Favorite hook size for barbel?

[Stephen Bond]

I will happily use half a 340 gram tin when fishing high coloured water and i know plenty of others who fish the same.

Now that's a proper big bait!

Stephen

 

[John Walker]

if the rivers carrying lots of colour theres nothing better than a real big lump of spam or corned beef mixed into a stiff paste

 

[Ian Hugo Arnott]

Chacun a son gout!



Hugo

 

[Kevin Daly]

Would it be Fois Gras on a partridge 10 for you Ugo.

 

[David Gauntlett]

Would it be Fois Gras on a partridge 10 for you Ugo.

Or possibly that same delicacy on a bent Pinn?

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Eddie Farrell]

nash 10s for small baits, raptors 10s for pellets etc, with long hairs/ short,

 

[Stephen Bond]

Well Eddie's post kind of sums it up, size 10 is the ubiquitous barbel hook!

I was slightly surprised as I guessed it was going to be a size 8 but I was wrong. I think I personally prefer a slightly bigger hook. I do the majority of my fishing at night which means I can probably get away with it. I recently switched to E.S.P. Raptor T-6s which are a short shank and thus they probably look smaller than their size. The last couple of captures were on a size 8 and I was considering that maybe a size 6 would have a better hold?

All things considered, the larger the hook, the more pressure can be exerted on the fish without damage. Thus, it doesn't take too long to land them which has got to be better for the fish once again? Against the big sizes is the prospect of removing them. However, with the modern micro barbs, it doesn't seem to be much of an issue (unlike hooks from 20-30 years ago).

Also against using larger hooks is the mismatch with smaller baits and the prospect of less bites, especially in the daytime? Indeed, larger baits can bring less bites on some pressured waters during daylight hours leading to the need for smaller baits and hooks.

Either way, thanks for all the votes and the views so far

Stephen

 

[John Cook]

For a small hair rigged 12mm boilie its a raptor T6 for me...Day or night

 

[Ian Hugo Arnott]

Would it be Fois Gras on a partridge 10 for you Ugo.

Excellent idea, washed down with a Gran Reserva 2004.


'Ugo

 

[Lee Barlow]

Korda Curve Shank Size 12 for me
Did used to use the Drennan Specialist but found they where going Blunt easily on the gravel

 

[Ian Grant]

IMO it TOTALLY depends on the bait in use, pretty pointless question really.

I think Stephen asked a fair enough question Crooky bit of a pointless reply i think !

I assume you mean the size of the bait in use ? in your reply, but actually you can use various sizes including what most would regard as small hooks with a bigger bait than you would normally use just by increasing the length of the hair so that the hook is not 'hidden' by the bait, which is what i do if using a larger than normal bait, ( what i call normal that is ).

In the days when i used meat a lot, i sometimes used to thread very small scraps of meat onto a size 2 drennan specialist, and even trim that with a pair of scissors once on the hook ending up with a size 2 with not much more than a skin of meat on it, and caught a few on the tactic as well !
It was more to see just how being different would catch, rather than as a regular tactic, i never found any major improvement in my catches by doing it.

Just because the guy asks a question which doesn't conform to your idea of whats a good question doesn't mean it's not to others Crooky, even if it's asked purely out of curiosity - So what ! if you don't like it don't answer simple !

To the question Stephen - i use ESP Raptor G4's in size 6 for virtualy all my baits, except if i decide to mount the bait on the hook when i tend to use size 4's
The rivers i fish i wouldn't feel comfortable using smaller than an 8 thats in Drennan or ESP, but i know of those who do and land fish with relatively little trouble, but i do tend to play my fish hard !

Ian.

 

[Neil Smart]

This is certainly a case of one size will not fit all Ian, I use hooks from size 2 down to 14 for barbel, and many use smaller.

Bait / Conditions dictate for me, not a particular preference for a size. How could it ever be other than that

 

[David Gauntlett]

There you go Mr. Grant....I knew there had to be a good reason why you catch so few fish

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Neil Smart]

Point taken Dave Ian is a good angler, but no harm in dropping some Drennan 14's 'round to him, you are a bit closer than me

 

[David Gauntlett]

I might pop round for a few fishing tips Neil....but as my usual is a size 8, I may have trouble conjuring up the 14's to present him with Are you having a go for the barbel yet, or still occupied with other species?

Cheers, Dave.

 

[Neil Smart]

I might pop round for a few fishing tips Neil....but as my usual is a size 8, I may have trouble conjuring up the 14's to present him with Are you having a go for the barbel yet, or still occupied with other species?

