IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Maine => Ice Fishing Maine => Topic started by: brookiechaser on Jan 30, 2013, 06:48 AM
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Headed up to a lake opening this weekend. I generally use size 4 snell hooks the big togue I have caught were barely lip hooked which is good because I could release them nice and quick but have lost more than caught. Should I be using a bigger hook like a size 2..fishing with 4+" Shiners and suckers I hate leaving a hook in a fish do circle hooks work well ice fishing..If so what size? Thanks
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Headed up to a lake opening this weekend. I generally use size 4 snell hooks the big togue I have caught were barely lip hooked which is good because I could release them nice and quick but have lost more than caught. Should I be using a bigger hook like a size 2..fishing with 4+" Shiners and suckers I hate leaving a hook in a fish do circle hooks work well ice fishing..If so what size? Thanks
Size 8s here. The last thing I want is a big hook hanging out of my bait. Keep it small IMO. Circles do work well as well.
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Size 8s here. The last thing I want is a big hook hanging out of my bait. Keep it small IMO. Circles do work well as well.
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I find that size 6 and 4 work well for togue.
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Thanks I was always under.the impression that small worked well. I always felt lakers were kind of.like striped bass and finicky when it came to feeling big hooks in the bait
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Size 8s here. The last thing I want is a big hook hanging out of my bait. Keep it small IMO. Circles do work well as well.
Do you find that size 8s work well for brookies and browns as well? I use 6 because whenever I have flags with size 8s the fish never take it, I was thinking it was because the hook was to small
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It's all about the presentation. Size 8's are great because they are easy to hide in the bait and little damage if hooked properly.
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Do you find that size 8s work well for brookies and browns as well? I use 6 because whenever I have flags with size 8s the fish never take it, I was thinking it was because the hook was to small
I don't fish for brookies really, but they work fine on browns as well as the brookies I have caught.
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When trolling for togue I have taken a needle and run line down through bait out the back side and put a treble on and then feed the eye of the treble into the fish. two of the hooks fit on side of fish with one pointing down. Ever try that ice fishing or with just a single hook. I have had good luck with size 6 for salmon and trout
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I guess I'm a little against the grain on this one because I use Eagle Claw wide gap #4's due to the wide variety of fish we have here. I get very few gut hooked fish with these and makes releasing a little easier imo. :tipup:
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I don't fish for brookies really, but they work fine on browns as well as the brookies I have caught.
Do you find you gut hook more fish with bigger or smaller hooks?
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When trolling for togue I have taken a needle and run line down through bait out the back side and put a treble on and then feed the eye of the treble into the fish. two of the hooks fit on side of fish with one pointing down. Ever try that ice fishing or with just a single hook. I have had good luck with size 6 for salmon and trout
That's kind of what i do when trolling as well. I've done it on the ice when fishing a big dead bait to try and give it more of a natural look when floating. Never done it with a live bait
Do you find you gut hook more fish with bigger or smaller hooks?
Haven't fishing anything bigger than a 6 in a while. If i bring the fish to the hole and can't see the hook I just cut the line. Not sure if they are gut-hooked or just hooked deeper in the mouth, try not to do much poking and probing.
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All I know is my brother says my hooks are too big! :%$#!:
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All I know is my brother says my hooks are too big! :%$#!:
I use mostly size 6 hooks, but when I go pike or striper fishing that's a different story. My uncle tells me the same thing, but at least we are ready for when the giants come through haha
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no matter what I am fishing for, I always like at least one big bait on, so always have at least 1 or 2 big hooks. Just kinda drives him nuts that each of my traps has a different hook on it and my leaders.... well let's just say I'm not much of a trout guy for a reason! That's ok, I can jig like a mad man!
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I usually use #6 for brook trout/salmon. When I go for togue, I put on #4's if I have big bait. I don't mind biting off my leaders on gut hooked fish I wish to release. Usually have several spare hooks on leaders ready to go.
OT, I often wonder how well (if at all) the fish survives with a hook in its' gut, mouth, or gill? I often heard that the hook begins to dissolve in a few days. I hope this is true cause I frequently leave the hook in on released fish unless I can remove it quickly with ease.
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I've cut open fish with rubber worms in them, but never found one with a hook inside it... The must either dissolve/rust or the fish dies, one or the other...
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Caught in late July. I have no way of knowing for sure but I suspect it was released during icefishing season.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t20/JDK_2007/Nohook.jpg)
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I've cut open fish with rubber worms in them, but never found one with a hook inside it... The must either dissolve/rust or the fish dies, one or the other...
Usually over time the hook works itself out
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Big fish Big hooks,Small hooks small fish. size six Bait hook.....
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I usually use #6 for brook trout/salmon. When I go for togue, I put on #4's if I have big bait. I don't mind biting off my leaders on gut hooked fish I wish to release. Usually have several spare hooks on leaders ready to go.
