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Using a right hook at the right occasion determines how far you can succeed in becoming a successful angler. A successful day on the water can be made or broke by a poor hook. Just by overlooking the importance of a proper hook can make big difference in having an average angling day or one that is memorable for a long time to come. The most feasible way to catch every fish that bites is to use the most proper hook for the type of bait you are employing and to make sure the hook is extremely sharp.
Of late, advanced technologies and improved techniques are employed to produced some of the most modern hooks that are not only ultra sharp but also suitable for every fishing occasion. There are as many hook styles available today as there are types of fish. Hooks have been specifically designed for every type of fishing from carp fish to salmon and everything in between. How ever, with all the styles available, how does one know which style and size is the best to use? Try to familiarize yourself by knowing each hook by description and use them in the field so that you know both plus and minus side of it.
Hook style usually relates to the overall shape of the hook. –There are few basic categories of hooks; live bait hooks, artificial (soft plastic) bait hooks, and manufacturer use hooks. Manufacturer hooks are those hooks used for making artificial flies, jigs, crank baits, and spinner baits.
Hooks in the Live bait category are Octopus style, typically used for rigging live minnows, cut bait or Salmon eggs; O'Shaughnessy, and Straight shank styles used for Minnows and cut bait; and Aberdeen style used for live worms and night crawlers. Most live bait hooks can be recognized by the presence of sharp barbs on the hook shank. These barbs aid in keeping the bait firmly on the hook.
The artificial bait hook category typically will include offset worm hooks for rigging plastic worms and soft plastic jerk baits; Aberdeen, and Sproat are commonly used for plastic worms and the newer Kahle style hooks are becoming popular with fisherman using a variety of soft plastic baits. Some of these hooks also come with shank barbs to help keep the bait securely on the hook.
Now a day a variety of hook points are available, but which type is most effective is up to the individual's discretion and his preferences. The more standard points like the spear point and tapered piercing points are mechanically sharpened. They are the most economical and can be easily re-sharpened for reuse with a file or stone. The newer chemically sharpened points are sharpened chemically. These are typically much sharper than the mechanically sharpened hooks, but are much more expensive as well. If you have faced troubles sharpening the hooks or if you do not have the time to do so, the most obvious choice would be chemically sharpened hooks.
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