Hooking Big Shiners

[Glass_Man]

Greetings & Salutations,  We are blessed with 6 to 10 inch wild shiners right now   What is the best size hook or hooks and where is the best place to hook them for maximum hook set.... Keep up the good work guys, you will have me fishing like someone who knows what he is doing in no time  8)

[Chris]

Use an 5/0 kahle hook and take your pliers and bend the hook out so that the hook point is not inline with the hook eye. Then hook the shinner under its bottom lip and out the nostril and make sure the hook point that you bent is pointing to the outside of the shinner. If you bend the hook this way the hook catch ratio will go up and if you hook the shinner so that the hook point is in the other direction then the hook will roll into the shinner and you will never hook a fish. Also you can hook the shinner in the back if you want to keep it from swimming down into the weeds or hook it in the bootie freelined if you want it to swim under mats.

[Glass_Man]

Chris, Thanks I'll give it a shot wend  8) Glass Man

[roadwarrior]

I fish for stripers with live bait on a drift in a big river, so this may or may not be appropriate for your presentation.  We fish three different baits depending on the season: gizzard shad early, big threadfin (yellowtail) and skip jack midsummer through early fall. In order to keep the bait lively, longer, we' ve found that hooking them sideways, basically through the nostrils works better than vertically through the lower and upper lips.

My second suggestion is trying a Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook, #2.  The hook sets itself, 95% of the time in the jaw, but you cannot "set" the hook or you will pull it out of the fish's mouth. This style is especially effective for catch and release.

[Glass_Man]

Roadwarrior, I have tried circle hooks but I have found that they tend to put out an eye. I try to let  them go unharmed if poss. I eat the ones I hurt. I feel they don't have much of a chance with one eye.

[roadwarrior]

Wow! I use circle hooks 90% of the time when fishing live bait and I don't ever recall a problem with eye hooks.  The circle hook is suppose to slide up the gullet and attach or hook up near the lips, which is what usually happens. I use them mostly to reduce the number of deep hooks and even then I do my very best to get them out. This eye thing is news to me.