At Eagle Claw, we’re lucky to be able to pick the brains of some of the best bass anglers in the world! For this blog, we asked Trokar Pros what their favorite summertime fish hooks were. Below we have all the videos listed with links to all the hooks mentioned in the videos! If you have any questions, ask them below in the comments section we’re here to help with all your fishing/hook needs.
While we love all the hooks mentioned it's worth highlighting one of the newer members of the Trokar family the TK137. This is a hook that has rapidly grown in popularity with bass anglers across the country and of course with our pros since it debuted in 2019. When we asked our Trokar Pros what their favorite springtime hooks were earlier this year again the TK137 was mentioned by most of our pros. If the TK137 isn’t a part of your finesse fishing arsenal it should be!
Mark Zona Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
Starting with Trokar Pro-V offset worm hook for a lot of big Texas rigged worms offshore. Available in sizes ranging from 1/0 to 6/0 the TK105 can facilitate a number of rigs for slender soft plastics in a variety of sizes including the 10 plus inch worms anglers like Zona use to target summertime Giants!
"Pro-V Finesse Hook for a lot of Neko rig offshore and wacky rigs up shallow." Available in sizes ranging from 1 to 4/0 with or without a weed guard the Pro-V Finesse hook is extremely versatile and a favorite among all of our Trokar Pros. If the TK137 isn’t already in hook arsenal, it should be!
"A Pro-V Flippin’ Hook for a lot of my compact smaller soft plastics." The TK133 is a favorite among our pros for its extreme strength and how they facilitate smaller more compact flippin' style soft plastics. Flip out into the gnarliest cover you can find and fish with confidence that you'll be able to winch out the largest bass in the world without worry with the TK133!
JT Kenney Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
The first one, you’ve got to punch that heavy heavy cover, the TK133 is absolutely my favorite hook. I’m throwing that with a big weight and real compact bait. That’s for punching into that really really sloppy stuff!
My second hook for summertime bass fishing, the TK100. This thing is the absolute best worm hook in my opinion. You know in the summertime you’re going to be slinging a great big work, and I definitely am having a 5/0 TK100 in it!
The other thing you know you’re going to be doing in the summertime. You’re going to be throwing topwaters and crankbaits! You know when you’re throwing those hooks are monumentally important. I will have, guaranteed, the TK934(formerly TK300) treble hooks on all my baits that take treble hooks!
Shaw Grigsby Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
TK 949 Short Shank Wide Gap Treble Hook
That’s the Trokar, used to be a Trokar 310, now it’s called the Trokar 949. It is an incredible hook, extremely sharp, and what happens a lot of times post-spawn fish aren’t that super hungry. They might be protecting fry so they slap at a bait just to get it out of the way. Well, these things penetrate so quick and easy and you land most of those fish. Really, really important. The best treble hook I’ve ever used in my life!
TK 180 Light Wire Finesse Worm Hook
The TK180 is really good for throwing around docks where those big females pull out and around bluegill beds." Available in sizes 1/0 to 5/0 the TK180 is another hook many of our Trokar Pros rely on throughout the year. It's extremely versatile for a number of presentations including drop shotting bigger soft plastics. Depending on the cover you're fishing around you can texas rig your plastic or in open water situations you can thread soft plastic up onto the TK180.
Finesse Hook a TK137 this has W on it which is a weed guard. You can see when I hold this up, we have the weed guard. I like the weed guard, it helps a little bit to keep it from getting hung up. The 137 is more for throwing the Ocho’s the wacky Ocho’s, firing um up under, skipping them back under docks just let them settle. Get it close to bluegill beds, let it settle just nice and slow, maybe put a small nail weight in it.
Matt Becker Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
TK178 Weighted Swim Blade Hook
This is the Trokar TK178. This is a spring keeper for your swimbait, this is a weedless style swimbait hook, but it has the blade down at the bottom of it. Really imitates that shad very well. This is a foolproof rig here. You just put a swimbait on there, cast it out, wind it in, and it’s gonna get bites right there. Number one is the Trokar Swimblade Hook!
TK 949 Short Shank Wide Gap Treble Hook
You’ve got to replace your treble hooks. I’m going with the Trokar treble hook right here. There are two different versions you’ve got a round bend or your EWG style treble hooks, but you’ve got to replace those stock crankbait hooks. Get you a good Trokar treble hook on there and you’re going to be able to land all those fish that swipe/bite at your crankbait all summer long.
You know the drop shot catches bass all year long. Whether you’re using the TK150 or the TK180. Whatever drop shot hook you like to use whether you’re fishing for big largemouth or big smallmouth up north. You’ve got to have a drop shot hook, and you’ve got to get it done with these Trokar’s right here.
Jared Lintner Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
Jared Lintner: “When those fish get out on ledges, shell bars, off-shore structure. The Shell Buster Jig is the deal for a big worm, brush hog style, big creature bait. It’s got a flat side, so when you’re dragging it along, that bait right there is standing up in the water, and you can see that’s how it’s naturally going to be. Make a long cast, here I have it rigged with a Mag worm on it. I throw them all the way up to 6-7 inches depending on where I’m at and how aggressive the fish are. That’s just a really effective way to get a lot of bites.”
