I have a problem with the guys swallowing the hook if its to small and then when I go to a size larger it is hard to hook up with any.

Suggestion?

well I use the real small hooks with a long shank. Yea I have some that swallow it, but if their not bleeding a lot, their usually ok. I have had some swallow hooks and they were extremely difficult to get the hook out & keep em alive at the same time, so those I keep & fry up.

oh yea, I'm sure you do this too. But I always keep a pair of needle nose pliers with me when bluegill fishing. Sure helps
you to get the hooks out without injuring them to much.

Yes sir, I actually have forceps that my wife gave me, its just bothers me on the small ones to leave the hook in there that far back.

Yep...that's the way to go with bream. Forceps wont rust either and I wear mine on a lanyard around my neck when fishing for bream and/or crappie. Keep a set of those big nail clippers on there too.

Those clippers are awsome for cutting left over line....

The worst problem I've had is with green sunfish and tube jigs.

I can catch them in the lip all day long with a 1/32 oz #8 hand tied jig - with or without a spinner rig. Then I'll tie on a 1/32 tube jig and the same size greenies will inhale the #6 hook.

Relatively small circle hooks work good with bluegill. I liked the matzuo #6 or #8 presnelled hooks that walmart was selling for 88 cents for awhile. I just try to always keep the bait moving a little bit and the hook set comes easy.

this is a little ot, but I caught a bluegill several months back that (when I took the hook out which it almost swallowed) there was an aditional worm stuck on the hook besides the worm I had put on to catch the fish. That was weird!

I use an aberdeen cricket hook, a really light float, and set into the bite quickly. I'd rather miss a dozen than throw dead ones back. I also think this year I'm going barbless...

I use a #10 mustad hook with a long shank as the big white dually was saying.. this makes it really easy to get out the hooks..

I hear that gtifan. Never had any problems catching them or releasing them.

What Matt?? This is panfish

hahaha

Galvestons gonna be badass

Thanks for the input, will give each and every suggestion a try.

Size 6 or 7. (not 6/0 0r 7/0, just 6 and 7)