It means each bait is made one at a time, not mass-injected through a mold. The result is softer, more supple plastic, which creates better movement in the water. You get a bait that darts, glides, and slaps with way more life—and you can feel the difference as soon as it hits the water.

Because it’s subtle, soft, and alive-looking—especially when you twitch it weightless in quiet backcountry water. Tarpon love a soft entry, a little tail kick, and just enough realism to convince them.

You can cast it into the mangroves, swim it through a pass, or twitch it under the light line. It’s a silent killer when they’re wary—and a glider when they’re fired up.

The hand-poured material is surprisingly durable for how soft it is. Unlike stiff injected plastics that rip from rigid transitions, these collapse and bounce back. With a proper hookset and clean rigging, you can land multiple fish per bait—sometimes a dozen.And if you're fishing heavy cover weedless, that smooth body helps you slip through structure without tearing up.

Both the Soft Circle and Swimbait Hook are excellent rigging options for Hogy Originals, but they shine in different situations.

Use a Soft Circle Hook when you want maximum action and minimal hardware. It’s ideal for unweighted or lightly weighted presentations—especially when fish are finicky, the water’s shallow or clear, or catch-and-release is a priority. The bait swims more naturally, collapses on the strike, and the circle hook helps pin fish in the corner of the mouth. It’s a favorite for striped bass, tarpon, and snook in calm or structured environments. You can rig it weedless if needed, but it’s not fully weedproof like a swimbait hook.

Use a Swimbait Hook when you’re dealing with wind, current, or cover, and you need to get down and stay there. These hooks come with a belly weight, making them perfect for long casts and controlled sinking action. They’re great when you need to cover water quickly, fish grass lines, or punch into structure. If you’re working shorelines, mangroves, or eelgrass, this is your go-to weedless rig.

Capt. Mike’s Advice:

“If I’m twitching an Original weightless in backwater or on the flats, it’s Soft Circle all day. If I’m power fishing or need to control depth and stay weedless, I’m grabbing a Swimbait Hook. They’re both deadly—just different tools for different jobs.”

A Soft Circle Hook is our custom setup that pairs a circle hook with a built-in screw-lock keeper. You thread the bait onto the keeper—just like a swimbait hook—and the circle hook rides clean and ready to pin the fish in the corner of the mouth.

This rig is especially useful for catch-and-release fisheries like striped bass or tarpon, where landing ratios and fish health both matter. The bait stays in place, swims naturally, and the hook does what a circle hook is meant to do—hook up without causing harm.

Why It Works:

• Thread-on Rigging: Secure and perfectly aligned every time
• Unmatched Action: No jighead or weighted harness to limit movement
• Perfect for Unweighted Presentations: Fish it shallow, twitch it topwater, glide it deep
• High Landing Ratio: Clean corner-of-the-mouth sets with minimal damage
• Pro Tip: You can run this rig weedless by skin-hooking the point back into the bait

A Swimbait Hook is a wide-gap hook with a built-in screw-lock at the eye and often a belly weight molded onto the shank. You screw the bait onto the front and bury the hook point back into the body—weedless and natural.

It’s ideal for fishing structure, grass, or shallow flats, and adds enough weight for a slow, controlled sink. You get the best of both worlds: stealth and casting range.

Why It Works:

• Weedless by Design: Fish heavy cover without hanging up
• Natural Sink and Kick: Just enough weight to swim like a fleeing baitfish
• Clean Hook Sets: Wide gap accommodates big baits and big fish
• Adjustable Sink Rate: Choose your hook weight (e.g. 3/32oz to 3/4oz) to fish any depth