Fishing hooks

[corydoras]

Note to the newer members - I suspect that for some reason, corydoras decided to wind you up a bit. Either that or else the wine in France is strong enougher than I had heard.

Honest Newt I'm not winding up anyone. I bought 20 hooks about 3 years ago. 10 size 8 and 10 size 10. Those are the only size I use. I only change hooks when I lose one. Like everyone else I lose a fish from time to time, normally because I have struck a bit too late or too soon. I've never lost a fish and thought "If only I had a nice new hook on I might have caught that." It's not a case of penny pinching or being mean, even if I am a Scot. I just don't see the point (no pun intended) of chucking away something that is working fine (at least for me)

 

PS I'm in the UK atm and therefore sober, not in France

[corydoras]

You mean biodegradeable hooks? That's a good idea. But I doubt the companies will invest in new equipment to make biodegradeable hooks, which, in theory will be less stronger that the ones we use nowadays.

I just found this after a quick Google. It looks like biodegradable fishing hooks are at least being talked about by the fishing industry. The WWF and Mustad are working on this to try to minimise the damage done to marine turtles by longliners.

[dogstick]

I start every session with a new hook,if i change hook size the old one is disgarded(put in a little shot tub and handed out to kids fishing with the wrong gear when I`m out walking the dog).I could easy go through four hooks in a session.

At 20 pence each I dont mind going through a few in a session.I mean it`s cheaper than most of the bait that ends up thrown in.

DS

[chavender]

i only buy new hooks or hooks-2-nylon if i run out of the ones i've got,i save hooks & shot to be re-used hooks-2-nylon goes on a winder thingy i got of a mag years ago,or a old line spool ,if they go blunt i'll throw them away or they break when tested (i always test the hooks on ones i ain't used for a while ,i have some packets of hooks-2-nylon thats 5 years old or older & they're not rusty and the point penertrates my thumb tip and don't break i'll use it,i have nearly twenty packets of hooks-2-nylon and god nows how many loose hooks in verious containers.i do occationally loose one or two when i get snagged on the bottom rocks or in reeds (and occationally in the odd bush or tree) ect.

[Newt]

Honest Newt I'm not winding up anyone.

 

Not even the smallest, gentle little wind-up?

 

LOL - I think we both tend to do that on occasion although usually aimed at the old hands on here.

 

I thought chesters1 (who has been strangely absent these past few days) was the only person on here who tried to get multiple years use from a single hook.

[corydoras]

Not even the smallest, gentle little wind-up?

 

LOL - I think we both tend to do that on occasion although usually aimed at the old hands on here.

 

I thought chesters1 (who has been strangely absent these past few days) was the only person on here who tried to get multiple years use from a single hook.

Oh don't get me wrong Newt, I like a little bit of winding-up and rib tickling from time to time, who doesn't. I try not to be an outright troll though. Well I hope so.

 

But honest Injun Newt, this hooks business is not even a teensy weensy wind-up. To be honest I had never even thought about it before. I don't really try to get loads of use out of hooks, they just don't wear out very often. If I lose one I replace it (kinda hard to catch a fish with no hook, huh) if its blunt I'll sharpen it. When I was younger I used to sea fish on the west coast of Scotland. Some of the places I liked to go were very rough ground so losing terminal tackle was a normal state of affairs and hook changes might happen every two or three casts. We used to use old spark plugs as weights, buying lead was a complete waste of money. Most of the places where I fish these days are just mud and ooze on the bottom. Some are dangerous places.

 

I am sure you have similar waters in the US. The water might only be 3 foot deep, but the ooze underneath could more than 20.

 

Out of interest Newt, have you any idea how hooks are 'chemically sharpened'?

Edited September 20, 2006 by corydoras

[Dick Dastardly]

I change my hooks like any other piece of tackle........when it needs changing! No way can you lay down set time periods as it depends on so many factors.

 

However as we are specificly talking hooks.I change my hooks when they either get to damaged (ie broken point or burred over point) to sharpen or show rust.Some of my expensive (Partridge) trebles get recycled for years! A good brush off with a wire brush,quick dip in paint stripper then a respray.

 

Whilst fishing I always carry a hook sharpener and check each time I rebait/re cast.I dont change the hook if blunt as Ive never found a hook that is sharp enough straight from the packet any way.Allthough some of the modern "chemically sharpened" ones are they soon get dulled.

 

I dont bother (as I cant sharpen them) doing this with small hooks (below 14) but just change them.Most of my smaller hooks are tied to nylon hook links anyway.

 

As for the sugestion of "degradeable hooks" this isnt nothing new.Sea anglers often use bronzed rather than stainless because of this reason.I cant see them ever developing a material that will be degradeable but also strong enough at a price that will make them practical for angling.Nice thought but it wont happen in our life time.

 

Im always against this buisness of leaving hooks in fish.I believe its just a way for anglers to ease their consience.There shouldnt be many situations where the angler cant remove his hook without causing further damage.When it does happen its so rare you just have to accept it.Some one has allready mentioned this.However if it is happening regularly then the angler is doing some thing wrong and needs to look closely at what he is doing.

[ColinW]

It depends where and how you are fishing. If I was using a feeder with a size 20 over gravel I wouldn't expect to catch much by leaving the same hook on all day, or even for an hour for that matter. On the other hand I quite happily re-use bigger hooks (say 4 upwards) that I can re-sharpen, especially when sea fishing, when I dry the hooks and wrap them into a rig bin at the end of the session.

If I'm fishing for mullet with something like a size 10 then I just keep checking the point on my thumb, if it doesn't dig in to the first ridge on my thumbprint as I stroke it across I stick a new one on. Since one bite is a good session where I fish, I'm not going to risk missing it because of a slightly blunt hook!

"Biodegradable" hooks have been around for years, any high carbon steel will rust away very quickly, especially in saltwater. I would never use a stainless hook. Common stainless steel (as opposed to the special grades used by cutlers) will not hold a point.

[carpstar]

Like Budgie i change my hooks when they need changing,i test how sharp they are after every fish,if it's ok then it's used again and if not then discarded

I can go through quite a few hooks in a season but it depends on the type of water i'm targeting,snaggy ect.

[Anderoo]

When carping or piking, or any other method which requires 'big' hooks, I check the hook points regularly throughout the session and change if necessary. To be honest this isn't very often. When using small (14-20) hooks I check them if I'm bumping off fish, and change where necessary. At the end of every session, I check the hook and if it's still OK (virtually always!) I put it loose into a little tub with the rest of my used hooks of various sizes. At the next session I'll use a new hook out of the packet. Once they've run out I'll start reusing the ones in the tub, sorting through them every now and again and discarding any blunt ones which slipped through.

 

Hooks can last years and years. The notable exception seems to be some 'carp' hooks which seem to be designed to turn over at the merest glimpse of anything other than water!

Edited September 20, 2006 by Anderoo