See this is good, now we have an interesting conversation going :)

So I think the difference in opinion on what line and hook to use stems mostly from the difference between Nor-Cal vs. So-Cal. I can only think of a handful of lakes up here where I would fish a bait like this on anything less than 16lb. It would just be pointless. Same with big senkos. But in So-Cal, you say 16lb test and people are like whoa are you flipping heavy cover :) (that was my stab and So-Cal for this post) har.

Plus, when I set the hook on a flip bait, whether it's a jig or a weightless plastic or whatever, I would snap 10lb test. 12lb would be marginal. 15 would be do-able but I still wouldn't give a full hookset. It's only when I get to 16lb test that I feel like I can give them a good strong yank. But I can see how if you're fishing San V, or Perris, or whatever other clear water weedbed lakes, you can fish 10 or 12 without much problem because you don't have any need to move the fish on the hookset. You just hook them and fight them in. It's not like you're trying to flip them and stun them by the force of the hookset so you can pull them out.

With a less forceful hookset and lighter line, I could also see why you would want to use the regular EWG. I stopped fishing that hook completely because it has too much flex on the hookset for me. You'll get fish that literally spring off the hook when you slam them with 20 or 25lb. With the superline hook , the hook penetrates because it doesn't flex.

What makes this an interesting conversation is that a guy like CJ has given thought to how he rigs for this bait and the lakes he fishes and has come up with a system by paying attention to the little details like how thick the hook is and what lb test line to use. I'm fishing different water and I've come up with my system for weightless plastic baits like this. I'd bet his setup works better where he is and mine works better where I am. So the important thing is to pay attention to all the little details of the rigging and tweak with it until you get the setup that works right where you are fishing.