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Hook Eyes: ("loop" at the forward end of the hook)
The place you tie your line or clip your swivel or leeder. Eyes can be ringed, tapered, looped, open, flatted, swivel or needle.
Eyes can also have alignments which are either straight or ringed, turned up or turned down.
Shank: (section that begins at the first point of the bend to the eye)
Bend: (section of hook that bends around
Gap: (distance (size) from the point to the shank)
Throat: (distance from the bend to the point)
It is important that you realize that gap size and throat length will either help or hinder your hooking of your fish.
Now that we have the definition of a hook done, we can move on to bigger fish.
Hook Styles:
If you took all hook shapes or styles you could probably put them in 3 categories, live bait hooks, artificial bait hooks and manufacturer use hooks. Live bait hooks include Octopus, O'Shaughnessy, Straight and Aberdeen.
Artificial bait includes Aberdeen, Sproat and Kahle. Manufacturer hooks are used for making artificial flies, jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
Circle Hooks:
Circle hooks are really a must if you practice catch and release. Let's take a look at what happens when your fish strikes. The mouth opens wide and your fish swallows your bait and hook into its stomach or gut and then starts to swim away. Your hook and bait is then pulled back where it penetrates the lip area.
Other style hooks will just penetrate in the gut area and that's where the problem rises. Even if you cut the leeder, there is a good chance the fish will die anyways and it is impossible to get your hook back without damaging and killing the fish. Baiting a Circle Hook is easy, loop your bait into the hook so it enters about half way and make sure the bait does not spin, just once is good enough. Fish the same way you usually do with or without weight, cast or just peel off some line from the reel and set your drag. The idea is to get your bait into your usual strike zone.
Now, comes the fun part. You have to ignore the temptation to "jerk" your line when you get a strike and set the hook. If you do this you defeat the whole purpose of the exercise and the hook will simply pull right out of the fishes mouth. If your line has tension on it from the strike, you already have the hook in a position to set and grab the lip on its way out.
Selecting a Hook
Now that you've become a hook scholar you want to rush right out and buy some, right!
Whoa! Not so fast. Here are a few tips you need before you purchase. Quality has to be a number one concern. Just like anything else you buy, not all hooks are created equal.
- check the hook to see if the eye is closed all the way
(if it's not your knot could slip off at the most inopportune moment)
- check that the eye is smooth and not full of paint.
(otherwise your knot could nick after you're tied on)
- the point for sharpness
(gently, drag the tip across your fingernail, if it starts to dig in its sharp)
- that it is formed properly
(if it is to sharp it will bend on contact)
(barb is proportional to hook size and has the proper shape)
- temper or flexibility
(gently flex the hook and watch that it returns to its original shape if it doesn't it isn't tempered, if it breaks it's over tempered)
Finally, this is the part that really hurts on a hook. Open your wallet and in foresight say to yourself, "if I had just spent a couple of bucks more, I would be mounting that giant bass on the wall".
How to Hook Live Worms For Fishing
The answer to this question seems simple enough, right? I mean putting a worm onto a hook or hooking live worms for fishing isn't brain surgery, it's just putting bait onto a hook. While this is obviously true if you want to catch more fish and hook live worms for fishing in the most effective way possible there are certain simple rules that should be adhered to.
In this quick article I will outline these simple rules, rules that have been learned through more than 50 years of combined experience using live worms for fishing. These ideas were introduced to me by my fishing mentor, a man who used live worms for catching fish for many years, more than twenty years ago and I have been using them ever since. The bottom line is that if you want to know how to hook live worms for fishing this article will show you.
The rules are being listed in no particular order and should all be added to your fishing repertoire.
Always Use Small Hooks - Many fishermen make the mistake of using fishing hooks that are entirely too large when using live worms for fishing and end up hooking the worm over and over again creating what I like to call a worm ball. This is not at all effective, especially for larger and more experienced fish. When using worms for fishing the focus of the offering should be the worm and not the hook, which in why small hooks are a must when using worms for fishing. Hooks that are size 6, 8, or 10 (or even smaller) are ideal for fishing with live worms and any hooks larger than size 6 should be avoided.
Hook The Worm In A Natural Manner - When using a live worm for fishing the worm should appear as much as possible like it does naturally. If large worms such as night crawlers are being employed this probably means that the worm should be pinched in half to that it appears as natural as possible, and not have too much of the worm "hanging" off of the hook. In order to hook live worms in the most natural way possible a set of gang hooks should be used. Gang hooks have two small fishing hooks tied in tandem which is perfect for fishing with live worms and hooking them in a natural manner.
Use Light Line - Many anglers tend to use fishing line that much too heavy when using worms for fishing. Many fish have excellent eyesight and can see the fishing line in the water. If the fish you are attempting to catch can see your line they are less apt to bite. Again, you want the focus of your offering to be the worm itself, nothing else. This is why using light line is very important when using worms for fishing.
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Now you know the tips for how to hook worms for fishing. Employ these simple tips and start catching more and bigger fish of all kinds.
When a Fishing Hook Isn't Really A Fishing Hook
This may sound like a stupid title for an article, but it's true. When you think of a fishing hook, what do you think of? Just a plain old fishing hook that you put some bait on and try to catch a fish, right? Well my fishing mentor took the concept of a simple fishing hook and transformed it into the perfect fishing hook for all types of bait fishing. I think the concept was used in saltwater fishing, but he brought the concept to freshwater fishing.
This concept is the gang hook. A gang hook is simply two hooks tied in tandem. Two small hooks, hooks that are smaller than you may be accustomed to using. Using smaller hooks makes the hooks all but undetectable top the fish. It's a beautiful system. Not only is it a beautiful system, but it's a very effective system as well. Although gang hooks are effective for all types of bait fishing, they are the most effective way to present a live worm that I've ever seen.
So how do you get your hands on a set or two of gang hooks? Simple, you can go somewhere like JRWfishing and purchase them or you can do a little research and tie them yourself. Just do a search on the internet for fishing knots to find out how to tie a "Snell knot". Once you can tie a Snell knot, you're good to go. Simply tie two in tandem and you've made yourself a set of gang hooks! Now just devise a great way to carry them, and you're ready to catch some fish.
This is when a fishing hook isn't really a fishing hook. It's simple, easy, and incredibly effective. The bottom line is that once you begin using gang hooks , you won't use any other method for fishing live bait, especially worms. It's as simple as that.
Fishing Tips For Bass - Baiting the Hook For Success!
When it comes to fishing tips for bass, baiting the hook will either make or break you. There are some specific things to remember to make the most of of your day on the water.
1. The sharper the better - When baiting your hook you want the hook sharp. You can either replace your hooks or purchase a hook sharpener. Hooks easily get dulled when hooking random debris or hitting bottom. Just like your favorite pocket knife, the sharper the better.
2. Make it look natural - You want to present the bait as naturally as possible. One of the best ways to do this is by using gang hooks. If your not familiar with gang hooks they will be well worth your time to check into. They will help provide the most natural presentation possible.
3. The bigger the hook doesn't mean, bigger the fish - I think this happens quite often. When I was first learning how to fish i did the same thing myself. You use a giant hook, wrap the worm on and expect to catch a giant fish. You can easily correct this by using gang hooks. you can use much smaller hooks and get a much better effect. Some of the largest fish are caught with the smallest hooks.
4. Are your hands clean? - That could be a bad thing when it comes to fishing. The easiest way to remove any scents that may be on your hands would be, simply rubbing your hands together with a handful of dirt. This will neutralize any scents on your hands and make the bait even more attractive for a potential fish.
These fishing tips for