I have been trying the toby in various sizes from 7g right up to 30g salmo's. Recently I have tried using 12g tobies but frequently the rod goes but once you tighten up the fish is on for a short time and then falls off.

I have always added an extra split ring to the end of the lure between the hook and lure.

Any ideas what I can do to improve my hook ups

There are 2 solutions, 1 : stop using Tobies 2: Change the hook to a Siwash hook it certainly couldnt be any worse than the existing set up.

The Toby does have a reputation of being a fish loser...the body of the lure can act like a tyre lever and prise itself out the mouth of a rolling fish. Having said that I haven't had that happen to me too often. I really rate the Toby and also the similar Landa Lukki. Perhaps it happens more when they're trolled.....I only ever cast them. The single Siwash hook is surprisingly effective and much better at avoiding landing net tangles!

A Copper Toby from 7g up to 20g is one of the best lures out there imo. I have cleaned up with them on Garry nad Awe for pike over the years. They are also very effective at attracting Ferox but I find the larger fish aren't as keen on them as fish in the 2-4 bracket.

I add an extra split ring at each end and use Kamazan chemically sharpened trebles with mine. I'm a flat line troller and I always set my clutch tighter when trolling tobies and I've no problems.

Another option is to add an axtra treble on a short piece of fuse wire just off the top split ring. Haven't tried it myself but no a troller who does and swears by it and says the action of the lure isn't changed by it.

I haven't considered the single hook option as I've had no need to but the longer shank would certainly give less potential for leverage and unhooking.

And you can neatly sandwich two Tobys together and fasten them at each end with a split ring for double weight when you need it.....a 20 gram Toby that is only the size of a 10 gram Toby can be useful, ie. smaller or fussier fish deeper down.

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there is a quality post from one of those lomond traditional trollers on modifying your toby to improve hook ups, Seems like too much bother to me
would have answered earlier but it has taken me days to figure out my login details.

http://www.lochlomondangling.com/riverdancing1.htm

If you think about it a toby has a hook attached in exactly the same way as a rapala and nobody complains about or modifies their rapalas. But a rapala tapers towards the hook and a toby tapers away from the hook so if a fish takes the lure in the middle the toby hook slides away the rapala hook slides in so use that extra split ring at the tobys nose and attach either a siwash or slightly smaller treble at the nose and maybe thats the way to go. I`ve tried the double split ring and the complicated arrangement on the L.L.A.I.A. web site in riverdancing tobys by Peter Lyons and I still have Swedish tobys but in truth they have never floated my boat.

Arch

There is a company in the USA that sells Toby type lures and they rig them so the fat section is near to the head and the hook is at the slimmer end.
I agree that tobys are poor hookers i was once on a river using a tiger toby and i had about 10 salmon come up and hit the spoon and not one was hooked, so never use tobys now i have got other lures that are better at both attracting and hooking fish.

Just found the pics of the reverse Tobys




The company is called glowmates.com

I'm away now to reverse rig one of my Tobys!

Actually, is that a weight round the hook shank to counter-balance the lure?