Let start with something easy and critical….

Let us talk about hooks!
Please answer any and all of the following questions, and feel free to add anything I might have missed.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
3. What size hooks do you use?
4. Where do you buy your hooks?
5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?

Note: Please keep this on topic. We would like to catalogue these for future reference. If you have a future topic, please PM it to me. If someone asks a question not above I will edit this post to add it. If someone feels more qualified to handle this project please let me know.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
I like a heavy gauge hook, wide gape and SHARP. Heavy gauge hooks seem to move around less, less "tearing" and less likely to pop loose and snag the fish.

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
I like the Korda wipe gape X and long shank X. Have tried many brands and this is my preference.

3. What size hooks do you use?
I normally use 6 or 8 unless fishing a bait out of the ordinary.

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Big Carp Tackle

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
size 6 works for most of my needs, I go long shank for certain baits. I downsize for spooky fish or small particle baits. size 8

I like the Korda Wide gape in a size 4. I think I got my last ones from Wacker baits.

I like them because of the strength, the wide gap, and their penetrating ability as demonstrated below. LOL



I will occasionally use a size 2 in venues where know larger fish hang out.

iv used many hooks since i got into carping. i remember when mark showed me how to use a method feeder and different hair rigs. my first hook was a drennian continatel boilie hook. that was a good hook but it dulled easly. then i went to fox, there super sharp but after one broke on a big fish at lake fork i went to korda. korda is my main hook and i use the wide gape and wide gape x. the wide gape x is the same as the wide gape but its make thicker. iv always used the wide gape in size 6. the korda choddy is another hook i use alot (size 6 too) and have had great sucess with it.
i buy most of my stuff from dave at BigCarpTackle.

as for how i use my hooks, well this might get heated but i hope not. i use MY version of the reverse combi rig, instead of useing 2 or 3 different materials, i use fox cortex braid for the hole rig. i sometimes strip a little back above the hook to make a "hinge" then again 90% of the time i use it straight from the spool. no striiping no nothen.


curt ur not gonna let me live that down huh :roflmao:

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
Quality, as in, if I hook a fish of a lifetime.. The hook does not straighten out.
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2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
Mustad kind of guy.
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3. What size hooks do you use?
All depends on the size of the fish I'm targeting. I know what to expect in some areas I fish at; but nothing to large.
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4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Academy Sports & Outdoors
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5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
I use a 30lb braid hair rig, sz 10 mustad hook, and some good 'ol maize! And ALL year round, if no hair rig is available, I'll just use a sz 10 mustad hook with a single cernal of canned sweet corn.
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What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
Mainly eagle claw, I'll buy panfish hooks from them, but rarely hooks for carp. They are sharp though, also demonstrated here!




Way to go DT.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
I look for a strong, sharp forged hook with the eye slightly turned in. I personally am not a fan of curve shank hooks (I know others are). I prefer a brand that I trust.

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
I now primarily use Gold Label Tackle - Penetrator 1 hooks. Strong and extremely sharp. I also like Kamasan B775 Carp Specialist Hooks . If fishing for dinks I sometimes use cheap Mustad hooks.

3. What size hooks do you use?
I use 4-8, but it depends on the make. Sizes are not all the same.

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Big Carp Tackle and Resistance Tackle

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
I use 6 most of the time. If I am getting hookups but the fish are getting off I may size up to
a 4. Larger fish I may also go up to a 4. Spooky fish get an 8. I am more likely to size down when going for Buffalo, but not often.

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
I have had Eagle hooks bend on me several times in my early days. I do not remember the style.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
I like a downturned eye, sturdiness, and SHARPNESS (very important).

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
I like Korda Kurv Shanks, Korda Wide Gape, Nash Fang Twister. I recently bought a bunch of Fox hooks since they were a little cheaper than the above, but I haven't used them yet.

3. What size hooks do you use?
Size 6 for hair rigs, size 6 for float fishing, and size 2 or 4 for freelining bread balls. Sometimes I will move up to #4 or #5 for hair rigs if I'm fishing somewhere with bigger fish (i.e. Austin).

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Usually BCT or Wacker.

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
See #3

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
For a long time I used Prologic hooks for hair rigs, but after breaking them off in snags a couple of times I moved on to others. They were plenty sharp and worked OK for me, but IMO a carp hook should never break before 12lb. mainline.

I also made the mistake when starting out of thinking that Gamakatsu live bait and baitholder hooks were the same thing. I bought some baitholders but they were so thin and fragile that they didn't work well for carp.

Do you leave the coating on the hair as well?

yes i do. the only mod i might do is the hinge. thats it nothen else.

Hmm...cool. I never really considered leaving the hair intact, thanks.

Owner Fly Liner,

Straight Shank,

Size 6 and 8,

These hooks are extremely strong and the points out last any other hook.

I purchase mine from Cabellas in packs of 52.

