Spade end hooks.

[HERUTILUS]

Greetings,

 

Can someone tell me if spade-end hooks are really necessary? The average angler, & I am one, looks at the good old eyed hook & sees only common sense & logic (i.e.) there's a eye at one end which makes hook tying quite easy & to, a large extent, foolproof.

 

Now let us consider the spade-end hook. It has no eye, all it has the 'flattened' end & if one wishes to use this type of hook I'm told that it's advisable, some say necessary, to use a hook tier.

It has been suggested to me that one achieves 'better bait presentation' using a spade end hook?

In response to that I say, "Surely our hobby is not at the rocket-science stage yet"?

 

What do the experts think?

 

Regards,

 

Herutilus

[terry t shirt]

Its just my view but, i believe spade end hooks are essential in the small sizes. Attatching an eye to these hooks would mean the eye would be large compared to the rest of the the hook or to small to be practicle.I'm really talking about from size 20 and smaller.

In large hooks size 10 or bigger then its an eyed hook everytime.

The range 10-20 i think is personal choice and really depends what i'm fishing for. If i require a fine wire hook i use spade end for strength i use eyed.

[Dick Dastardly]

Herutilus,I presume you dont use really small hooks such as 18 and below? Imagine the size of an eye on a size 22 hook for example and you will understand why we use spade ends in these sizes.

[jeepster]

I never use anything smaller than an 18, and hence have never bothered with spade end hooks, it's another technique to learn and somethng I can't be bothered with

[watatoad]

I just don't believe this is a serious question.

[led-zeppalike]

I prefer spade ends but sometimes use eyed hooks too. If using eyed I tie them on the same way as I do the spades but put the line through the eye first, front to back. I find that spade end hooks sometime go for cheaper if buying on eBay as fewer people want them, I

[arbocop]

Smaller than a Size 12 - spade end

Bigger than a Size 12 - eyed.

 

Try tying a few larger spade end - it's really easy. Then just do it on smaller hooks. As a teenager I could do 24's in winter! I never use smaller than a 16 now.

[Chris Plumb]

I just don't believe this is a serious question.

 

Me neither - I pretty much use spade ends for all my hooks - even upto Size 8 (rarely go bigger) - just think it looks neater with the line tied around the shank. I even tie my eyed hooks as if they were spades!

 

 

C.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Chris Plumb

[Leon Roskilly]

Fishing in clear calm water conditions, and observing what happens to the bait through polaroid glasses, one is left in no doubt as to how important presentation is, as free-offerings are mopped up by a shoal of roach or perch, but a baited hook drifts through the shoal untouched.

 

And even when an occasional fish, excited by the competitveness of grabbing food before its companions, makes a mistake and grabs the baited hook, it's rarely one of the more experience larger specimens.

 

Moving down hook-size and hook-length diameter will improve hook-ups, and so will careful attention to presentation, so that the difference between the way the hook bait falls and moves in the current and the way that the free offerings behave is minimised.

 

That small increase in weight of an eyed hook can and does make all the difference between snatching out tiddlers, and hooking into the larger fish in the shoal.

 

But don't simply take my word for it.

 

Too often people accept others' opinions as facts and pass on what they have 'learned' (but not tested) as conventional wisdom.

 

Next time conditions are right, try using identical rigs, but eyed hooks versus spade-ends.

 

You will probably find no difference at all when using a 3 inch lob impaled upon a size 8 hook.

 

You might get a different result using hemp on a size 18.

 

A small flake of bread moulded to a size 14.

 

Or a single maggot presented on a size 16.

 

The thing is that you will then know whether it makes a difference, rather than believe it might make a difference because someone told you it does.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ps

 

My eyesight isn't as good as it once was, and I will now usually use eyed-hooks in preference to spade-ends.

 

But not when it means a real difference between catching or not.

 

After all having spent a small fortune on bait and petrol, spent so much time on preparation for the trip, and carefully prepared the swim through ground-baiting and plumbing etc, it would be foolish to wreck my chances of having a really good session by using a more convenient eyed-hook when a fiddly-to-tie spade-end will make a significant difference to the day's catch.

 

pps Like Led and Chris, I tie my eyed-hooks as I would a spade-end, but always pass the line through from the front and down the back of the hook (snelling) which improves hooking.

 

Edited July 8, 2010 by Leon Roskilly

[smiling cat]

My eyesight isn't as good as it once was, and I will now usually use eyed-hooks in preference to spade-ends.

 

My eyesight is not as good as it was either but I can manage to use a hook tier. But a question?

 

Many years ago one was considered a bit of a whimp and /or rich if one bought hooks to nylon. Is that still the opinion? are they still available?

 

I`m far from rich but things do seem a bit more bothersome when I have to keep changing glasses,and I have tried varifocals-not for me