How to rig an easy waxed thread hook set that will keep your lure hooks in position.
Glen Booth
There are a number of ways to set hooks in a cut- or cup-faced skirted lure so that the points are securely fixed to ride up or down, but jamming the lure head onto a bed of waxed thread whipping is quick and easy solution. This approach is more effective than toothpicks, and is easier to rig and adds less weight than the rubber bung and epoxy alternative. The thickness of the whipping depends on the size of the leader tube in the lure and the diameter of the nylon leader, and a snug fit will keep the hooks in position when being trolled at six or seven knots.
MATERIALS: Braid scissors, super glue and 16 inches of waxed thread or Gudebrod bait rigging floss. Waxed thread is the best option, but even single whippings with this material can be too bulky for smaller lures. If so, split it lengthwise, or choose the Gudebrod option. The downside with the latter is that it's not waxy enough and fluffs off faster than genuine waxed thread.
Twist the length of waxed thread to give it a more rounded profile. About 1 inch up from the hooks, commence the whipping with a clove hitch.
For this Joe Yee Apollo a single strand of waxed thread will suffice. After locking the clove hitch in place with a half hitch, trim the tag. For big leader tubes (14-inch lures or larger) you might need a succession of half hitches using both strands, yet for smaller ones commence with a half hitch initially using both strands, then lay one strand down along the mono and/or trim it short, and continue half hitching with a single.
Start tightly whipping down towards the hooks. As they progress, a neat spiral will emerge, which will help grip the leader tube.
The whipping can be completed with either a Rizzuto finishing knot, or two or three double half hitches where the tag end goes through the half hitch twice.
Trim the tag and seal the end with a spot of Super Glue.
The lure catcher at the swivel end works just the same way, but with the whippings working upwards away from the lure head. In this instance the waxed thread has been split in two, as the diameter was too great to catch the lure head due to the presence of a piece of plastic chafe tubing in the leader hole. This whipping will help put your lure within reach at the culmination of the fight. This is especially useful when fishing from high-sided boat cockpits or when dealing with big, angry billfish.
Ease the lure head down onto the whipping, align the hooks in the desired position, and the rig is complete.
