The magazine articles and books by matchmen always recommend small hooks, 20 or smaller for single maggot, but in my experience I 'bump' fish if I use small hooks - I'm talking about trotting on rivers, mainly. In a couple of recent sessions I've been fishing double caster on size 18 barbless for roach, which I'd have thought is what the books would advise, but I've lost some good fish, and have moved up to a size 16, which I'm sure matchmen would say is far too big.

I've also tried in the past the advice I've read to 'put on smaller hooks till you get bites', but I've never found it worked.

What is other people's experience?

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When it gets harder in the winter or on hard fished venues I find smaller hooks definately help.In the Summer I tend to use a size 16 or 18 for double maggot but drop to a 20 or 22 for single when it gets hard.Best noticed if you are fishing with several other people who are using heavier tackle than yourself.

Also it may sound daft but some times if you are bumping fish off a change to a smaller hook will help.

Ace advice Budgie

Try nicking the maggot on crossways instead of by one end, makes a huge difference,

Den

Definately if they are taking on the drop and being a bit wary of the hook bait.

I have found I only need 3 sizes of hook in my bag - 18, 16, and 14. I have caught double figure carp on all three (not at the same time!!)I find if I am missing bites I change baits not hooks. For instance, Where I fish the Crucians can be finnicky on maggot but will take bread punch readily on occasions

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Try nicking the maggot on crossways instead of by one end, makes a huge difference

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That could be the best Winter fishing tip you will see on here, for quite a while.

doesn't hooking the maggor crosswise cause a lot of line twist ? I'd have thought it'd spin like a propeller!

not only the hook size but the line thickness

Thanks for the advice. My biggest problems with bumping have been with double caster - what hook size to people use for that?

Re nicking the maggot crossways, what exactly are you saying? It's hard to see why it would reduce the issue of bumping - I think that's what you're saying, but thought I'd check.

What about the issue of barbless hooks? With very small hooks, common sense (to me) would say that barbless hooks would lose fish, but is that what people find?