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Hooks.

A

Andrew Jackson

Senior Member & Supporter
Hooks are a very personal thing I know that.
Last season I used the Gardner Target Specimen in size 10 and found it excellent. It's a small hook for its size and I found it just right for much of my fishing as I tend to use fairly small baits. It's very strong and having pulled a double figure Barbel hooked somehow in the root of the dorsal fin upstream on a flooded Severn last September I have complete confidence in the hook.
For anything bigger I used the Bank Tackle size 10 which is significantly bigger, more like an 8 but is still a good hook.
Today I received a packet of each of sizes 8 and 10 of the new Gardner Target Barbel hook. First impressions are that the 10 is bigger ( wider in the gape) than the Specimen hook but of the same pattern. It may be a fraction thicker in the wire though this might be an illusion caused by the darker finish. I would certainly have no hesitation in using the hook but I'm not sure it offers much advantage over the Specimen hook. The size 8 is a big size 8, bigger than the size 10 Bank tackle and I'm not sure how much use it will get. Probably not much.
For interest I have attached a photo ( hopefully) showing the 4 hooks. Right to left: Gardner Target Specimen 10, Gardner Target Barbel 10, Bank Tackle 10, Gardner Target Barbel 8.
I hope this is of some use to somebody somewhere!
 

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For anything smaller than size 10, guru mwg. 8-6 Nash claw and bank tackle (wide gape and curve shark). Drennan continental boilie for size 6 and 4. Kamasan b983 for chub and perch.
 
Roger Pearman said:
I’ve been looking at the Pallatrax Gripz Wide Gapes. But will add those above to my list as well for investigation.
Click to expand...
Yes I've heard good things about those but getting a Barbel out of heavy weed or snag can be a case of reducing the pressure and waiting for a kick. I can't somehow mentally trust a hook without a barb though I think it's a good idea in theory. I don't hook that many Barbel on my local rivers so don't fancy trying them out!
 
The Gardner muggas in size 12 are good for maggot fishing otherwise it’s a Bank Tackle size 10 or 8 depending on size of bait
 
Unless i'm hair rigging a bait I prefer to use the same hooks as I use for float fishing, which is drennan super spades. Their actual size is more akin to how I imagine a hook to be.
 
Nash Fang X size 10 for pellet, Nash Claw for bolies, they are wide gap, and I am trying out Gardner Target size 12 hooks for maggot fishing. I have had to many hook pulls using Drennan Specialist size 12's.
 
Andrew Jackson said:
Yes I've heard good things about those but getting a Barbel out of heavy weed or snag can be a case of reducing the pressure and waiting for a kick. I can't somehow mentally trust a hook without a barb though I think it's a good idea in theory. I don't hook that many Barbel on my local rivers so don't fancy trying them out!
Click to expand...

If a barbel runs into a snag and despite waiting , changing angles etc it’s proper snagged at some point we pull for a break
With a Gripz the hook is going to fall out ensuring the fish isn’t tethered
I’ve had plenty swim into snags and put the rod down and put on the baitrunner - they have swam out and landed them using Gripz
I’ve used Gripz in 12,10and 8s for 4 seasons , maybe more and had less than a handful of hook pulls ( and I fortunately do catch quite a few barbel per season)which were more my fault than the hook
A really excellent hook -very sharp out the packet, really strong and they do stay in but a doddle to get out quickly
 
Paul Richardson said:
If a barbel runs into a snag and despite waiting , changing angles etc it’s proper snagged at some point we pull for a break
With a Gripz the hook is going to fall out ensuring the fish isn’t tethered
I’ve had plenty swim into snags and put the rod down and put on the baitrunner - they have swam out and landed them using Gripz
I’ve used Gripz in 12,10and 8s for 4 seasons , maybe more and had less than a handful of hook pulls ( and I fortunately do catch quite a few barbel per season)which were more my fault than the hook
A really excellent hook -very sharp out the packet, really strong and they do stay in but a doddle to get out quickly
Click to expand...
I used the gripz for a season, maybe I was cursed or really bad luck, I didn’t catch a single fish with it but every single cast was into snag and I pulled for a break for all of them😥. I managed to retrieve a few hooks back last summer when some magnetic fishing guy pulled the big snag out, a bloody motorbike, the hooks are still sharp and in original shape, but I lost all of them in the snag again…
 
