'S' Creek Paddle Company Fishing Articles - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Hooks


Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Hooks The humble hook. For such a relatively simple device, it has a lot of components and comes in a wide variety of styles. Regardless of type, every hook has a few basic attributes. The end has an eye, through which you can thread your line. The shank is the section from the eye to the curve. After the curve, there's a sharp point. Many styles have a barb near the point - a secondary, smaller hook to prevent the fish from escaping once snared. The shape and size of the hook is often as important as the individual parts. The size of the gap between the point and the shank plays an important role in catching fish. Too small and the hook won't grab the fish firmly - the fish doesn't get it far enough in to prevent pulling away. The throat - the distance between the center of the bend and the midpoint of the gap - plays a similar part in how effectively the fish is hooked. Beyond these basic attributes, there are dozens of variations in styles of hook. The points can be ultra-sharp or more blunt. Thin points penetrate more readily, but thicker points will hold better. As with any design element, it's always a balancing act, influenced by the style of fishing intended. Saltwater fly fishing, for example, makes use of a narrower hook to penetrate more easily the tough hides of game fish. Fly fishers often use a reversed or kirbed point in tandem with large flies. The sharp angle makes for a really effective barb. Just as barbs come in different styles, so does the element at the opposite end - the eye. Looped eyes make for easy threading and line release. Just make your knot and slip it through the narrow gap between the shank and the end. Swiveled eyes are used for large game fish to help keep the lines from getting twisted. Circle hooks are one of the newer fads, though the design has been around for several years. The shank is curved, making something of a long bend with no straight shaft. The curve is designed to slide along the inside of the mouth to the corner of the jaw. That helps prevent gut hooking, leaving lots of fight in the fish after it's hooked. It also means there's no need to set the hook to lodge it firmly into the fish. You just reel back gently and you're on your way to a fun catch. Circle hooks make for relatively easy and harmless catch-and-release when that's your style. Hooks are made from different materials, but stainless steel is usually your best bet for saltwater. Forged hooks are the norm for bait fishing. Avoid tinned hooks, since they corrode rapidly. In general, there's little advantage to attempting to modify an existing hook - by bending, filing or otherwise. It's too easy to break one or stab your thumb. In a pinch, do what you must. But it's better to be prepared and have a number of different styles in your tackle box.
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