long old debate

[big phil 123]

Its a oldy but whats your views on bait size i.e my view is big hook big bait big fish others. Say small hook catches every fish

[Pete from shields]

Little hook = big fish falling off, big hook = blank, tiz for me anyway lol.

[d-a]

hooks

a 1/0 woiuld be lost on a 10lb cods mouth smaller hooks usually are thinner metal not much good lifting a 10 pounder up a pier but a small flatie can swallow a big sand eel i have caught dabs on 4/0 hooks so they can open their mouths quite wide

[big phil 123]

Hahaha yep i remember using a 1/0 rig at the beacons lost 2 fish in a row went back to my 5/0 rigs and not a sniff lol

[marco1967]

I stick with a 3/0 and 2/0 pennel , I've had fish 6lb and fish 6oz with this arrangement.

[BIG HITTER 1]

tend to do most of my fishing during the winter so it's big hook and big bait i'd rather catch one bigun than ten smaller ones.
if truth be told most anglers throughout the winter months are after that big fish so tend to use nothing smaller than 4/0 couldn't even stop the whiting from hanging himself on my 6/0 s last year

[topbanana]

Winter time, donkey choker on anything from a 5/0 upwards. Summer time medium sized crab baits on a 4/0 or 5/0 in the kelp, 1/0 or 2/0 in the tyne.

[lambengland]

I tend to go mid-way around 3/0 or 4/0

[big phil 123]

Winter time, donkey choker on anything from a 5/0 upwards. Summer time medium sized crab baits on a 4/0 or 5/0 in the kelp, 1/0 or 2/0 in the tyne.

Thats about my set up. However i have some mates who have alot of fish using small baits blasted to the horizon. Places were i dont cast far. But if clean beach fishing i have found a small bait as far as possible is alot better than a big bait 70yds as thats all your average caster will put abig bait regardless what they say

[codonly]

8/0 bottom hook,4/0 pennell hook and if it cant get it in it's mouth i'd rather not hook it,that's for winter cod fishing

[topbanana]

Thats about my set up. However i have some mates who have alot of fish using small baits blasted to the horizon. Places were i dont cast far. But if clean beach fishing i have found a small bait as far as possible is alot better than a big bait 70yds as thats all your average caster will put abig bait regardless what they say

Blyth beach is the only clean beach I fish really and that's not a big chuck. Distance comes in handy at lynemouth though.

[jack555]

I don't go higher than size 8's in summer and 2/0 3/0 tronix pros in winter

[TerryC]

Just a thought - our fresh water anglers use much smaller hooks in general and even for big hard fighting fish such as salmon the hooks they use are much smaller.

IMHO the hooks size you need is determined by - the size of bait you need to present, the ground over which you are fishing and the species you are targeting. Same argument goes for line strength/thickness.

Anyway each to his own !

[cod magnet]

hooks are very important , obviously, i have had more success using circle hooks for cod than any other hook , imho the fish cod can not feel the point of the hook till swallowed try them , they are awkward to bait up but the more you use them the easier it becomes , the gape on these hooks are smallish , down to the design of the hook which allso incorporates a limerick bend design , used by long liners nik named self hookers , and very strong indeed

[rocketman]

hooks are very important , obviously, i have had more success using circle hooks for cod than any other hook , imho the fish cod can not feel the point of the hook till swallowed try them , they are awkward to bait up but the more you use them the easier it becomes , the gape on these hooks are smallish , down to the design of the hook which allso incorporates a limerick bend design , used by long liners nik named self hookers , and very strong indeed

Cant be that good i never see u catch owt