Youth Fisheries Sciences
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact

Are All Hooks Created Equal?

10/24/2016

0 Comments

 
By Ian 

  For most of us, the last thing we pay attention to is our terminal tackle. That's right, our hooks, our lines, our weights. That's a mistake. Your terminal tackle is very, very important. However, one thing, the hook, is especially overlooked in the tackle shop. That's a really big mistake. Here's why:

1. Sharpness. Bass have very hard and bony mouths, an evolutionary trait that allows them to eat creatures with sharp fins (bluegill, perch), or spines and claws (crayfish). You need to really set the hook to get the hook to penetrate the mouth. However, a dull hook isn't going to pierce the mouth. Maybe with crappie (whom's nickname is     "paper mouth") you can get away with less than sharp hooks, but with bass, you need to set one good hookset with one sharp hook. You can buy the most best soft plastics, with the best rod and reel, but if the hook ain't sharp, you ain't going catch any fish. The fish's mouth just isn't pierced.
Picture
Above: Storage matters too. Store your hooks in rust-free tackle boxes. Trust me, you hooks with stay sharper and instant longer. 

2. Bending. What's more frustrating to hook a nice fish, with a nice hooks, but then the fish comes off, and you find that the hook is straightened out? The curve of the hook, which helps prevent the fish from throwing it off, is now straightened during the fight, and allows the fish to escape. Your hooks must be rigid. Not only will you lose more fish with bendy hooks, you will also lose more money replacing bent hooks. 

3. Rust. Rusty hooks are just a pain. They're dull, and weak and easily broken. You just can't fish with them, for the reasons that they won't penetrate the fishes' mouths or will just break. The rust dust also makes a mess in your tackle box. Trust me, don't use rusty hooks. I'm speaking from experience here. Bad hooks will rust like crazy.

  So now you know about the problems with bad hooks. A good hook is sharp, stays sharp, doesn't rust, or bend. Pros, such as Kevin VanDam (KVD), obsess over their hooks, and there is a reason for that. In addition to get some kind of hook sharpener, or get a whetstone to sharpen your hooks as they get dull. To see if a hook is sharp enough, stick it into your thumbnail and try to drag it from there. If it moves and leaves a small mark, it's dull. A good sharp hook should stay in your fingernail. 

If you have any questions, feel free to go to "Contact Us" and shoot us an email.

Tight lines,

​Ian

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About Me

      Hi. I am Ian, an extremely avid bass fisherman living in Howard County, MD. I like to bank fish and fish at local ponds and small creeks. I will explore budget friendly options for people to use in this blog. I hope I can teach you something.

      In addition to fishing ponds, I fish in Lakes Kittamaqundi, Elkhorn, Centennial, Wilde, and a few reservoirs.

    Categories

    All
    Creek Fishing
    Events
    Fishing Rigs
    Fly Fishing
    Gear Talk
    Lake Fishing
    Live Bait
    Locations
    On A Budget
    Other
    Panfish
    Pond Fishing
    Safety
    Technique

    Archives

    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Our Work
    • The Buddy Program
    • Aqua-Edu
    • School Chapters
    • Stream Share
    • Educational Derbies
  • Join Our Cause
  • Articles
    • Ian's Column
    • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact