Should bait cover the entire hook?

[stooby]

Hi everyone,

 

When baiting your hook with whichever bait you may be using, should you load the bait on to completely cover the hook? I never know whether to keep piling on the maggots or sweetcorn until the hook is covered or simply just to to stick to 1 or 2 maggots etc?

 

Any thoughts would be helpful...

 

Cheers,

 

Stooby...

[Dick Dastardly]

Basicly I would say no.The point IMO should always be exposed for good hooking.Quite how much of the rest of the hook should be covered though is debatable.

[Worms]

As Budgie says, leave the point exposed but as for how many maggots, most of my barbel catches have been on worm/maggot cocktail, 15-20 maggots crammed onto a size 6 and a worm to top it off!

Edited February 17, 2010 by Worms

[weirwulf]

I have just one exception to the rule and that is when I bury a hook in a massive bit of luncheon meat for barbel. The main reason for doing so is not to expose the hook to snags. At all other times including using casters the point is exposed

[Worms]

I have just one exception to the rule and that is when I bury a hook in a massive bit of luncheon meat for barbel. The main reason for doing so is not to expose the hook to snags. At all other times including using casters the point is exposed

Ditto for big bits of cheese!

[essox_lucius]

Ditto for big bits of cheese!

 

i leave the point showing unless trundling along bottom or fishing for mullet know idea but cant hook up if any point is shown can if not

[Anderoo]

The simple rule is, match the hook to the bait you want to use. For a single maggot you'll probably want to use an 18 or 20; if you want to use lots of maggots, don't cram them on the small hook, use a bigger one.

 

I always leave the point exposed whatever bait I use, but would probably keep it covered if I was rolling a bait down a river.

[poledark]

Stooby, you might find it useful to threadle a maggot on the hook shank to help disguise/soften the feel of the hook. For a No 8, I would thread one on the shank, and 4 on the bend.

 

Den

[stooby]

Cheers guys, I knew you would all help me out! I'm often sitting there on the bank with an empty keep net thinking....hmmmm... all the hook or some of the hook.... all the hook or some of the hook.... but from what everyone has said, the main important thing is to ensure the point is exposed (in most situations!) and also to bait accordingly to the size of the hook...

 

Thanks again everyone! I'm going this Saturday (looks like the only dry sunny day!) so hopefully I can post a pic of a catch on Monday! although last time I went I caught a deflated rubber ball.... impressive eh!

 

Cheers,

 

Stooby...

[Anderoo]

Good luck Stooby, let us know how it goes

 

PS did you get a photo of the ball? Was it a PB?