Fishing Hooks

For the novice angler the choice of hooks available and what they are designed for is a confusing issue. Clearly, hooks must be regarded as the most essential piece of tackle and yet the choice of hooks is often not given the attention it deserves. For consistent results it is vitally important that the correct hook choice be made.

Hooks used by the freshwater coarse angler fall into three categories: eyed, spade end and ready-tied hook to nylon hooklengths.

Eyed and spade end hooks are for the angler who prefers to tie his own knots and are attached with whipping knots for spade end hooks, or palomar or grinner knots for eyed hooks. Other knots may be employed and this is purely a matter of individual choice. For more information on knots see: fishing knots. Hooks to nylon are ready tied for convenience and are available in various breaking strain hooklengths.

Fishing hooks of various designs are on offer and differ in terms of bend shape, shank length, eyed, spade end, off-set point, barbed, barbless, etc. However, the basic requirements of any hook are the same.

Forged hooks are stronger than their cheaper counterparts, but for any hook the "wire" from which it is manufactured should be as thin and light as possible, as is consistent with its strength. A light hook is important for several reasons; a hook adds weight to a bait and therefore increases the speed at which the bait falls through the water, this can appear unnatural to fish, especially when presented with loose feed that is descending more slowly. Also, a hook that is too thick has a tendency to rupture baits such as maggots or casters.

With eyed hooks always examine the shape and size of the eyes. In general the size of the eye will depend on the size of the hook, but they do vary and you should try to choose hooks with eyes that are just big enough for the diameter of the line intended for use with the hook. This will ensure that the hook, once correctly tied, will hang at the correct angle to the line and not be at an odd angle due to a too large and obtrusive eye.

An important consideration when choosing hooks is the shank length. Hooks are available in short shank and long shank designs. If the intended bait is bread crust, paste, lobworms or sweetcorn, a long shank is best. For maggots use short shank hooks. A special design of long shank called a caster hook is available for casters.

It should also be noted that the longer the hook shank, the smaller will be the hook's angle of penetration. This means the hook will penetrate easily but to a lesser depth than would a short shank hook. The short shank hook will require a stronger strike but will set in more deeply.

Fishing hook size is given by a numbering system whereby the smaller the number the larger the hook. Size 2 is the largest hook available, and size 24 the smallest. It should be noted, however, that the numbering system is not standardized, and a size 10 hook from one manufacturer may be of similar size to a size 12 from another manufacturer. Compare hooks from different brands and ask the tackle dealer's advice before making your choice.

The importance of sharp hooks cannot be over emphasized. Hooks quickly become blunted when fishing over rocky lake or river beds, or when caught on snags. Get into the habit of sharpening the hook you are using with a small sharpening stone.
Consider using "outpoint" hooks. The outpoint hook, when looked at from the front, has a point that is angled outward, rather than being parallel to the shank. This aids self-hooking when a fish tries to eject the hook.

Fishing Hooks

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