Paul Richardson said:
If a barbel runs into a snag and despite waiting , changing angles etc it’s proper snagged at some point we pull for a break
With a Gripz the hook is going to fall out ensuring the fish isn’t tethered
I’ve had plenty swim into snags and put the rod down and put on the baitrunner - they have swam out and landed them using Gripz
I’ve used Gripz in 12,10and 8s for 4 seasons , maybe more and had less than a handful of hook pulls ( and I fortunately do catch quite a few barbel per season)which were more my fault than the hook
A really excellent hook -very sharp out the packet, really strong and they do stay in but a doddle to get out quickly
Click to expand...
Another big advantage of the gripz hooks over barbless that gets overlooked but is extremely important, they don’t fall out. Barbless hooks are notorious for dropping out of the fishes mouth once netted up leaving a very dangerous sharp hook just wafting about with a recovering fish.

As a barbless user myself I don’t actually buy barbless hooks because I’ve lifted my rod up several times only to find my hook now in a fin or somewhere else. Gripz is obviously one answer to this. (I don’t use gripz i prefer nash claws)

Using a barb is obviously another answer but if like me you want a hook that will come out of a snagged fish then another answer is to squash the barb. This leaves a bump and it’s enough to stop the hook dropping out but will also prevent tethered fish if you snap up in a snag.
 
All the talk of hooks dropping out and preventing tethered fish is "imo" wishful thinking by anglers. Thinking that way kind'a relives your consciense I suppose.
In reality, if a fish is tethered the chances of the hook (any hook) coming free is a very slim one. I have caught lots of fish, usually chub with half their faces missing or badly deformed, quite obviously after being tethered and have managed to rip themselves free. Unfortunately for a barbel they have much tougher fleshier faces and are unlikely to be able to tear themselves free.
The other scenario is when a fish gets into a snag, the line goes solid and anglers just pull, often they get their end tackle back, but at what cost to the fish? In that scenario they have most likely ripped the hook out of the fish leaving it in god only knows what kind of a state!
I suppose the spot where the fish is actually hooked and the size and gauge of the hook will have a major impact on the damage caused in the above scenarios. A smaller thinner gauge hook must be less likely to do as much damage, especially if it's embedded nearer to the edge of it's lips/mouth.
Every year there must be countless fish killed in this fashion.
Snag fishing is great so long as your sat/stood directly infront of the snag and have the rod in your hand and drag set solid.

I've gone off topic there I know, but it is kind'a connected to the hook subject....in'it 😶.
 
Ian Woods said:
All the talk of hooks dropping out and preventing tethered fish is "imo" wishful thinking by anglers. Thinking that way kind'a relives your consciense I suppose.
In reality, if a fish is tethered the chances of the hook (any hook) coming free is a very slim one. I have caught lots of fish, usually chub with half their faces missing or badly deformed, quite obviously after being tethered and have managed to rip themselves free. Unfortunately for a barbel they have much tougher fleshier faces and are unlikely to be able to tear themselves free.
The other scenario is when a fish gets into a snag, the line goes solid and anglers just pull, often they get their end tackle back, but at what cost to the fish? In that scenario they have most likely ripped the hook out of the fish leaving it in god only knows what kind of a state!
I suppose the spot where the fish is actually hooked and the size and gauge of the hook will have a major impact on the damage caused in the above scenarios. A smaller thinner gauge hook must be less likely to do as much damage, especially if it's embedded nearer to the edge of it's lips/mouth.
Every year there must be countless fish killed in this fashion.
Snag fishing is great so long as your sat/stood directly infront of the snag and have the rod in your hand and drag set solid.

