Carp Hooks

Ronnie · Jul 31, 2014

Hi all, I know I will get loads of different views on this, but I am getting very frustrated at keep on losing Carp due to Hook Pulls, can some one advise me the best Hooks to use, I fish Club waters with carp mainly Doubles and Twenties, some venues insist on Barbless Hooks , so I use barbless all the time. I have lost 6 fish in my last 4 trips,
There must be a good hook that stays in, and doesn't come out, the last one I lost was virtually over the net, yes I know we all suffer this at times.
Can I have some positive help please.
Thanks

thecrow · Jul 31, 2014

What hooks are you using Ronnie also is the lake bed soft silt or more firm gravel or clay? Do the hooks you are using have a wide gape?

benny samways · Jul 31, 2014

I always used barbed hooks but if i had to use a barbless i would use a hook with a beaked point.

Pallatrax 'the hook' has never let me down.

Phil Adams · Jul 31, 2014

Drennan super specimen all day long for me.

Are you hair rigging your baits?

smufter · Aug 1, 2014

I use Gardner Covert Muggas. Great hooks and their shape negates the use of aligners etc.
They turn nicely and almost guarantee a nice bottom lip hook hold.

Tee-Cee · Aug 1, 2014

Korda Kurve Shank B for me if hair rigging for carp. Available with micro barb and wide gape, as well as my choice, barbless. All are coated..
I cannot recall the last time I lost a fish with this hook and never a failure if 'hook and hold' tactics become necessary.
Loads of alternatives available but with hooks confidence is everything..........

Ray Daywalker Clarke · Aug 1, 2014

Ronnie,

I see your using barbless hooks, easy to lose fish, as a quick shake of the head at the net, and game over.

I use different hooks for different venues, but OWNER hooks are very good. As a side issue, sometimes using a shorter hook length, and shorter hair can make a difference, might be worth giving it a try.

Good luck.

nicepix · Aug 1, 2014

Just a point (sorry

) but how are you tying your hooks on - line through the front or back of the eye, snell knot or uni?

binka · Aug 1, 2014

I suffered a similar problem during the (river) closed season whilst range fishing on gravel pits.

Changed to these and still lost the odd fish but nowhere near as many as before...

Kurv Shank | Hooks | Fishing Tackle | Korda

What hook have you been using?

law · Aug 2, 2014

smufter said:
I use Gardner Covert Muggas. Great hooks and their shape negates the use of aligners etc.
They turn nicely and almost guarantee a nice bottom lip hook hold.

Another vote for Muggas. Brilliant hooks.
I used to use Kordas but found too many blunt hooks in the packets.

stu_the_blank · Aug 2, 2014

law said:
I used to use Kordas but found too many blunt hooks in the packets.

I had the same experience and a couple of breaks at the point. I've been using Nash hooks for the past couple of years, Fangs, Twisters and Uni's (depending on the rig) and I can't fault them.

Stu

symonh2000 · Aug 2, 2014

I use Drennan super specialist.

I prefer straight points to curved in as I feel it is easier for the hook to prick the fish.

Ronnie · Aug 2, 2014

Thanks for all the help guys, it seems (almost) everyone has their own favourites. To answer a few queries, I fish mainly over silt, use knotless knots and have been using curved hooks.
I will now have a look at the suggestions here.
Ronnie

alexmack · Aug 12, 2014

Hi Ronnie,

What a minefield! Have loads of packs and have tried most but two stand out for sharpness and strength for me. Esp big T and Korda wide gape. If I were only to choose 1 it would be the wide gape in a size 8 for me. You can use it on a vast range of rigs and is certainly a durable and sharp point. With a long ish hair, a bottom bait and a knotless knot it takes some beating I recon! the curved point also helps it hook in and stay in. Hope it saves you the vast amounts I have spent experimenting!!!

Tight lines
Alex

aberarth · Aug 13, 2014

Yeah what a minefield,ive got dozens of packets of hooks all purporting to be the best hooks ever,i keep forgetting its these companies job to sell you stuff,any stuff.I myself have now settled on wide gape short shank slightly curved with inpointing point and have far less lost fish since doing so.I do believe also that most people use too high a tc rod for the job in hand resulting in tearouts and damage to fish [a personal bug of mine].but loosing fish is not just about hooks there are many variables involved.oooh love at first sight korda krank cant wait for the barbless.

pointngo · Aug 13, 2014

a picture of your rig would help Ronnie and a bit more detail about whether it's a bottom bait, balanced or pop-up, lead weight etc. There's no hook for all situations and some hooks suit one thing better than another. Rig mechanics change with every hook shape.

As a guess, the first change for me would be to shorten the hair length a few mm but it's hard to know what might be wrong without seeing a picture.

Ronnie · Aug 14, 2014

I don't do pictures I'm afraid, but mostly I use a bottom bait or balanced bait with coated hook length, 10 mm stripped behind hook and hair length of about 15 mm, with a knotless knot.

pointngo · Aug 14, 2014

you'd make it a lot easier for people to help you if you did do photo's mate.

what is distance from where the hair leaves the hook to the inside edge of a mounted bait?
what size hook and bait?

it could be all manner of things from the hair to the lead set-up so without a photo it's very difficult to see if anything is out of place.

sam vimes · Aug 14, 2014

If I want a hook for absolute strength, I tend to go with the Nash Fang range, especially the originals which were of a very heavy guage. Unfortunately, they are about as subtle as a punch in the face. The newer Nash hooks are finer and have a less obstrusive finish. Not quite as strong, but I've yet to break or bend one.

If I want a greater degree of subtlety, I've happily used the Gardner Covert range and the standard predecessor. I've managed to slightly open up the odd one, but I've never had one break.

I've also used the odd Korda hook, with only one breakage, and ESPs, which blunt and roll points too easily for my liking.

These days I tend to use Nash Fangs, old and new, which I've stockpiled when able to get them cheap. However, I've taken to using a no name curve shank pattern that a local lad imported in bulk in an attempt to go into business. When he decided that he couldn't make a go of it, he sold off his stock even cheaper than he was previously selling. Having given them a go at his full price, it was too good to turn down at his even lower price.

A mate of mine has been buying in bulk from an ebay seller called Bank Tackle. He's perfectly happy with what he's getting from them and the price he's paying. I'd suspect that what they sell will be turning up in branded packaging for much more money.
items in Bank Tackle store on eBay!

pjcoarsefishing · Aug 16, 2014

I am surprised at the comments confirming the use of barbed and micro barb hooks. I thought, most fisheries request barbless hooks only, the last time I used a micro barb hook must have been 15 years ago.

Carp Hooks

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