OT, I often wonder how well (if at all) the fish survives with a hook in its' gut, mouth, or gill? I often heard that the hook begins to dissolve in a few days. I hope this is true cause I frequently leave the hook in on released fish unless I can remove it quickly with ease.
I used to think it dissolved, but did some research and found out differently. The hooks do rust, but take a long time to do so. It is more likely that the fish (Gut hooked) will work out the hook by eating and swimming around with it for awhile. obviously not all fish will survive, but they have a better chance than if they get thrown on the grill! as for gill hooked fish, i tend to think that they wont make it so i try to only keep the ones that are gill hooked and bleeding badly. Also, i have caught bass in the summertime that had hooks coming out of their butts, implying that bigger fish (bass anyways) can pass hooks through their system.
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The whole hook working its way out is what brought me to start this topic. I was looking in my bag and found a few old hooks that I know I have had at least a couple years..they were rusty and dull but were still solid..tried breaking one with hands and couldn't't. I know asking for a trip to ER for hook removal and tetanus shot :P. But was thinking of fish, I rarely keep a fish unless bleeding or feel like eating one. I was thinking a bigger hook may have a better chance of a lip hook vs a deep hook. Also if anyone has fished with circle hooks when ice fishing how do you set the hook. When bait fishing for strippers I let then run then just start reeling and hook slips nicely into corner of mouth. Do you just start pulling in the fish while he is running to get the set? Trying to cut back on gut hooked fish
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I'll start a topic in the general section on hooks dissolving, maybe get some good feedback.
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Just kinda drives him nuts that each of my traps has a different hook on it and my leaders....
Doesn't drive me nuts at all - you keep fishing your big hooks and no leaders, and I'll keep catching more trout than you, more 4+ pound bass than you, etc. :flex: It's a good thing you like eating perch - you're certainly jigging up plenty of those!
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I always use 8's for all trout and salmon. Higher hook up percentage and baits swim better and last longer IMO. My buddy fishes big hooks and there's good reason I get more flags with something on the end than he does.
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I prefer the size 4 snelled hook over anything else.
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#6 hooks unless I am fishing for pike.
Luke
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Pretty much use size 6 red hooks for most everything now. Fishing for pike i will go bigger. I used to use 10's for trout and switch to 4's for bass and pickerel. After watching a buddy out fish me with 6's I decided tying more leaders and changing over for every trip just isn't worth it.
This year I have caught salmon, Brookies ranging from 6" -16" and yellow perch. And my son has caught Brookies and largemouth bass on the same set-ups.
I have been thinking about filing down barbs or buying barbless hooks as I have about a 50% gut/throat hook rate and prefer to release when I can.
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I will not go any smaller than size 4 when pike fishing.
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I use #8s for everything
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Headed up to a lake opening this weekend. I generally use size 4 snell hooks the big togue I have caught were barely lip hooked which is good because I could release them nice and quick but have lost more than caught. Should I be using a bigger hook like a size 2..fishing with 4+" Shiners and suckers I hate leaving a hook in a fish do circle hooks work well ice fishing..If so what size? Thanks
Where your going.. stick with the #4 they work well #6 or 8 for salmon :)
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Depends on the type of hook, too.
Size 6 is fine for brookies I use the Gamagatzu ones and they're pretty low profile. For togue I'll run size 4 for most baits, but larger, more sturdy hooks for the larger baits.
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With big bait you can still use small hooks.
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I generally use #6 eagle claw bait holders (not that I need the bait holders for shiner and smelt but whatever). If I'm targeting large touge or pike I may step up to a 4 or 2. With touge/brookies/salmon and I plan on releasing a lot of fish tough, I step down to #8 at biggest. I hope for a lip hook, but if they swallow it, I just snip the line and hope the smaller hook causes less harm.
I experimented with circles for a time but was unhappy, and went back to J hooks. Ive had fewer "gushers" when using small hook sizes, and still have good hookup ratios. I reason that cutting the line on a small hook must be better than a large hook for the fish, although I have no idea if there is any difference in long term survival to back that up.
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I use #4 Mustad Bronze Snelled Hooks. They work great for pike fishing an they will rust away in less than a week when directly in water. They are the best for catch and release.
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Caught in late July. I have no way of knowing for sure but I suspect it was released during icefishing season.
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t20/JDK_2007/Nohook.jpg)
Was that DB Smelt purple on the other side?/ My favorite... Marcel
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I generally use #6 for trout and salmon but will change over to a #2 when togue fishing. The few togue I have caught on the "big" hooks have never been gill or gut hooked.
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Here is what I use.
(http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s646/AmazingZombieWeapons/image_zps562e1dae.jpg)