I've gone off topic there I know, but it is kind'a connected to the hook subject....in'it 😶.
Click to expand...
Barbless hooks do fall out. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve landed a fish on a full barbless hook only to find I don’t need to unhook it. I’ve also found lots of barbed hooks in fish particularly in prolific areas like on the Trent. I caught one carrying 4 once which wasn’t very good.

It can’t be my imagination if I and others I’ve fished with, have had long term experience of seeing it over and over again.

There is something in that post I do agree with though and that it’s probably not wise to fish too close to snags in the first place and if you do it’s best to be on top of locked up gear designed to get them away.
 
Ian Woods said:
All the talk of hooks dropping out and preventing tethered fish is "imo" wishful thinking by anglers. Thinking that way kind'a relives your consciense I suppose.
In reality, if a fish is tethered the chances of the hook (any hook) coming free is a very slim one. I have caught lots of fish, usually chub with half their faces missing or badly deformed, quite obviously after being tethered and have managed to rip themselves free. Unfortunately for a barbel they have much tougher fleshier faces and are unlikely to be able to tear themselves free.
The other scenario is when a fish gets into a snag, the line goes solid and anglers just pull, often they get their end tackle back, but at what cost to the fish? In that scenario they have most likely ripped the hook out of the fish leaving it in god only knows what kind of a state!
I suppose the spot where the fish is actually hooked and the size and gauge of the hook will have a major impact on the damage caused in the above scenarios. A smaller thinner gauge hook must be less likely to do as much damage, especially if it's embedded nearer to the edge of it's lips/mouth.
Every year there must be countless fish killed in this fashion.
Snag fishing is great so long as your sat/stood directly infront of the snag and have the rod in your hand and drag set solid.

I've gone off topic there I know, but it is kind'a connected to the hook subject....in'it 😶.
Click to expand...
I don’t ‘ snag’ fish , but the river I fish predominantly has lots of willows and lots of snags and isn’t that wide so fish getting in snags is an occupational hazard.
To suggest that I use these hooks to have a clear conscience or nonchalantly target snaggy swims “ cos the hook will drop out if it gets snagged so it’s alright “ is disrespectful tbh

I use Gripz primarily because they are a sharp, strong reliable hook and an added benefit is they are removed easily from the fish without causing additional mouth damage
I’ll trust Pallatrax to have done the research on whether or not they are safer if you do snap off but basic design suggests non barbed will come out easier than barbed?
The design of Gripz with the grooves makes perfect sense.
I too have noticed a lot more mouth damage to barbel in the last few years, and removed a number of micro barbed hooks from size 6 to size 18 - all trailing line or braid
And regardless of which type of hook is being used some snap offs will be inevitable, some will be down to inexperience/ inadequate gear and some will be down to negligence and as there appear to be increasing numbers of people targeting barbel then i suspect we’ll see more of the same this season?
Never had to remove a Gripz or a barbless trailing line but then not sure how many anglers use them in fairness.
But that might be the point.
Chub less so, they just seem to have the skill of transferring hooks into snags regardless of what hook you use? Never ceases to amaze.
I’m not taking the high moral ground on this one, I simply have confidence in Gripz when fishing pellet or boilie
 
Richard Isaacs said:
Barbless hooks do fall out. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve landed a fish on a full barbless hook only to find I don’t need to unhook it. I’ve also found lots of barbed hooks in fish particularly in prolific areas like on the Trent. I caught one carrying 4 once which wasn’t very good.

It can’t be my imagination if I and others I’ve fished with, have had long term experience of seeing it over and over again.

There is something in that post I do agree with though and that it’s probably not wise to fish too close to snags in the first place and if you do it’s best to be on top of locked up gear designed to get them away.
Click to expand...

The hook falling out in a landing net is totally different to it falling out of a fish tethered in a snag.
I have caught fish using barbless hooks 😉.
 
Isn’t barbless hook causes more damage to fish mouth than barbed hook?

And when under the tension, which seems the case when fish tethered in a snag, the barbless should not come out freely, otherwise we will not catch anything with barbless hook.

As for the hook falling out of landing net, I have this happened with both barbed and barbless hooks.
 
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