plug and glue it so water cannot get in.

I love it.

The bill is a solid area on the plug. The angle of the hole just travels through that block for the screw eye. So far no leakers. Perhaps it's just dumb luck, but I figuired it would work after looking at some of the Tomic Plugs in my saltwater tacklebox when WDFW came out with the single point barbless regs a couple of years ago.
The key is still to tune the plug with the baitwrap placement( trapping the line to keep the hooks near the body.)

Edit to add pic of hole placement in U-20. Hope you can see the angle of attack.

Lately, I've been using Mustad's new Big Gun Siwash and prefer it over the older style. The Big Gun has a shorter point that is canted slightly to the side and a super sharp point. The only objection I have to this hook, besides the fact that it doesn't have the smaller sizes, is that the hook eye is closed. That means you have to open the eye or use a split ring.

The shorter point isn't as likely to skewer an eye, destroy a gill or kill a smolt like similar-sized standard Siwash hooks.

I caught a bunch of fish on it in Alaska as well as here. It works very well.

Keith