“Swimbait fishing is a lot of fun and you catch real big ones. This here is a Trokar Swimbait Head, you can see right there it’s a more streamlined, it’ll swim through the water really good. It’s got a really good bait keeper on there. I’m rigging a 5.5 inch hollow-belly, throw them all the way up to 7/8, whatever you want. This here is a 1/2oz with a 6/0 hook, they have bigger and heavier Swimbait Heads too.”
Increase your bite/hook-up ratio when frog fishing by exchanging stock hooks for super-sharp Trokar TK250's! Jared covers how to quickly upgrade all your frogs by swapping out to Trokar's!
Brent Chapman Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
First and foremost it summertime means fish are moving offshore, so that means is a big worm. What I’ve got here is a big worm and this is a 5/0 hook. Typically when we’re talking worm fishing, bigger is better, and I love to go with a big worm. This is a ten-inch worm and a 5/0 Trokar TK120! This hook just really hooks up nice even with a big ten-inch worm and very, very, effective.
Fish get tight to cover when it’s hot and I love flipping a bug-type bait. What we’ve got here is MY FAVORITE HOOK the Trokar TK130, but especially in the summer when fish get tight to cover. They get in the shade, so you pair it up with a 4-inch bug bait and a 4/0 Trokar TK130. This will rip the big ones out of the heaviest of cover. Super, super awesome little setup!
Summertime also means it can be tough. The fishing can get tough, they have a lot of pressure, fish get really tight to cover. Fish don’t really get into that mood where they’re feeding. That’s where a reaction strike becomes a big thing. One of my favorite go to baits of all time when it comes to heavily-pressure fish and the heat of the summer is a flippin’ tube. We’ve got a 4.5-inch flipping tube here paired up with a Trokar TK190 Tube Hook. This hook is phenomenal, this hook has been around a very long time, the bend on this hook makes it really really good for tubes. You can rig it Texas-rigged, I don’t peg my weight on a tube.
Luke Dunkin Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
The Trokar Pro-V round bend. I’m going to use this in big worms in a 5/0 to 6/0 for your Berkley power worms or your Zoom Ol’ Monster worms.
I’m going to always, always have one of these Trokar Finesse Weedless Hooks with a pagota weight ready to go. I’m going to put this in a wacky worm to throw out deep, to throw out shallow, it’s an excellent choice!
Last but not least the old TK150 size 1 drop shot hook. I’m throwing a robo worm on that bad boy out deep and up shallow!
Matt Massey Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
Let’s start off with my absolute favorite hook, the TK130 Flippin’ Hook. I prefer to use like a 6/0 most of the time when I’m flippin’. This hook right here, you can fish in weeds, rocks, trees, it doesn’t matter. It’s the best hook, I think, for summertime/anytime fishing really. This is my absolute favorite all time hook they make. It’s got an awesome plastic Trokar TK120, keeper on there, straight shank, heavy heavy wire, can’t bend it. The only way I’ll tie this hook on is with a snell knot!
Next here is the Pro-V TK105. This is a round bend style hook and it’s got that Pro-V bend. You can look closely in that pack, it’s got that little Pro-V bend in the bottom. I think it definitely pins those fish better and a I really started using the round bend style a lot more than I used to. I defenietly feel I get a better hook up ratio with that round bend style. I’ll use these on more of a worm type bait vs creature bait. You know a bait you don’t have a lot of plastic in that you don’t need to compress in order to get a good hook up.
The treble hooks either the round bend or the wide gap hooks. I don’t fish any hard baits or any treble type lures without changing the hooks. I mean right out of the package I take the stock hooks off and put the Trokar’s on there. I have way more confidence when I’m fishing a bait with trebles hooks if I change those out. A lot of times you’ll lose fish when they jump, those Trokar hooks pin them better by far than a stock hook would.
Chad Pipkens Top 3 Summertime Fish Hooks
I’m a big smallmouth guy, you can not beat the Trokar drop shot hook. Either a number 4 or a number 2 depending on what size bait you’re using. This hook is super strong you’re not going to bend out any of these hooks on those big giant smallmouths with the big head shakes unlike a lot of other brands. This hook is also extremely sticky you’ve got that three point barb with Trokar you can’t go wrong. You’ve got easy penetration, a nice barb on that hook, and a lot of strength to keep those fish pegged!
TK 180 Light Wire Finesse Worm Hook
We’re looking at their finesse worm hook. Size 1/0 is a great size for most finesse worms, shakey heads, drop shotting, grass edges, maybe brush piles, or Tennessee river offshore stuff on ledges. You can’t beat that hook guys, 1/0 Finesse Worm Hook, it’s got a great keeper up top too. That way you keep that worm up top when those fish bite it doesn’t pull down and ball up on the hook. That can cause lost fish if you don’t have a good keeper like you do on this Trokar right here.
Pro-V Worm Hook either 4/0 or 5/0 great hook guys for throwing a fluke or soft jerkbait style bait. For me again I’m throwing that around grass edges, looking for active fish, smallmouth trying to get those big fish to come up. Same thing with largemouth, covering some water around grass. Those post frontal high sky days. You can’t beat this hook it keeps them pegged!
Glenn Walker Top Summertime Fish Hook
One of the keys to my success is using the Trokar TK137 Pro-V Finesse Hook. The reason I like this hook is down at the bend here, this little V, I think it keeps my bait really secure in place. When you’re skipping this bait it’s not going to slide! With these Trokar hooks since they’re so sharp you’re getting a solid hookset every time.
