I thought some of you might be interested in a hook keeper I designed and make. I have been making and using this keeper for about 12 years or so, and are very popular with the people I build rods for. They are made from single strand stainless steel wire. The ones in the pictures are made with stainless wire having a 0.029" diameter, but wire from 0.025 to 0.040" will work fine. The first picture shows a close up of the keeper wrapped on a rod. The second picture shows the progression for making one. The wire is first bent in half and crimped together. The first bend defines the length of the top of the keeper. A second bend is then made to form the leg and a third bend forms the foot of the keeper. The foot is trimmed to length. I give the tip of the keeper a slight bend up. You can flatten the foot by hammering it with a tack hammer against a flat metal surface, and/or file it down for wrapping. The keeper can be made any size you wish, I usually make the top about 1 cm in length. I use wire cutters, round nose and needle nose pliers for making these. They are very functional, easy to make and cost almost nothing. They hold almost any type of lure, and really work well for holding weedless rigged soft plastics.

[www.rodbuilding.org]
[www.rodbuilding.org]

Norm

They look very good, functional, and smooth to line that might go across them. Nice work.

They look very good, functional, and smooth to line that might go across them. Nice work.

They look very good and of professional design and quality. Nice going Norm

They look great......where do you get the wire? Leader material?

Yes, it's single strand stainless leader wire. You can buy it from sponsors like Jann's Netcraft, Mudhole, and most tackle shops. Same stuff you would use to make spinners and spinner baits. I use the stainless finish, some come with a brownish finish.
Norm

Nice to see you got them on here Norman!

Lynn, I finally figured out how to post pictures here using my I pad.

Norman,
I am impressed! Not only do they look very good but should function exceptionally well. Careful though, those on this site may become confused with who the “Over Thinker” is between you and me. Being a tad jealous, can I rip-off your design? Nice Job!

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Mark that is the reason I posted the pictures hoping to share this with others, so help yourself! This design has proven to be a very functional hook keeper. You just slide the hook under the lip oI keeper, you do not even have to take the hook out of a weedless rigged soft plastic lure. I have had several tournament fishermen have me put these on all thier rods. One of them was sponsored by a certain rod company, and recently they put a look a like keeper on there rods. They take me less than a minute to make, not counting the time for foot prepping. For someone with no experience it might take two minutes. Mark, they should especially appeal to you because they cost next to nothing to make!
Norm

Great share of information! What pound test is the leader material?

On the hook keepers shown the wire is .029" in diameter iand is 174 lb test. Wire from .025"- .040" (140 - 325 lb test) will work fine.
Norm

Norman,
Obviously my story is out!!! Thanks

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Wrong post



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2017 04:06PM by Lance Schreckenbach.

I question the client, as to which hand he uses when casting the rod.

Then, for either a casting rod or a spinning rod, I put the hook keeper either in the 200 degree position, or in the 160 degree position - depending on which hand is being used not to reel with.

That way, a person lifts the rod tip, with their casting hand, and the lure or hook swings back on the off side of the rod from the casting hand. Then, the hook keeper is exactly in the right place to easily hook the lure or hook on the keeper.

I never put the hook keeper straight up at the 0 degree position, because it is too easy to snag a line when casting, and or fighting a fish, or have a wind knot in the line.

Very seldom, if ever, have an issue with the bottom side of the rod - depending which side is the non casting hand side of the rod.

I almost always use the simple double wrap of the hook keeper with a wrap on each end and the erect loop in between.