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I've been using a long shank no 8, but I'm wondering if it's not to narrow of a hook? I seem to miss alot of the big redear, I'll bet their mouths are to big for that size hook. I'm thinking of going to a no 6 hook, it's a little wider. What do you guys prefer for the big redear and big bluegill?
Gotta ask, how do you know the ones you're missing are the big ones? I always assume those are the small ones and I ain't missing much.
I usually use a 10 for most of my live-bait gill fishing, but sometimes 8's.
Thru the years of selling ... seems that generaly its #6 Aberdeen using worms and 8 or 10 for crickets and in some places they like a #7, which is hard to find these days, for both worms or crickets.
Some areas vary a little from this ..
JSC
i use hooks from #2 to #8,my wife uses a long shank #2 for gills and chinks with live bait .
i tie a few flies for gills and chinks in #2,but most of my larger flies are tied with #4s. i tie a lot of xxx#6 light wire for tresterials,ie caterpillars ,hoppers exc.
i use #8s for small nymphs,and a few drys,i find i get better hook'ups on #4s on big gills and chinks although you would be surprised how many little gully perch you can catch on a #4.
gators like chicken
I use #8 on bluegill and redear with crickets. I also use some#6 with nightcrawlers,wigglers and crickets if the bream are really big. I see nothing wrong with 6's.
Try Tru-Turn hooks in your preferred sizes for panfish. I find I get better hook-ups with them.
I use #6 & #8's long shanks for all my gill & redear fishin.
Dont think theyre to little,as I do catch them nasty green carps when fishin wif nite crawlers for gills.
I also use these for trout fishin as well (with marshmeller & meal worm).
I tried the regular shank ones,but seems I gut hooked atleast 4 outta 10 if not more.With the long shanks I might gut hook 1 outta 10 now.
Saves the fish & saves me from havin to clean them also lol
Ive never seen a #7 where do u get them at?
"Ive never seen a #7 where do u get them at?"
The last time I had any to sell was on a special order we made with Eagle Claw ... At one time Mustad made them and they may still do ... Tru Trn had them as well ...All of this has been several years ago. (By to sell is when I was a wholesale salesman ... now I am a has been :) ) When I get a chance I will search it out and see if they are still made by any one .. got my curiosity up.
JSC
i use true turn also they get them good.Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdux
I use size 4 for shellcrackers, and a freind of mine who probably averages 150 per year over one pound, uses size 2. we use 2 or 3 redworms depending on size. In the beginning I was using size 8 long shank mustads and I too missed alot of shellcrackers, the worms filled up the gap completely.
when using crickets, do you you just hook them and use a bobber? Never used crickets before. Any special way to hook them?
i like a gold eagle claw light wire aberdeen, #6
I strictly flyfish for bream and big gills down here on Lake Okeechobee. I use a size 8 Gamakatsu C-13U keel style flyhook. This is a very thin wire hook thats strong yet is much easier to remove from the fish when they inhale it. The thin wire hook seems to work much much better from my experience. I slide a tiny bead head on my line first, tie on the hook and then rig it with a Mister Twister Exude nymph. I catch alot of big ones and its always fun to outfish the cricket/minnow fishermen. The Gamakatsu hooks are a little pricey but when I find a combination that really works I stick with it. Just my 2 cents.
I am convince a #12 hook on a jig is the way to go, after receiving some from Jiggin Joe and giving them a try the results where just totally awesome. Though the small hook would get allot of small fish, boy was I ever wrong.
It convinced me so much that I bought some jigheads myself to tie up in some different colors. 1/100 ounce jig on a #12 is the way to go.
I have downsized over the years, I have been using daiichi fly hooks in size 16-20 most of the time for panfish. Very seldom will i ever go larger than an 8 for bluegill but that would be for small jigs and that is my maximum size. Size 12 is ok but i really perfer size 14 and smaller.
Quote:
Originally Posted by robbor
Ditto. I mostly fish with maggots, and #14 and #16 dry fly hooks are my standards.
Those Tru-Turns work very well for me also. I use #8 for gills and crackers and a #6 or #4 for sacaulait (crappie).
I like tru-turns, but usually use a #8 or 10 for live bait. I catch an awful lot of big gills on #14-#16 hooks I've tied flies on. If they're taking ti you won't miss many more using a smaller hook.
Been using a Eagle Claw Aberdeen Size 4 for over 20 years and has been productive for us.
I've started using Gamatsu (sp?) #8 octopus circle hooks. They hook fish well and seem to be easier to remove. Also, since the point is turned in a bit, they don't hang up so easily on brush, twigs, etc.
i very seldom use live bait anymore so this might not mean much to you but i fish with 1/16 oz crappie jigs to catch bluegills and redear. i don't have to worry about fish swallowing the hook. i do tip them with crappie nibbles i should also say that i am fishing for bluegills and redear and not just catching them while crappie fishing
Popping bugs is my favorite way to catch blue gills but crickets is my second favorite way. to hook a cricket you stick him in the butt and thread him on hook so he faces down. i use a bobber or split shot off the bottom either way depending on fish im looking for.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackradio
for live bait i mostly use tru turn anywhere from #2 to a #10, for shell crackers and blue gills and those beutiful big red breast i use #6 and #8.
I like a 215 Eagle Claw in a size #6 for bream and shellcrackers. It is a thin wire long shank hook. The long shank keeps them from swallowing it down so bad and gives you something to grab a hold of when unhooking them. The light wire penetrates better than a heavy wire hook like a 72 style. Another advantage is if you get hung up the light wire hook will often straighten enough so you don't break your line. I am blessed with some extra good fram ponds to fish and that hook will hold a monster bluegill no problem. Of course anytime you have straightened a hook out and bent it back a few times it gets easier to bend and should be replaced.
We use crickets mostly as our live bait...we will use red worms some early in the season when the water is still cold, but by this time of year it's crickets all the way :O)
We enjoy catching them on beetle spins and small panther martins too, but that is another thread. jimmy
I prefer #8 tru-turns... I miss very few fish and it seems that it hooks up in the same place, (top of the mouth) every time.
Oscar
I prefer # 6 Eagle Claw cricket hooks,they can't swallow them so your not tying new hooks on all the time.
I use a long shank #2 when goin after big redears with live bait!!! Use 3-4 red wigglers or Large Crawler fished under Slip Bobber rig either on the bottom or 1 foot off bottom!!
Tru-Turn