hook of choice?

[Mark]

any one want to blog about the hook the pick for pan fish and why? i keep trying several sizes and a couple shapes and never seem to find that perfect hook. 

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

#8 Aberdeen also makes a great fly hook, for all the reasons Tooty mentioned.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Go-to hook fore live bait?
#8 bronze Aberdeen

[Ben Seay]

good luck bro, show her how to catch a lunker

[Mark]

thank you ben and mike i will try those out also. taking a date fishing this weekend, she actually asked to go so she may be a keeper unlike the last one i had to throw back  lol. 

[Mike Martin]

I use a #4 Tru Turn most of the time. The hook set is usually really good on them.

[Ben Seay]

When using live bait I usually use a 2/0 baitholder for Sunfish with a large mouth (such as Rock Bass or Warmouth) and I usually use a #4 Aberdeen for Sunfish with smaller mouths (such as Bluegill, Redear, Redbreast, etc.)

[Mark]

Thanks Kenny I will pick some up and try them out this weekend

[Kenny Rogers]

I fish mainly with the Eagle Claw #6 long shank cricket hook. With its long shank it makes it easier to get the hook out of their mouth, and its color is darker and kinda matches with the color of my brown crickets

[Mark]

thanks david, i use  flies now and then but dont normally tie my own. the tiny detail is tough for me lol. 

i most often fish for blue gill in ponds and creeks where they will bite almost anything on a hook. from plastic and rubber grubs and worms to sweet corn they go after nearly anything. my problem is i miss a lot of the smaller gill when i use a little larger hook, but works perfect for the larger gills and green sunfish with the bass like mouth. when i go smaller its great for all the blue gill but when a larger one comes along i end up getting the hook out deeper down the fishes mouth than i like to. i got a pair thin needle nose handy if needed and it gets the hook out of nearly all of them but its still something id like to avoid. lately ive been working with a mustad circle barb less hook that is great for the ones getting hooked. easy on the fish and quick for me to put them back. but i am missing a lot of bites. the circle hook is just to big for most bluegill unless they hit it exactly perfect. so im wondering if any one has a hook size and shape for blue gill that works well for the small ones and is not so small it gets way down the throat.  also for other  pan size fish like green sunfish, crappie etc.  live bait like worms and grasshoppers and then corn.  

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

HEY MARK,

If you are talking live bait hooks lots of fellas on here can answer that one. Flies is a different story for me . On my long shanks for tying I use a #3261 mustad live bait hook to tie all my regular bead heads with rubber legs. The reason is they are cheap number one , very light wire so they bend open in a snag or tree if you are using 6 lb. .I buy em from Netcraft outta Ohio and think they run about $4 a hundred. I also use em cause I put beads on lots of my bugs and get them from netcraft too and these hooks can be put on the hook without em sliding over the eye . 1/8" is the size of bead I order from them and they are about $8 a thousand . 
   Next for the infamous Abney Silent stingers . I used to use a #12 dry fly hook but since I've been working with Jeff have gone to a number 10 and am experimenting next spring with #8's also. The old number of the hook was a Mustad 94840 . Quit using em cause guys complained they would'nt bend enough to get outta a snag. Went to the 94833 Mustad and the beads then went over the eyes sometimes and went back to the regular Dry Fly hook mustad makes and think it is a R-50  94840 . R-50 is the new designation by mustad. 
   By the way the earlier ones I mentioned from Netcraft seeing as how they are a live bait hook they have a straight eye. I bend em all down before I put the beads on em . I usually do 100-300 at a time and then I'm done with that for a while.

  Mustads used to be made in Sweden or out east somewere but are now all made in the Phillipines I think. 
   Hope it helped some.......
      TOOTY