Hoochies?

[hooknhunter]

So I've bought a few different brand of hoochies now. Some I like, but they seem expensive. Some are garbage and are still expensive. On the bright side, they do seem to last a long time. I do find that I prefer to re-tie everything on a heavier leader, though. I experimented with making my own hoochies from crappie jigs. They work okay, but the rubber is so soft that they don't last very long and the diameter of the skirts is small enough that I have a hard time getting them over the beads. I see now why the ones you buy are made of a harder stiffer materials. I ordered some skirts from Hoochie King (20 skirts, 1.5 inch) and they have arrived. I think I'm going to like them and I'll tie my own hooks and string my own beads. There doesn't seem to be a lot of variety out there for the smaller skirts (1.5 inch and 2 inch).

I've also thought of using some maribou and make some maribou leeches with a stinger hook out the back in green, orange, red, purple, pink, white, and combinations of those colors, but I'm now thinking that they will be a lot like the crappie jigs and not last very long.

So now for my questions. Do most folks buy them already pre-tied? Or do most of you guys tie and string your own? If you are doing your own, what brands do you prefer for the skirts and why? What beads do you use and does it really matter that much? What seems to be the most effective size? Or does that depend on body of water and the day? If you are using a stinger hook (which everything I've bought seems to have) then why not 2 stinger hooks? Or why not make the stinger a treble hook? The only reason I can think of not to use a treble as the stinger would be that I prefer the snell knot most of the other knots for tying on hooks and snell knots are hard to tie on trebles.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments. Thanks for looking.

 

[SuperD]

Whenever possible, I like tying my own for confidence in leader quality. I also really like working with Hoochie King as I think he has a little better variety of hoochies and at a great price.

 

[sawtooth]

Yama$hita shrimp and mini squid by Silver Horde are my go to hoochies. A bit expensive but last a long time and have several color options. It doesn't hurt that my uncle lives in Lynwood, WA and whenever I go to visit I clean out their warehouse store of all my favorite colors.thumbsup I buy the skirts in five packs and tie my own leaders.

 

[SuperDaveMT]

I tie my own hoochies of a sort using rubber leg material used for fly tying. I tie the leg material to a small tube like a stir straw or a wd-40 spray tube. My experience is that sparser is more effective than thicker. I like being able to mix colors and there is an endless supply of colors and finishes. I think the rubber legs have a better action than most hoochie skirts.

 

[hooknhunter]

Action is why I was thinking that tying them similar to fly out of maribou might be a good idea, but after seeing what the Kokes did to my crappie jigs, I don't think that maribou would have enough durability to suit me. I kinda like the rubber leg idea.

 

[clawman]

anti-hoochies

I still use some hoochies but have transitioned to flies or fly types of lures. Try tying this fly called the Rasticle. I like to tie a small amount of pink mylar or ?? on double snelled hooks and run it through an Apex Kokanee Killer. Try the colored Gamakatzu hooks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKJhbHw1OtY

 

[hooknhunter]

I was in Howard's the other day. He has a pretty good selection of hoochie skirts as well as a lot of other Kokanee stuff. Probably buy my next hoochie skirts there........