How to make your own assist hooks

Beautiful article by John5 on making homemade hook assist, published on July 16, 2014 on the Rodhouse forum, reposted here in its entirety:

https://www.rodhouse.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4113

Hello everyone!

Many Saltwater fishing anglers have noticed that jigs armed with assist hooks are very practical for fishing in areas with a high risk of hooks. the elimination of the triple in the tail thus avoids leaving a lot of lead on the bottom of the water, but that's not the only advantage of these hooks. Among other things, they have the particularity of hooking fewer fish, as the hooks are "free" and the fish can no longer lean on the rigid assembly formed by the "triple" rig to unhook. jigs that glide a lot also have the unfortunate tendency to snag in the fluoro when mounted as triples, but the assist totally eliminates this inconvenience.

Unfortunately, a good assembly of assist hooks is not easy to find, all the more so as each jig corresponds to a more or less precise length of assist. it's hard to find what you want in the shops, and I'm not even talking about their price, which ends up finishing off the most reckless jig angler.

Here's a little tutorial designed to save you a few sioux (to be reinvested in carbon later :P ) while allowing you to put plenty of super glue on your living room table.

the gear:

• hooks. the size is to be adapted according to the jig, here I use 2 on 40g jigs. i particularly like Carp hooks, strong iron, short, wide opening, corrosion resistant and very prickly.
• braid. I use 110lb Catfish braid because it's cheap and easy to find. There are kevlars braids made for assists, they are more durable and pretty than standard braid, but also 10X more expensive (Owner power flex for example).
• liquid super glue to freeze knots
.
• heat-shrink tubing to protect knots and give a neat finish to the whole. i use 4mm black which is suitable for hooks that aren't too big. it also comes in red. you can find it in any DIY store.
• welded rings. Combined with a broken ring, welded rings allow you to switch from one jig to another very quickly. I use 5.5mm for lures from 40 to 80gr.
• and of course a lighter or heat gun to make the retractable
.

the method:

1. start by cutting pieces of braid approximately 15cm
.
2. melt the end of each piece so that it doesn't fray. to do this, heat the braid piece until it turns all black, then rub it quickly to remove the soot.
3. pass the welded ring over the assist hook and fix the piece of braid on the jig. you can pass the broken ring at the same time as the welded ring to avoid tangling knots. tighten well to prevent it from moving
.
4. make a slip knot
5. make a barrel knot with the welded ring so it doesn't unhook
6. stretch the braid piece and cut off the excess
.
7. melt the end of the heat-shrink tubing so it doesn't fray. if you don't have any, you can replace it with nail polish or super glue, which has the same effect. heat it up and the tubing will shrink on itself, forming a pretty "button"
8. heat the heat-shrink tubing with the lighter so that it shrinks onto the Assembly and fixes it securely
9. pass super glue over the sliding knot and barrel knot to set the assembly
10. cut off the excess sheath
.
11. do the same for the other assist hook
.

and that's it, you're done! now all you have to do is admire your work, which I hope will help you catch some nice fish!

If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to share them.

Source: John5 on the Rodhouse forum - https://www.rodhouse.fr/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4113