Small Hook/Big Hook

[rodgerole]

Wondering what everyone thinks about jig hook sizes and their relative holding/catching abilities.

I've been using 1/32 and 1/64 jigs with #10 aberdeen jig hooks and lost very few fish and stuck just about everything that hit. I got some of the same weight jigs with #6's and #8's and I've lost quite a few fish since then. I mash down the barbs on my hooks so I can turn fish (or myself)loose with less damage.
Don't know that I've been doing anything different, but I guess it could just be rotten luck(smarter or luckier fish) catching up with me.
How do you choose the size jig and hook that seems best suited for crappie?

rodgerole

[foul hook]

To answer question , #2 is a good all around size hook for crappie. I use #1 on occasion, I am looking for the larger fish. 9 out of 10 fish that I catch are hooked in the lip. It is not uncommon to see a large hole in the lip when the fish lands in the boat. My question to you is, why worry about the barb ? EAT THE FISH !

[PBUG2009]

ive been making alot of size 1 and 2 jigheads.....and size 4 but 1 and 2 more...

[skeetbum]

I'm not one for using an overly big hook so far, except in certain conditions. When longline trolling, a bigger hook, like a #2 or #1, is the norm with some folks that do that a lot. I use 4, 6, and 8 regularly with good success. Recently I've been using sickle hooks from Matzuo and I have to comment on the difference of the hook up. Most of my fish caught with regular round bend hooks, Aberdeen mostly, have been hooked in the periphery of the mouth in the thin membranes. I have had some jigs that were taken very deep and required hemostats to remove the hook, but that is not the norm. With sickle hooks I notice that the hook is buried deeper in the mouth, usually in the roof where there is more substantial flesh. Hemostats are needed almost every time. The gap on the hook is different and wider than round bend hooks and much sharper. My thoughts on size is that it needs to be proportioned to the overall jig itself(or minnow) and if missed fish are noticed a change in size is needed. Might be bigger to eliminate the miss, or smaller to get them to take it deeper. Just my two cents, good luck and tight lines.

[crappiedoc]

The smaller hooks penetrate easier because of wire diameter. On the other hand, the bigger bite should stick further back in the mouth. But if your going through what I am, those little, light, pucker-up kiss hits then the smaller hooks would work better. I've had to go to 1/80 jigheads to get bit consistently and still stick em. This is far from normal for me, when I'm usually using a 1/16th or 1/8th. I had to change because 1 outta 12 was hitting the bigger stuff, now I'm cruising!

[smoothlures]

I don't like smaller than a #4. I use 1/8th #1 a lot, too.

[kyron4]

I too think #2 is a good all around choice for Crappie. I pour my own ball head and pony head jigs; 1/16 with #2 and 1/32 with #4, both preform excellent on crappie. I also pour 1/8 with a #1/0 used with a 3" Twister Tail, but use that for White Bass and Walleye, though I have caught quite a few Crappie on them also.

[shipahoy41]

In my experiences a #4 sickle hook is great for crappie on a 1/16 jig head. I have used a #6 on a 1/32 with good success too. Gets me all the crappie I want to clean in one trip.

[CrappiePappy]

Hmmm ... been using #4 Aberdeen lite wire hooks on 1/32 & 1/16oz jigheads for over 20yrs ... never had a Crappie straighten one out & get off (even those over 2.5lbs). A few years ago I had the same size jigheads custom made with #2 Aberdeen hooks, and they've performed just as well. I use both sizes, depending on the size of plastic body I'm using ... and that's one reason I went to a #2 hook, so I "could" use a larger sized plastic body (if I so desired) and still have a decent gap space between the hook point & top of the plastic body. And yes, I know about sickle hooks, as I do have some jigheads with the sickle hook ... they're just not weedless, so I'm not inclined to use them as often.

To my way of thinking, it's not so much the hook size/type that determines how well a fish will be hooked ... but, where you hook them. In most cases, while casting & swimming the jig back, my jigs are imbedded in the roof of the mouth of the fish. On rare occasions they may be stuck in the tongue of the fish, and on even rarer occasions ... in either of the lips. The only time I'm all that concerned, is when they're hooked in the upper lip, since this is where they have the biggest stretch of thin membrane. Even so, it's been a rare event when one gets off, even when hooked there.
As far as I can tell, the weedguard has a little something to do with that ... as it acts like a stop gap, and doesn't allow the hook to slip off the lip, even when the membrane has a gaping hole tore in it. This is only true, however, if the hook has made it's way thru the membrane & around the lip. If the hook is in the membrane, only, there's a better chance of the fish getting off.

... cp

[INTIMIDATOR]

#2 sickle on 1/16th oz jig heads for 2" keitech swimbaits or 2" Megabass rocky fry or curley dot tails, #4 sickle on 1/32nd heads for 1.5" Megabass Rocky Fry vibe tail or curley dot tails, 1/0 for 2.8" Keitech swimbaits and 2/0 for 3.8" Keitech swimbaits.