Carp fishing is not so easy as it seems. The anglers have to develop skills, practice more, and make smart decisions. Still, they will fail without bringing the right gear. Tools we use for other species don’t necessarily work for carps. We must figure out the right combination of rods, reels, hooks, lines, baits, etc. Among them, hooks play a vital role in getting carp bites. So, you should be able to differentiate several carp fishing hooks to pick the most suitable one. Let’s have an overview of them.
A Small Guide to Carp Fishing Hook Types for Beginners
Barbed or Barbless
It is the most debated topic in fishing. Although the anglers have different opinions, it depends on the fishing spots. Some fisheries only allow barbless hooks. When anyone catches a fish, he can release it immediately. It lowers the mortality rate of carps. The big carps are aggressive and set a hard fight after being hooked. There is a high risk of losing bites with these hooks. A barbed model can drag the fishes to the ground or boat no matter how big it is. The main drawback is that it can kill carps because of severe damage. Sometimes, the new fishermen accidentally stick themselves. If the hook is barbed, extracting it will be the worst experience for them. Choose the specific kind that serves you the best. Make sure to know the right way of fish extraction while using the second option.
Blunt or Sharp
Everyone knows the importance of hook sharpness for ultimatum performance. Sharp edges instantly slide through the carp’s mouth. They barely take a few seconds. After some uses, the hook point becomes dull. The causes are exposure to water, rusting, dodging water rocks, and fish fights. Your income will be opposite with a blunt end. Hence, sharpen it before using it. Place your hook on a smooth plane. Then, bring a honing stone. Make continuous strokes from the hook’s barb to the pointy tip. Flip the hook and repeat the actions. Gradually, this process will eliminate metal build-ups. Avoid making it too thin; otherwise, it will break.
Hooks with Various Shanks
The shanks are the straightest part of the hooks. They lie between the hook’s eye and the curve. Many people like to use bottom baits, including sweet corn, tiger nuts, etc. A long shank hook will be best for them. It looks quite long and thin. You will hardly find it in the tackle stores. The most common one is curved shank hooks. Their round body can easily lock a fish so that it can not escape.
They are very popular in fly fishing. Next, we have stiff rigger hooks. They are perfect to use with fluorocarbon and monofilament hook links. Finally, there are wide gap hooks. As the name describes, they have a round body forming a broad space in the center. It minimizes the chances of losing carps, especially when they are trying to eject hooks. It also delivers more strength in pulling a massive catch. Since all of them have individual use cases, try to use them in the appropriate conditions.
Hook Color
Carps are an intelligent species. They can sense minimal water vibration and see large objects. Therefore, they become alert quicker than you think. The best method to trick them is by using non-visible tools. If the hook color matches the surrounding, they will be more likely to take your bait. The most available shades are dark, golden, and silver. Apart from these, the tackle stores cover a wide range of colored hooks.
You have to target a specific area and find out a matching hook. Lots of fishes roam around underwater vegetation in high weed locations for enough food and oxygen supply. A dark green hook will blend well with the aquatic trees. Shallow water anglers target sandy or muddy water mostly. Understanding the presence of brown wires is hard there. Go for either grey or black hooks while keeping your eyes on rocky bottoms. In brief, you should use colored hooks based on the location you will be fishing.
Hook Pattern Selection According to Rig
Rigs refer to an assembly of all fishing tackle. You have to arrange the necessities and tie the lure in a certain way. The hook style will also vary. Firstly, we are going to share details about pop up fishing rigs. Get your Krank-style hook. Remember, the hook’s shank holds the fishing lure. You have to attach it by drilling the baits and locking its position. The bottom rig comprises a barrel swivel. It is further linked to a hook at the end. Try to use units having a wide gap and beaked points. They perform well for wafter rigs, too, or you should get a curved type.
Hook Sizes
The dimension of a hook determines the amount of wire used in its construction. As we mentioned earlier, carps quickly see the large hooks. A small one is more successful in ditching their sharp eyesight. But it can only handle the weight of a small fish. Most often, it breaks due to the rough fight of carp. Large hooks are your only resource to get a heavy bite. They are robust and less prone to bending or breaking. Take this fine line of balance into account. Moreover, always pair a small bait with a light hook and big baits with a heavy hook.
People consider size-4 and size-6 circle hooks as the best choice for carp fishing. The size and load capacity follow the opposite directions. Size-4 hooks can carry 18 to 20mm boilies. You can get fishies over 20lbs using them. The largest boilie a size-6 hook can endure measures 18mm. They mainly help to capture small to medium carps. A few lucky anglers may get the big ones. There are a lot of venues which offer only small carps. Choose a hook having a higher size number before heading to them. Be sure not to load a 16mm boilie on a size-10 hook.
