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Drennan wide gape specialist hooks

I will second the recommendation for Bank Tackle Wide Gape hooks. I bought a pack to try a while back and will be using them as my go to hook now. Great price which includes postage and service is always excellent too. Lots of other useful terminal tackle on their website and not restricted to buying everything in packs of ten with unnecessary packaging.
 
Ian Lovett said:
I use Pallatrax gripz wide gape in sizes 8 and 10. Bank tackle wide gape are highly thought of as well.
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Hi Ian,
Do you use Braid mainline ?
Or hook link ?
I used to favour fluorocarbon hook links yrs ago ,but having seen a video of Barbel spooking on fluorocarbon I am thiking Braid would be better ?
 
Never had a problem with the Pallatrax hooks, so i.ll keep using them, until my supply of the " hook " runs out. Ive already got some of the new " Gripz " hooks for when they do. Ive no doubt, they,ll be as good as the originals.
 
Adam Wylie said:
Hi all,
Are these hooks strong enough for Barbel Fishing ??
What are you using ?
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I like these for chub fishing in 18/16/14 for maggot/ caster and have landed plenty of decent barbel on them but this will be a softish rod and mono so will lose the hooklink before I straighten any hooks
but if targeting barbel with pellet / boilie then I’m another fan of the Bank wide gape - much stronger pattern and never had one open on me
 
Adam Wylie said:
Hi Ian,
Do you use Braid mainline ?
Or hook link ?
I used to favour fluorocarbon hook links yrs ago ,but having seen a video of Barbel spooking on fluorocarbon I am thiking Braid would be better ?
Click to expand...
I use normal nylon line for mainline and hook lengths. Berkley Big Game 12lb main and Berkley Trilene xl 10lb hook link. In my opinion there is no need for braid or coated braid or combi rigs. I catch plenty of barbel, chub, bream and even big roach on normal 10lb and a further advantage is its abrasion resistance against rocks and snags. I know some will disagree but when I tried braid I didn't seem to get any more bites and I certainly had more tangles.
 
The Drennan wide gape specialists are fine in smaller sizes with lighter gear but too thin in the wire for serious Barbel fishing with heavier lines. So many types of hook already recommended
 
Ian Lovett said:
I use normal nylon line for mainline and hook lengths. Berkley Big Game 12lb main and Berkley Trilene xl 10lb hook link. In my opinion there is no need for braid or coated braid or combi rigs. I catch plenty of barbel, chub, bream and even big roach on normal 10lb and a further advantage is its abrasion resistance against rocks and snags. I know some will disagree but when I tried braid I didn't seem to get any more bites and I certainly had more tangles.
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There is no right and wrong
If that works for you - fair play
To me it’s all about what you’re happy and confident with
I like combi rigs and they are my default hooklink
Some fisheries have a braid hooklink ban so I’ll use mono , no problem but not my first choice
Last season the barbel would rarely venture from under the willow canopies( otters?) so I had a different rig altogether and used short fluorocarbon hooklinks and they worked well.
Confidence in what you’re doing is a huge part of angling and for me as long as you know why you’re using that rig or hooklength or bait rather than just following the crowd that’s the key
I don’t mind getting it wrong so long as I learn from it
 
Paul Richardson said:
There is no right and wrong
If that works for you - fair play
To me it’s all about what you’re happy and confident with
I like combi rigs and they are my default hooklink
Some fisheries have a braid hooklink ban so I’ll use mono , no problem but not my first choice
Last season the barbel would rarely venture from under the willow canopies( otters?) so I had a different rig altogether and used short fluorocarbon hooklinks and they worked well.
Confidence in what you’re doing is a huge part of angling and for me as long as you know why you’re using that rig or hooklength or bait rather than just following the crowd that’s the key
I don’t mind getting it wrong so long as I learn from it
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A lot of wise words there Paul. Confidence is VERY important in any fishing situation. Also not following the crowd and doing your own thing. I do a lot of experimenting and come to my own conclusions which are often very different to others.

I fish the middle Trent so catching under willow canopies isn't usually the most successful way! 🤣

I often get it wrong as well, but the more I try and experiment, the more I get right. Last season was my best ever! Roll on 16th June!!
 
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