HOOK SIZE 6'S OR 8'S

hi guys. i have been losing a lot of fish in my last few trips and am thinking of using bigger hooks. at the moment i am using size 8's and am toying with changing to size 6's or maybe even doubles, what do you guys think?
i know that losing fish is all part of the game, but it just seems that i am losing a lot more than i should. thanks guys MBA

hi mad i use size 6 for 90 percent of my piking size 4 if im throwing out a large dead ive stuck to this general rule and i have,nt lost many fish over 35 years angling for these beutiful fish

G'Day Big Fella (NKS)
I have noticed there seem to be more angling writers recommending larger hooks such as size 4 or even 2. I think it may be that the pike aren't finicky so there is no reason to go small to attract more runs. Larger hooks may be easier to remove as they are less likely to go in up to the bend and get all three points stuck in. Also easier to get the forceps on. I used to use doubles because I found them easy to remove but I don't think they are widely used anymore. Barrie Rickards states in PAC30 that he once used doubles and lost/missed several fish so would never use them again. (I think I got that last bit right but I don't have the book in front of me)

Tight Lines
Andy Webster

I always use 2 singles on my rigs.

Don't know what size they are cos I got them given to me. The 'top' hook is barbed and smaller than the other hook. I use this one to hook into the tail of the bait and then the 'bottom' hook (crushed barb) is threaded into and then back out of the flank of the bait fish.

I'll get a photo of one of my rigs and post it for everybody to see.

Suffered very few dropped or lost runs and the added bonus is that it is really easy to unhook.

Experimented with one single hook but don't think my version is a viable option but not willing to give up on that idea just yet. Just need to try a different hook I think.

All the best lads.

lefty youre rig sounds a bit like a pennel rig.the sort of thing i use when sea bass fishing

bigchris wrote:lefty youre rig sounds a bit like a pennel rig.the sort of thing i use when sea bass fishing

I just looked up a pennel rig. It is very similar but fished 'straight thru' and not paternoster style as the pennel rig is.

I'll get one out of the shed tomorrow and post a piccy.

It's still a pennel rig really. Salmon anglers often fish 'straight thru' as you put it, simply because it helps when mounting long baits like lobworms, large shrimp etc. Basically the only difference with your rig is you're using wire on your hooklength and sea-anglers tend to fish it on a stiff paternoster to keep baits up off the bottom. The 'pennel' part just refers to the 2 single setup.

Sorry, I'm drifting off the point here. I use size 4 VMC Trebles for the vast majority of my baits. I sometimes use Drennan Specialist Doubles, which are basically the same as Vic Bellars doubles. It's simply a single with a smaller single on the back for hooking the bait. I thing trebles can be a bit much on skinny baits like bootlace eels, lamprey sections, snake launce or just small baits, where trebles are just a bit over the top but that's just my preference. Like I say, for the vast majority of bits, I'll use size 4s. If I was fishing a water notorious for delivering large numbers of jacks, I might drop down to 6s but I'd have to be pulling my hair out with jacks climbing up the line for that to happen.

Drennan Specialist Doubles



Red VMC Trebles (Code 9649RD £18 per 100 from Tacklebargains)

THANKS GUYS. THINK I WILL TRY MOVING UP A HOOK SIZE.

with me it depends on the size of the bait im using if its under 4 inches then its a single size 6 treble for baits 5in + its a tandem set of 8s for 6 nd half inch + its tandem size 6 trebles for half macs , herrings, eel and lamprey sections no matter what the size then again its tandem size 6s

OK everybody, here it is, as promised, my 2 single hook setup.

The lighter is in the shot to give you some idea as to the size of hooks used.
I have no idea what they are as I was given them.

The smaller top hook is barbed and can slide up and down the trace as it is held with a tight fitting sleeve of silicone tubing. This is hooked into the tail (through the bone) of the bait fish.

Bottom larger hook has a crushed barb. This is lightly hooked through the side of the bait fish and back out.

As bigchris stated, it is very much like a pennel rig used for sea fishing.

Using this rig, I have always found unhooking to be very easy and for about 75% of the time just the bottom hook has penetrated the pike's mouth.

Mmm....

No pic but the url is there.

Don't know what went wrong.

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Hi guys

Just looking at this thread which is very intreasting, i always use deads or lives no bigger than 5 inches and i use size 14;s or 12's twin trebles which i have always got on with and to be honest with you very rearley miss a run.
Casting wise im only chucking out 50 yards at the most so i use a 3/4 oz running lead and that rig for me.

but hey i say give anything a try move up or down the sizes and see how you get on.


Tight lines

Interesting views on sizes and methods and yet we all seem seem to catch ( well hopefully) I think like everything else its's a confidence thing. If something is working for you then why change.
For what it's worth for deadbaits I only use either size 2's or size 4's trebles which are always barbed unless rules mean I have to use semi barbed. IMHO and from what I have seen semi barbed hooks tend to slip in the mouth especially on a bigger thrashing Pike resulting in tearing the flesh form where the hookpoint entered. With barbed hooks once the barb is buried the hook will not slip. Use the correct un-hooking equipment and they come out without a problem.

All the best
John

Hi MBA
i use a lot of ESP raptor singles size 1 and 2,as yet never had any faults hooking or unhooking,give em a try mate.........