The one fish hook that catches almost everything

STINGER RIGS

When the fish are biting short, adding a stinger or trailer hook to your lure can increase hook-ups, and octopus hooks are ideal for the job. To make your own stinger hook, simply tie an octopus hook to a short length of line using a snell knot. You can use monofilament, fluorocarbon or braided line, depending on the situation—the beauty of tying your own stinger rigs is that you can make them any length, and with any size hook, to match any scenario.

If you’re using a lure with a built-in stinger-hook loop, tie directly to that. Otherwise, attach the stinger to the split ring holding whatever hook is farthest back on your lure. Simply tie a small loop on the stinger line and thread it onto the split ring, or slip the open loop knot through the split ring, then run the hook back through the loop and tighten the slack.