Hooks
Hooks are of course at the business end of your rig and the tackle that makes and hopefully keeps your fish attached until you unhook them in your landing net/hand.
There are loads of hook patterns out there and they have been designed generally to be used with a certain bait/size of fish in mind.
Anatomy of a hook
Click on an image to enlarge
1st picture: Barbless hook
2nd picture: Spade end hook
3rd picture: Eyed hook
4th picture: Barded hook
Recommended Hook Patterns
This list is for guide only as there are many makes out there that will do the job, however I do recommend sticking to a pattern for a particular job as this will give you confidence in your fishing.
Small hooks for delicate baits like bread, squatts, bloodworm, maggots, etc |
Colmic B2000, Drennan Fine Match, Fox MP1, Gamakatsu Gama Green, Kamasan B511, Maver Mustad AS07 Wide Gape Match, Preston PR311, Sensas 3530, Tubertini Series 1 |
General Purpose works using maggots, casters, worms, etc |
Colmic B957, Drennan Carbon Match, Fox Series 4, Gamakatsu Wide Gape Maggot, Kamasan B560, Maver MT2, Middy 63-13, Mustad AS08 Round Bend Match, Preston PR333, Sensas 3405, Tubertini Series 2 |
General purpose hooks for commercials |
Colmic WN501, Drennan Wide Gape Pellet, Fox Series 2, Gamakatsu Pellet, Kamasan B911, Maver MT3, Middy 83-13, Mustad AS03B Penetration Carp, Preston PR32, Tubertini 808 |
Heavy Duty hooks for those bigger fish, baits, snags, etc |
Colmic WB958, Drennan Margin Carp, Fox Series 2 X Strong, Gamakatsu Gama Power, Maver MT7, Middy 93-13, Mustad AS02B Power Carp, Preston PR33, Tubertini 175 |
Eyed Hooks for hair rigging |
Dennan Carp Match, Fox Series 2 Eyed, Gamakatsu Pellet Eyed, Guru QM1, Kamasan B911 Eyed, Maver MT4, Middy KM1, Mustad AS01B Hair Rig Carp, Preston PR36, Tubertini 861 |
Recommended Hook Sizes
Again this is not a be all and end all list. However, make sure that you are using balanced tackle. If the fish are not having it and therefore rated as a Hard day then use finer line and hook and hopefully you will get more bits.
If the fish are having it, then you can beef up your hook and line a little bit to cope with the stress that the tackle is going through.
| Hook Bait | Hard Day | Average Day | Good Day |
| Squatt/Joker | Size 26 to 0.06mm | Size 24 to 0.06mm | Size 22 to 0.07mm |
| Pinkie/Bloodworm | Size 24 to 0.06mm | Size 22 to 0.06mm | Size 20 to 0.08mm |
| Breadpunch | Size 22 to 0.06mm | Size 20 to 0.07mm | Size 18 to 0.08mm |
| Maggot | Size 22 to 0.08mm | Size 20 to 0.09mm | Size 18 to 0.10mm |
| Caster/Double Maggot | Size 20 to 0.08mm | Size 18 to 0.10mm | Size 16 to 0.12mm |
| Pellet/Sweetcorn | Size 18 to 0.10mm | Size 16 to 0.12mm | Size 16 to 0.16mm |
| Meat/Worm | Size 16 to 0.12mm | Size 16 to 0.14mm | Size 14 to 0.16mm |
| Paste | Size 16 to 0.14mm | Size 12 to 0.16mm | Size 12 to 0.20mm |
Tips
To keep your hooks from rusty whilst in storage, try adding a few grains of rice with them as they take away any moisture.