optimum hook size for a canal ?

[POLEMINATOR]

i want a hook size that will catch the smaller fish but also attract a bigger fish if there is 1 swimming nearby,
i know there are other factors like time of year, and fish species, and depth of bait type of bait etc,
but is there a hook size best suited to be able to attract most canal fish that may pass it ?
been thinking 16 maybe ?

on size 18/20 i pull in a lot of small fish, on size 14 there are either no bites or not many so was wondering if it was as simple as meeting in the middle with a 16 ?

any help will be highly appreciated thanks

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I doubt that there is such a thing as an "optimum" hook size as on any given day or condition it will be very different.

Personally, I'd start off on an 18's or 20s and if the bites keep coming then maybe change to a 16's . . . then if the bite drop off then switch back to a smaller hook.

It also depends greatly on what bait you are using as well.

 

[peter crabtree]

My optimum size for punch, maggot, pinkie ie small baits is 20.

 

[POLEMINATOR]

Thank you for your replies, so it seems I was being very optimistic using a size 14 on the canal lol, like you have both suggested I do catch on size 20/18 so I suppose it's a case of if it's not broke don't try and fix it. I think the dream of some monster fish lurking in my canal over powers me at times, if I want bigger fish I suppose a venue where there are bigger fish would probably be better for dropping the bigger hooks in.

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[markcw]

Again it depends on what species you are after, also match your hook size to your line and elastic, you need a balanced set up. Many canals hold large specimens, if you do latch into something decent, let the elastic do the work, dont try to bully the fish, the harder you pull, the harder the fish will fight, The other extreme is in very cold weather where you may end up scaling down to a size 24/26 hook, 3 elastic ,0.07 line and using half a squat as bait.

 

[POLEMINATOR]

Again it depends on what species you are after, also match your hook size to your line and elastic, you need a balanced set up. Many canals hold large specimens, if you do latch into something decent, let the elastic do the work, dont try to bully the fish, the harder you pull, the harder the fish will fight, The other extreme is in very cold weather where you may end up scaling down to a size 24/26 hook, 3 elastic ,0.07 line and using half a squat as bait.

Size 26 wow not sure my eyes would even see a hook that size nevermind get bait on it lol.

The stretch of canal near me at the moment is a branch of a main canal it leads to a dead end a couple of miles 1 way so not sure if that will effect the flow off fish through it or even effect it positively giving the fish somewhere to loiter and hide in, it's full of crayfish caught loads of them last summer had a full session where that is all I caught all season, don't know if they have a predator or if they eat fish ? All I know is that when they are there fish seem to stay away,

I don't weigh fish but biggest fish ive had out of there size wise is bream, I've seen other anglers catch tench but I've never tried for them I know people have had carp but they hide from me lol,

I'm gonna go further up onto the main stretch of canal this summer and see how it fairs up there i think.

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[theartist]

I was in a tackle shop yesterday looking for an alternative to my b510s (size 18) and the size of some of the hooks seemed ridiculous. Some 18's looked more like 12's to me and even their 22's were bigger than the 18's I use.

Is it getting to the stage where any talk on hook sizes is moot unless the make is mentioned too? Which probably isn't much help unless you can see the hook in question

 

[POLEMINATOR]

I was in a tackle shop yesterday looking for an alternative to my b510s (size 18) and the size of some of the hooks seemed ridiculous. Some 18's looked more like 12's to me and even their 22's were bigger than the 18's I use.

Is it getting to the stage where any talk on hook sizes is moot unless the make is mentioned too? Which probably isn't much help unless you can see the hook in question

Thanks for the insight, I've always used the same 1 brand so was not aware of fluctuating size differences,

if it's not bad enough already with shoes and clothes and finding the right size depending where I am buying , now it is creeping into my fishing lol

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[sylvanillo]

I've developed the same feeling about hook sizes when starting with feeder fishing. A few days ago when looking for smaller hooks at a tackle shop I brought the nº12 to 16 that I've been using to date, again there was a sensible difference between brands.

But that difference between manufacturers makes sense. Think of shoes sizes. I love to go to Sports Direct and ask for a size 270, only to see the assistants's face. They've apparently never wondered whether a UK 8 is the same when it is Adidas, Nike or Salomon. Well actually not at all! There may be a difference of 0.5 to 2 cm!!!
In the last 15 years size tables have appeared, so we should do the same with hooks.

On a different subject, and although I consider myself as a beginner anyway, I suppose the size of the hook may match the catchable fish but it also depends on the hookbaits - type and size - as it will make a difference in the hookbait presentation and the % of hooked fish.

 

[theartist]

On a different subject, and although I consider myself as a beginner anyway, I suppose the size of the hook may match the catchable fish but it also depends on the hookbaits - type and size - as it will make a difference in the hookbait presentation and the % of hooked fish.

Matching the hook to bait size is relevant as a basic rule, but the size of hook to size of fish is not much of an issue as you can catch some mighty big fish on tiny hooks all year round

 

[POLEMINATOR]

I've developed the same feeling about hook sizes when starting with feeder fishing. A few days ago when looking for smaller hooks at a tackle shop I brought the nº12 to 16 that I've been using to date, again there was a sensible difference between brands.

But that difference between manufacturers makes sense. Think of shoes sizes. I love to go to Sports Direct and ask for a size 270, only to see the assistants's face. They've apparently never wondered whether a UK 8 is the same when it is Adidas, Nike or Salomon. Well actually not at all! There may be a difference of 0.5 to 2 cm!!!
In the last 15 years size tables have appeared, so we should do the same with hooks.

On a different subject, and although I consider myself as a beginner anyway, I suppose the size of the hook may match the catchable fish but it also depends on the hookbaits - type and size - as it will make a difference in the hookbait presentation and the % of hooked fish.

First time I ever went fishing I caught a decent size bream on the same hook size and bait that I was catching tiddly roach on,

Obviously small fish can't get bigger hooks in there mouth, but a bigger fish can bite a smaller one, suppose it depends how hungry the fish are ?

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[rayner]

I wouldn't bother too much about bigger fish, the time to worry about them is if you hook one. If they're where you fish you certainly will at some time. It's surprising what you can land with light tackle, just make sure your tackle is balanced, you'll be fine.

 

[markcw]

It is not on hook size, but shank,gape, thickness, make, a lot of my hooks are tubrtini 808, Kamasan B511, both normal and F1,and drennan fine wire pole hooks, Guru in various patterns, I find these cover 95% of my general fishing, The other 5% are made up of old maver eagle claw, kamasan animal, and drennan specialist feeder.