I have also used the heavy duty hooks from Scorpion with good results, I think they were called venom x.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
Strength, material,sharpness, and gape size.

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
I have recently started using Owner Gorilla Light saltwater hooks. Perfect gape, relatively high grade steel, super sharp, and so far haven't had any straighten on me.

3. What size hooks do you use?
Size 1 and 2

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Cabela's $3.49 for 8...great price!

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
I pretty much only fish LBL right now, so I have been using Size 1. They have held up to some big fish!

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
I have been using these pretty much since I started Carp fishing and they have been great!

those gorillas are monsters! you could catch a smallblock chevy and they wouldn't straighten! Big for my tastes but an awesome hook. used em for Gar on fork once.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
-Long shank and a wide curve

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
-Been buying Gamakatsu right now since they seem sharp

3. What size hooks do you use?
-#4 since its the smallest I can find at the moment. Prefer a 6. Also have #6 and #8 Eagle Claw but they're not as sharp as the Gamakatsu so I don't use them much.

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
-Fishing Tackle Unlimited

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
-Pretty much almost always use a number 4 with a few kernels of maize or a boilie. Sometimes use a #6 or #8 with a micro boilie but have not been able to tell a difference between the different sizes.

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
-All I know is Eagle Claw is not as sharp as Gamakatsu.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?

gauge, straight or inturned eyelet.

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?

mustad

3. What size hooks do you use?

size 4 "big gun" live bait hooks

4. Where do you buy your hooks?

academy

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?

i use the same hook all the time

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?

resistance tackle "rt1" hooks. they're not bad hooks, they're just really light guage and have straightend out on me

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
Reputation, sharpness, strength, and suitability to purpose.

2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
Scorpion, Resistance, End Zone

3. What size hooks do you use?
Mostly 6, but have also use 1/0 down to sz 12 salmon-egg hooks (VMC).

4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Mostly online for my carp fishing. Also Fishing Tackle Unlimited and Academy.

5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
I generally use small hooks for float fishing, and try to fit the size to the bait. I've also tried 'paylake' style a bunch of times.
For bottom baits I generally use in-turned eyes. For pop-ups I use straight eyes, for stiff-rigs I use slight out-turned eyes.

6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
a. Daiichi 'bleeding' octopus hooks. Dull quickly, bend too easily.
b. Mustad 'lazer sharp' live bait hooks. Initially sharp, but dull quickly and break under pressure.

What style of End Zone hooks do you use?

For traditional hair/bolt rigs, I like size 6, and I like the BCT K9, or any hook in that particular style.

Not real detailed I know lol, but that's what I like!

I buy them from BCT, obviously.

The other type of hook I use fairly often, for sweet corn fishing, is a Gamakatsu Octopus Circle, also in size 6, and you can get them in most sporting goods stores.

1. When choosing a hook, what do you look for?
Short shanks with either straight or in turned eyes and curved long shanks. Quality in manufacture is usually pretty easy to spot - like where the eye bend meets the shank -- any appreciable gap there is definitely a no no.
2. What brand hooks do you prefer?
Nash Fang X, Kamasan, Gamakatsu Carp, some Fox.
3. What size hooks do you use?
Anything ranging from 8's to 2's.
4. Where do you buy your hooks?
Anywhere I can get them, but usually from the main Carp gear suppliers.
5. What are your hook tactics (when do you use what size and type when)?
Jeez -- you got a week to spare For very basic rigs, I often use the Nash Fang X #8's, as they have a slightly curved shank, and really don't need a line aligner. I might also use a short straight shanked 7 or 6, with an inturned eye, and if straight shanked - anything above a 6, I usually use a line aligner. I use long shanks for blow back rigs, and a couple of other 'black magic' type rigs!!
6. What hooks have you had bad experiences with?
Not too many really, however I had some Fox SSBP's (I think that's the correct designation?) that were really nice hooks -- however, the point 'tipped' rather easily on a stony bottom. I lost a very big fish (and I mean BIG -- 40+) one miserable night, after playing it for almost 20 minutes - when the hook pulled only yards from the net. Sure enough, the point was 'tipped'. I'd checked it before casting, and as I feathered the rig down to the bottom, had not dragged it back to straighten things out. I am still haunted about losing that fish -- and, although I have used those same hooks since (as I had them!!) still don't trust them.

As long as they continue all the weekly topics will be moved here DT please continue to number them

I think Donny's big into the Fly Liners too. I will have to check them out, they sound like a good replacement for the K9's I like when I can't get them.

And the price is right.

I'll never use another flyliner for the rest of my life. I had one straighten on me at Emma. Gamakatsu live baits are the only hook I use for a hair and gamakatsu octopus circles for float fishing.

Ah really? For some reason I was thinking it was the other way around. Can you get those Gama Live Baits at Cabelas or anywhere, or do you have to order them?

I used to use the flyliners. They are good hooks but that one hook pissed me off so I hate em now.

I usually order the live baits online from cabelas.