Squirrely burt advice

[Curts]

Not a big lure angler but recently bought some squirrely Burt’s to try. One of the clubs I’m in states no trebles over size 2. For my bait fishing I use owners but what would you guys recommend for the Burts? Cheers in advance,

Liam

[Esoxuk]

You will probably find the ruling is intended for bait fishing. Most pike sized lures use bigger hooks than size 2’s and too small a hook on hard bodied lure will certainly hinder hook ups.
It may be worth asking for clarification.

[andrew_nagel]

Eagle Claw 3/0. Available from dlst.co.uk or Chicoslures.co.uk

[Curts]

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

Check out Jens bursell's writings on the "release hooklink" and his success with smaller hooks / better hook up percentages before running away with the thought that you need big hooks. His stats and tests make interesting reading and now Westin have started marketing his rigs for adapting lures. This guy is a real forward thinking angler, his writings carry weight with results behind them. Obv trying to change years of ingrained thought will take some doing but his ideas are persuasive. Worth a bit of time reading his web page / facebook articles.
Personally I have only tried them with rubber lures myself but it works.

[andrew_nagel]

Check out Jens bursell's writings on the "release hooklink" and his success with smaller hooks / better hook up percentages before running away with the thought that you need big hooks. His stats and tests make interesting reading and now Westin have started marketing his rigs for adapting lures. This guy is a real forward thinking angler, his writings carry weight with results behind them. Obv trying to change years of ingrained thought will take some doing but his ideas are persuasive. Worth a bit of time reading his web page / facebook articles.
Personally I have only tried them with rubber lures myself but it works.

If you fish lures only in open water a rig like the lift-off rig may be effective. If you fish lures near weed or the bottom and a lift-off rig hook makes contact there's a risk that the hooks pull away from the lure making hooking ineffective for the rest of the cast. Fishing stingers rigged along the outside of a shad jigged along the bottom you will experience this.

[Kevin O'Keeffe]

Mount it on the top Andrew.... with rubbers it works for me bumping shads and alike on bottom. I get your point though. I do think you would feel any such snagging though. I do like his ideas and thought process myself. Not that I have implemented it on bigger hard lures though.

[Curts]

Cheers- I’ll have a look at this. Any links? Cheers, Liam

[andrew_nagel]

Mount it on the top Andrew.... with rubbers it works for me bumping shads and alike on bottom. I get your point though. I do think you would feel any such snagging though. I do like his ideas and thought process myself. Not that I have implemented it on bigger hard lures though.

He's a very very experienced angler. I'm more in the camp of of good inexpensive hooks like Eagle Claws and cutting the hooks at the slightest sight of an awkward removal.

[Mark Phillips]

Not a big lure angler but recently bought some squirrely Burt’s to try. One of the clubs I’m in states no trebles over size 2. For my bait fishing I use owners but what would you guys recommend for the Burts? Cheers in advance,

Liam

I find such rules are pretty much unenforceable, so I wouldn't worry about it. When I'm lure fishing for pike, I'll use what ever hook size I want, where ever I want. Never once had a problem, same goes for barbless hooks and no braid rules. The rule clubs should have - compulsory bolt croppers if lure fishing for pike. One day...

3/0 or 2/0's on a Burty, I use Eagle Claws or VMC's.

[Curts]

Thanks for the advice

[Neville Fickling]

Jens has a book coming out

[Mike J]

Ive been a follower of Jens Bursell's release systems since I trialed them for Sea Trout and improved my hook-up ratio beyond all expectations.

Here are the basics; http://bursell.dk/artikler/freshwater/r ... german.pdf
Here for lures; http://bursell.dk/artikler/saltwater/re ... t-spin.pdf

You can sign up to his website and he will drop each article as its released, its all out there if your keen enough.

I employed 80lb Berkley swivels and a size 4 treble on 600 (6" plus) sized Cisco Kids when Grafham first opened and thereafter it was very rare to miss a strike.
Below is a modification of the same method that was adopted by some Scottish Salmon anglers a few seasons ago with very positive results.

IMG_1607.JPG

[Lee7499]

I would have thought the old squirrely Burt king would be along soon with some advice.

[davelumb]

I would have thought the old squirrely Burt king would be along soon with some advice.

Not when it comes to using smaller trebles.

[Steve Le maitre]

Anybody is entitled to their opinion but Bursell’s opinion on the damage hooks can cause is what worries me, he’s put it out there that it’s the main reason he pushes singles. Use singles if you wish but don’t shi* in the home camp.
Somebody needs a quiet word, they say be careful what you wish for.

[andrew_nagel]

Carper come piker, making things complicated for the sake of selling articles and tackle.

[davelumb]

Carper come piker, making things complicated for the sake of selling articles and tackle.

[Mike J]

Carper come piker, making things complicated for the sake of selling articles and tackle.

If he is he is at the back of a very very very very long queue of bandwagon jumpers!

From my personal use of his Sea Trout release rig hooking ratios between very small trebles and large singles/doubles is more than 8:1.
That said myself and a few others also use a single medium circle and achieve similar results.

Ive fished lures of all sizes for well over sixty years and I still hate the damage big trebles can sometimes do to a nice fish and I still use them on my largest lures, but nobody is wrong if they wish to seek a less damaging system, ex carper or not.


And yes Delboy you ARE right

[Mark Phillips]

I would have thought the old squirrely Burt king would be along soon with some advice.

Not when it comes to using smaller trebles.

[jonsykes]

Back onto the Burts - does anyone actually weight their Burts do they sink (slowly) & don’t rise back up?

[andrew_nagel]

Yes. I have fast sink, medium sink & suspending ones that I've weighted.

[jonsykes]

OK, just wondered as i’ve got some sinkers (not weighted by myself). Thought they might have been ‘an accident’! Thanks for the reply.

[Mike J]

OK, just wondered as i’ve got some sinkers (not weighted by myself). Thought they might have been ‘an accident’! Thanks for the reply.

Jon, the best that can be said is that none are exactly the same, some sinkers float and others don't, some swim well others are horrendous.
In the past Ive repainted them, balanced them with lead inside and out, and used them straight from the box, changed tails, filled to kill the sound, resealed the tail hole, and repositioned the hooks - and all have caught.
For balancing I use lead strips secured by Fischer 2K EK putty.

[Richard Grave]

Anybody now the pattern and size of the treble that burts are supplied with? One of mine has lost its effectiveness since I had to change its hooks out.