I'm new to carping and so far have only fished with corn on small circle hooks so as not to harm any fish. But I got some dough bait that needs to be fished on a treble hook. I don't want to gut hook any fish and I'm wondering if using treble hooks is ok or how do you fish the dough bait? If trebles are ok, do you leave the reel in gear like with a circle hook and the fish will hook itself or what? Thanks in advance for your advice, I just hate hooking any fish deep that I'm not going to keep.

I've found that if your Dough is good enough for a treble hook you can usually get it to stay on a single hook. Give it a try.

treble hooks tear up the fishes mouth i wouldnt use them

This is getting a bit more complex but you can also use a hair rig with a small shirt button attached to the hair. Put the dough around the button. Holds better than even a treble.

My wife got mad at me several years ago when I came back fishing without any buttons on my shirt.

Trebles are generally a no-no among modern (Euro) carpers.

That said, like many, I started off using dough bait on trebles. There was a time or two though where I know I damaged the fish's mouth while unhooking. Trebles can also lock a carp's small mouth closed if it's hooked the wrong way and the fish breaks off.

Like Lester said, if your dough bait is the right consistency, you should be able to fish with a single hook. Try to leave the hook point exposed so you can get adequate penetration on the hookset.

After I quit using trebles, I started using single hooks with a spring from a ball point pen superglued to the shaft of the hook. This can help hold the bait if you're having problems with a single hook.

Or you can go the hair rig route as dt said. I've done this as well with a bead or a bit of spring on the hair.

They're great especially for snagging.

I've used them most of my life and wont stop just because it's politically correct.

Sometimes, like when dead baiting I'll use two.

I've never had my 65#PowerPro break so I can't say I've ever had a treble close a carps mouth on a permanent basis.

Even if I did get 1 stuck in a carps face, one dead carp is not the end of the world.

i started using them when i only knew about carping with dough baits .then i found out about hair rigs and use the treble hook to hold the dough with a single hook on top . 90 percent of my catches were coming on the top hook (single) . i have many friends that still use them and like someone mention i never saw one close together a fishes mouth . i will say this tho when i started using method and hair rig combos it made catching easier..not having to set the hook and letting the fish do all the work is where its at .

Thanks for your responses. If I just go the single hook route, with a spring or hair rig or however else to hold the dough bait, should I stick with circle hooks or would you use a regular J hook?

your rig will be most effective using real carp hooks . also using braig on your hook link will work the best .

I agree with jesse, you want a size 4-8 hook with eye turned in a bit. Tying hairs with braid is the way to go (IMHO).

i think the idea is to have the carp suck the bait in ,once it feels funny to him he will try to cough it out but by then it will be too late using the correct hook . ( small , sharp,strong,hooks that turn easily )

Two things you can try. First single hook and add some corn flour to your doughball. It will stiffen it up enough that it will mold around the hook and stay better. Just a little flour goes a long way. Next if you still feel its not working take a rubber bead and stick the hook into it so the bead is centered on the curve so its between the point and the shank of the hook . The small bead will give it some grip while not interfering with the hookset. HOpe this helps you.

I used to use trebles but stopped when I was pre-fishing Joe Pool before one ofthe kids events. I was catching and tagging fish to be caught later by the kids, but noticed that I was really tearing up the fishs' mouths. I didn't want the kids to be catching fish with torn-up mouths.

I've been using stong single hooks ever since. I do it for the Next Angler as much as I do it for the fish.

Chad

another thing to remember about trebles, is that if you ever break off, the treble can pin the mouth shut. making it where the fish cant eat and basically killing it.

Fish won't starve before a hook rusts out, it takes months for a fish to starve. It is possible for them to suffocate though if they can't get water past their gills.


Also, you do not have to use "euro" carp hooks in order to have hookes that catch carp well. Just look for hooks with a turned in eye, and eye that is turned towards the point of the hook. Several kinds of fly hooks will fit this bill, as well as a few kinds of baitholders, gamakatsu puts some out as well as eagle claw. If the points are not sharp enough then get a hook file and fix them, I always fix my points rather than dumping the hooks.