I'm curious to know anyone's thoughts on how you determine the limitations of different hook thicknesses; particularly in how they relate to the line pound test used in order to ensure effective hooksets without risking breaking your line. Just as a hyperbolic example: you wouldn't tie a 1/2oz jig onto 4lb test. I know almost all of this can be cleared up by following the line and lure weight recommendations on your rod. However, I've found a couple cases when I have to improvise. 

 

One case being when fishing a texposed weightless fluke and using relatively light line. Say I'm using 10# braided main line with 8# mono leader. What's the biggest size/gauge hook you feel confident tying on? Not that I feel a need for a 5/0 hook in that situation - I usually have a 1/0 or 2/0. Just wondering if anyone has tested out the limits of what's effective.

 

My understanding is it all comes down to the fact that a thicker wire hook will require more pounds of pressure in the hooksets to penetrate a fish's mouth - assuming all your hooks are equally sharp (and I know they're not always). And there are multiple factors that play varying levels of roles in how that pressure is applied in the hookset (rod action, drag setting, line type, whether the hook is exposed or not, etc). 

My underspins are 5/0 and I lose fish simply because my arthritic old lady hands can't set those big hooks. However, I keep using them because I like to use the Crush City Mayors.

I mainly use anywhere from 2/0 - 4/0  I do like the the Gamakatsu Finesse line of hooks for the majority of fishing I do.

This should help!

 

 

What works for others doesnt always work for me. I have had  too many failures with stout flipping hooks. Losing fish. I use regular hooks when pitching , even in heavy cover. I use a 7 foot hvy rod and 17 lb test mono. My hooksets are not cross their eyes jerks. The fish I catch are usually not that large so thinner wire just performs better for me. 

Hook gap size and wire diameter (thickness) are 2 separate elements regarding hooks. The topic gets complex in hurry.

Barlows Tackle catalog is a good reference source that lists hook wire diameter along with size and type.

In general the larger wire diameter hooks are designed for stronger line; ie flipping hooks. Where finesse hooks usually designed with smaller diameter wire for smaller diameter line. Then there are standard hooks designed for general use and line size with medium diameter wire. These are the commonly used hooks be bass anglers.

Wire diameter by itself doesn’t determine the hook size, sharpness, strength or type. Those are the factors that separate specific hook manufactures.

Worm or soft plastics have design elements to the front end close to the hook eye, barbs, pins etc., to prevent the soft plastic sliding down the hook shank filling the gap an covering the hook point. Wide gap hooks help to resolve this with wider gap per hook size. The down size is the wide gap isn’t as strong as a standard gap hook with equal wire diameter.

Look for hooks with forged wire bend at the gap, the flattened wire is stronger then round wire. Use soft plastic hooks with minimum  2 times the soft plastic body diameter. Use sharp hooks.

Tom

My preferred hook 90% of the time is a Mustad Grip Pin EWG. I use the standard ones any time I'm fishing it on a bait caster and the fine wire version any time I'm fishing it on a spinning rod. I think the fine wire penetrates more easily with spinning rods that tend to be lighter than casting. Granted I don't have the opportunity to punch thick mats or catch 12 pounders around here, but I've yet to straighten one out. 

Experience is how I determine what to use. For example EWG hooks I use Gamakatsu 584 for Flukes because they are thinner for the 10lb line. Now flipping creature baits the thicker 744 works better with heavier line/rod.

 

Allen 

19 hours ago, Munkin said:

Experience is how I determine what to use.  

Unfortunately this. For lighter gear I will default to lighter wire hooks but for heavier gear I still sometimes lean on that side, for example T-rig worms. I'll fish long straight tails on casting gear and could probably get away with a 2/0 straight shank thin wire hook because of the thickness of the worm, but the way I set the hook and the rod I'm using...I've since stepped that up to 4/0 and a heavier wire. 

I feel like so long as the line isnt grossly overloaded, the rod is the more important factor when it comes to wire gauge.