A colleage of mine at work has just given me two packets of size 4 'Nash Fang Gaper' Carp hooks (together with other various Carp bits) which she received when she ordered a new sea rod.

I was thinking that I would not really find a use for the hooks as they have an extremely short shank and an extremely wide gape making them appear more like a size 1 wide gape hook. I then thought that they might be ok for hooking large black slugs for Chub.

I was wondering what types and sizes of hooks do others on here use for hooking large natural baits such as slugs & crayfish (small signals & Turkish ones; not British I hope) etc. when after Chub and why?

I have never used crayfish before but I'm hoping to give them a go when the season starts. so Ill be getting some long shank hooks and try attatching the crayfish using bait elastic.

Thanks

mr wintle is correct crayfish is an illegal bait.

our native one is a protected species and using any other type is introducing an alien species to our waters.

Ok thx I'll have to give them a miss then.

captain carrott wrote (see)

our native one is a protected species and using any other type is introducing an alien species to our waters.

NB. We net and kill hundreds of Turkish crayfish every year from our water and surely I wouldn't be 'introducing' an alien species as I would have caught it from the exact same water and cleaned away any eggs. however if its still illegal to use alien types as bait then I won't try using them then.

Thanks again for the info.

NB. We net and kill hundreds of Turkish crayfish every year from our water and surely I wouldn't be 'introducing' an alien species as I would have caught it from the exact same water and cleaned away any eggs.

this is also illegal without a licence as far as i am aware because the ordinary every day angler is incapable ofm telling the difference between species.

despite the fact that the american one is a foot long with red claws and the english one is a few inches long and very pale.

so if you catch one you can't put it back becuase if you do you will be introducing a foriegn specie to the water, but you can't kill it because you are incapable of correctly identifying them.

fun innit! you now have a new pet.

...and of course there is an EA baiaiff behind every bush to pull you up for it!

I would go for a Kamasan 983 in 4 0r 6.Wide gape and strong but still relatively light in the wire.