An Apex Rigging Alternative...

[SilverBullets]

In the past I have mentioned the "hoochie devil". This way of altering a apex lure slides the hoochie skirt up the back. I have often wondered just how much this way of rigging impedes the apex's action though. Rethinking this, I might have just come up with a way to get around it. Instead of putting the hoochie on the back, I cut the front off the hoochie leaving a 1/4" hole. Thread the line through the apex as normal, then pass it through the back of the hoochie with a needle and exit through about 1/4" from the front out the top, where the line exists the front of the apex. Then slid the hoochie down until it is just past the front of the apex. This rigging alternative should not hinder the apex's action too much, and looks extremely promising! The hoochie skirt is flared out, and gives the apex a totally different look. What do you think?

[Kokonuts]

Bullets......Adding a skirt to the apex sounds like a good plan!
I just returned from Sportsmans & I found some skirts that sounds like just the thing! I bought 2 different colors to try out with the spin & glows that I've been working with. They are"CRAZY LEG SKIRTS"& come 2 to a package for $2.00. The are for Bass lures but I dont think the Koks will mind! They are about 2 3/4" long & come in a lot of good colors. But you might be saving a few $$ by buying the squids for about the same $$. Any way I am going to try them out today!......Kokonuts

[FishHunter]

Could you post some pictures if you have some already put together? I would think anything that heavy would alter the action of the apex, but that could be a good thing.

[Kokonuts]

Fish Hunter.... SilverBullets & I seem to be on the same page today, except I have been working with Spin & Glows!

I will try to add some pictures as soon as I can get my wife to do them!!! laugh hyst

My first attempts with the Bass skirts dosent seem to be working ....Too Large sooo I am following Bullets & cutting squid hoochies & putting them on 3/8" Spin & Glows with a little glue! Perfect....Now we have Winged Hoochies!!! With all the colors for Hoochies & Spin & Glows you can go Kokonuts!!!

I am going back to the Bass Skirts & see if they will work
with a little larger Spin & Glow mabe for Lake Trout!

More later.........This is the most funnn you can have if your'e not fishing! ......Well at least with your clothes on!

Kokonuts laugh hyst

[SilverBullets]

Winged hoochies...I think your onto something! Would doing this give the hoochie a rolling action? That just might be the right action for days when the koks are looking for something different.
I'm thinking that by rigging the hoochie on the front of an apex, the hoochie then conforms to the apex shape. It's pretty much a hootchie with a apex inside. It still has the shape of the apex, so hopefully it will still have close to the same action...we'll see. I normally use the 2" size apex's, but am going to try some 1" one's to place inside of the smaller hoochies. Might have to adjust the leader length a bit to get more action from the dodger.

[Kokaneemart]

Hi folks,

This is my first post to you excellent website. I hope to get to know many of you and look forward to sharing our favorite sport... kokanee fishing! thumbsup
I know of a maker or lures in Calif that makes what he calls a "hoochie thing" which is a scaled down version of the salmon soized hoochie deveil. He puts excellent 2 inch hoochies on them and they work great. If you are interested, I can send you a PM on where to get them.

Thanks for the great website!!

Ric Brown
kokaneemart

[Kokaholic]

Hello Rick and Welcome aboard. Glad to see you found us. Would love to see the " hoochie Thing" and the info for everyone.

Good to see you again this past week in Sac at the show. looking forward to a cool one with you this summer at fg.

Mark Ramsey
AKA Kokaholic.

[SilverBullets]

Hello Ric and wecome!! Looking forward to your posts and reports!thumbsup

[HiTechKoke]

Hey Ric - Glad to see you here. The vendor Ric is referring to is Crystal Basin Tackle and you can find that product on kokaneemart.com or on crystalbasintackle.com. That hoochie-thing will give the Hoochie a wild-ride for sure.

Just a word about Ric as he is responsible for a serious wallet deficit last year by aggregating a number of tackle vendors gear through his web site, kokaneemart.com. Whenever I found a hot lure that I needed quickly during the season I could count on Ric to have it out the next day to me. He's one heck of a great guy and contributes to the Kokanee cause through donations and volunteer help as well at the KP booth.

Kevin


Hi folks,

This is my first post to you excellent website. I hope to get to know many of you and look forward to sharing our favorite sport... kokanee fishing! thumbsup
I know of a maker or lures in Calif that makes what he calls a "hoochie thing" which is a scaled down version of the salmon soized hoochie deveil. He puts excellent 2 inch hoochies on them and they work great. If you are interested, I can send you a PM on where to get them.

Thanks for the great website!!

Ric Brown
kokaneemart

[Kokaneemart]

Thanks for the nice words from everyone! I hope to be able to help anyone who needs it!

Here is a picture of the hoochie thing...https://store.kokaneemart.com/catalog//C%20B%20Tackle%20Hoochie%20Thing%20Blood%20Shad.JP G

As Kevin mentioned, I carry them on my website (and thank you for the deep dive into the wallet over the years!!). Kyle Neeser has them at the Crystal Basin website. We have 4 colors, shad (glow white...great on kings, kokes and trout) blue shad (same target species) pink spot for kokes and this pink prawn for kokes and trout.

As Kevin mentioned, they put a great action on a hoochie. I also use the plastic fronts with the Rocky Mountain line of UV hoochies and they are excellent! I have also done these with Radical Glow Tubes and that works great too!

You can run them behind Rocky Mountain Dodgers or by themselves.

Good fishing!

[FishHunter]

....they put a great action on a hoochie. I also use the plastic fronts with the Rocky Mountain line of UV hoochies and they are excellent! I have also done these with Radical Glow Tubes and that works great too!

You can run them behind Rocky Mountain Dodgers or by themselves.

Do you use a long leader of 24 to 30 inches behind the dodger when running these like you would an Apex?

[SilverBullets]

I have yet to get a kok on the hoochie things. Granted, I have only tried them when the bite slows... hard to take the apex off when it's putting limits in the boat. What speed are you running them?

[SilverBullets]

Am trying out another version of combining a hoochie and apex. This one cuts almost all of the main body off the hoochie, leaving approx. 3/16ths of the body in front of the skirt. Slide that down the front of the apex about mid way...less weight to alter the action, but the attracting benefits of the flared out skirt. Should be interesting.