Relatively new at fishing, been totally enjoying a successful ultralight setup for panfish, but when I land a small (fits in palm of my hand) bluegill, crappie, white perch many times they wiggle right off the hook, onto the ground, before I can get my hand on them. This also suggests I may be tearing their lips. I'm concerned about damage to the fish from both lip tear and flopping around on the ground after coming loose.

 

Does this suggest the hook is the wrong size?

 

Lure is a Trout Magnet (troutmagnet.com), I think it's a size 8 hook, 1/64 oz.

 

Tried the slightly bigger Crappie Magnet (think it's a size #4, 1/16 oz) but not as many catches.

 

What size hook might be best for these panfish (where "best" means ability to catch and release them with minimal damage to the fish)?

 

Combo is St. Croix PS56ULF2 5'6" ultralight, fast action with Shimano Ultegra 1000 series spinning reel, 4 lb test mono. Reel feels a bit heavy for the rod but otherwise happy with this setup.

 

The picture suggest the wrong size fish 

 

Small panfish have soft mouths and it's tough to get the right sized hook to fit in their tiny mouths. Don't worry about hurting them though. They're pretty hardy as long as you get them back in the water fairly quickly.