I want to get your experience with wrapping your metal terminal gear with tape to mask it's electric signature. The sail-catfish are eating my buddies baits and we think it's because he's experimenting with small diameter steel cable as his fishing line. He literally had 2 identical baits 50 feet from each other and the steel line would always get hit by these fish. We'll get it sorted out.
But some of you guys SWEAR that taping your hooks is the way to go. Judging from this experience with the sail-cats, there must be something to it. I'm about ready to buy a can of Plasti-Dip and cover a dozen hook/leader rigs, but wanted opinions on the matter first. It might be a small detail, but the little things add up to big differences. Thanks.
I can not comment on the sail cats going after the baits due to the steel terminal gear but I can tell you that taping the hooks is an excellent idea. I read this example somewhere: "Think of biting aluminum foil, remember that tingle? It could be the same for a shark biting hard steel. The electrical tape softens the shock."
Personally, I have had more sharks come back for baits multiple times when the hooks are taped. Before I started taping hooks, if I missed the hook set, the bait would sit forever untouched. Now, if I spook them and they drop it, they typically try again within a minute or two.
I heard the same thing. Just started taping my own
sailcats are great blacktip bait.
sailcats are great blacktip bait.
X2, also the tiger in my avatar was caught on a sailcat.
personally I think you're wasting your time and enegry. Just leave the damned hooks alone.
Norman Bateman
Personally I do not see how tape can mask an electrical signal, which is not there anyway. I think the benefit of taping hooks (if indeed there is one) is that the shark is not spooked by the feel/touch of tape over a hook. Bare steel would feel unnatural for them.
i have tried it bare steel and taped, never noticed a difference. If a shark is hungry and you have bait it wants then its a done deal.
sailcats are great blacktip bait.
X2, also the tiger in my avatar was caught on a sailcat.
x3..they are good for lemons too. in fact, if you ever feel like staying dry and lugging less gear to the beach, just hand toss a catfish out as the tide is coming in. there are sharks over 8'-9' swimming right off the bank at night 
I wrap my hooks because I've done semi-extensive "trial and error research" with it and it's mainly for that sensitivity issue; hence the great African Sharkers before us wrapped their hooks with light ROPE! Enough said!
Just an average fisherman.
had two rods out last night. half a 8lb bonita with 1/16th cable, double wraped 24" from the hook and a 20/0 mustad circle. the hook and double leader were wraped with tape. my other rod consisted of the bonita head and a wahoo head, 20/0 eagle claw circle and coated 250lb wire. the hook wasn't wrapped or coated.
the coated 250 got picked up several times by a bull and black tips and the 1/16th cable, doubled up with wrapped wire and hook had a small bite taken out by a black tip or other small shark but nothing bigger touched it.
fished this morning. Bonita was the bait. 1/16th wire with wrapped wire/ hook and 1/16th wire without. Got two runs and a bull on the wrapped leader/hook and nothing on the non wrapped. with only one fish caught you cant really conclude anything from it, but i finally caught a fish on the 1/16th" wire.
lowprofile, I like your approach. I'll be paying attention to your results. Thanks!
I like to wrap my hooks and about 2ft up my leader (#19 single strand wire) with Red electrical tape. Idk if the color makes any difference (likely not) but I seem to get more hits on a wrapped or coated leader/hook compared to bare metal. Ive used Plasti dip a few times and it doesnt wanna stick to the leader and peels off the hook pretty easily. Gotta scuff up the hook with sandpaper to get it to stick well, but if it peels back a little the hook rusts very quickly due to the scuffing. Electrical tape is just quicker,easier, and cheaper for me.
I tape all my hooks and sometimes even the "bite zone" on the leader. Not only does it reduce the magnetic signature for ultra-sensitive sharks like bulls and hammers (due to an abundance of sensory nerves,Ampullae of Lorenzini, in the mouth/head area) but I think it also acts kinda like a baby spoon. you know, the rubber coated spoons toddlers use? it kinda softens the feel of a steel hook in a nice juicy chunk of ray or bonita. Maybe they'll hold on a little longer and give you that extra time to get a good hook set. just my 2 cents