Cheers, Dave.

Had a trip on the Wye Wednesday last with Joe, had a few but the conditions were such that we hoped to have done better, but it was, as always great to be out. All the fish came on 8mm pellet to 14 hook, did try meat / bigger hooks, and larger pellet / boillie with larger hooks but nothing, #14 is the future Dave

 

[Joe Fletcher]

I am assuming that most of the hooks we use to catch Barbel were originally designed to catch carp ? and were designed for different rigs and hook length material , Braid , coated braid , Fluorocarbon , mono etc etc .

Some hooks have a out turned eye , Some have a in turned eye and some a straight eye and I assume that depending on the rig / hook length you are usuing dictates which design of hook you use ? For example if you are usuing Fluorocarbon as your hook length .

Its been suggested that you use a Korda Choddy hook with a upturned eye which Korda states it was designed for use with stiff , mono or IQ because it significantly reduces the the pressure on the hook link as it leaves the the eye of the hook and this prevents loss of breaking strain and also allows the hook shank to follow the angle of the of the hook link .

So my question is this ? Depending on the hook design you have chosen to use and once the fish has picked up your bait . If you have chosen the right design , You will hook your fish when it picks up the bait . Or will your chance decrease in the number of fish you successfully hook ? Because in theory you have used the wrong hook design ?

 

[Mike Hodgkiss]

I will happily use half a 340 gram tin when fishing high coloured water and i know plenty of others who fish the same. Regarding hook size for a small bait i use a big hook and for a big bait i use a bigger hook lol.

Get away with you , half a 340 g tin as a sigle bait .!? What size hook would you reccommend for this' big meat' approach ? Must get blooming expensive if you have a productive session or flick baits off with a miss cast

 

[Ian Grant]

This is certainly a case of one size will not fit all Ian, I use hooks from size 2 down to 14 for barbel, and many use smaller.

Bait / Conditions dictate for me, not a particular preference for a size. How could it ever be other than that

You're dead right Neil, one size of hook won't fit all sizes of bait, but i always use a size of bait that will suit a size 6 or 4, even so the size may vary a bit, but as i said if i'm using a bigger bait than usual i increase the length of hair to compensate, there's a limit to how far you can go obviously, but in the same respect as i don't use very small baits, i don't use massive ones either, though i have done to experiment.

There are several reasons i don't use size 14's or similar, firstly the kind of areas i fish tend to have snags a plenty, and often in summer at least dense areas of streamer, cabbages etc.
I know for sure i'd be losing a high percentage of my Barbel by allowing them to dictate the fight, a river with wide open areas free of snags in the area, would allow you the scope to not have to play them so hard, but not on the rivers i mostly fish.

There are other reasons though, such as using size 14's with the much smaller bait that would usually imply, would certainly increase the risk of hooking smaller fish, Dace, Roach, Chublets, which ( possibly in my paranoia ! ) i'm certain will spook a big Barbel nearby that i've been trying so hard to catch.

It's fine for a fun days fishing catching whatever comes along, but hooking an angry double in a small river on something like a 14, with snags and weed everywhere..... i'm certain i'd lose quite a few either to them finding sanctuary because of playing them gently, or to hook pulls when i had to pile the pressure on.

I know other anglers use smaller sizes than me with success, but many tell me of losing a good fish to hook pulls - 'what size hooks are you using'... 10's .. 12's is often the answer, i like the insurance of a fairly big hook Neil, i like the confidence it gives me to put a healthy bend in my rod in stopping the run of a powerful big fish - nothing will convince me to go smaller ! Stick in the mud me !

Ian.

 

[Andrew Boyne]

Good posts Ian with sound reasoned argument. My preference for the 10-11 size stems from my preference to smallish baits and the rivers I fish are fairly open water with little in the way of weed beds or overhanging trees. The majority of the Barbel are fairly modest sized fish with most coming in the 4-8lb bracket and there are good stocks of them. Since they are not hard to come by I don't mind the other species turning up, sometimes they turn out to be more noteworthy than the Barbel! One thing that struck me was the number of people who suggest you need a massive range of hook sizes to fish different baits. Like yourself i'll use a bait that suits my hook and there are dozens of options from maggots, casters, corn, pellets, meat, boilies that I could use. The other thing to consider is the variation in hook sizes, a prime example being two of my favourite patterns - put a size 10 Drennan Super Specialist against a size 10 Gardner Incizor and they are worlds apart.