Sickle Hook Color and Size Help

[rbreedi1]

Looking into trying some of these sickle hook jigheads I keep hearing about. I will be using them mainly with the Bobby Garland soft plastics. I mainly use 1/32 oz and 1/16 oz jigheads. What size and color sickle hooks do you guys prefer? Im indecisive on #6 or #4 as Ive not held one in the hand. As far as color, Ive seen black nickel, bronze, gold, red. What say you? Thanks a bunch!

[MEATGETTER]

i use black nickel, that what we tye all of our jigs with also, we use red on our minner critters!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kman]

I pour my own 1/32 and 1/16 and to be honest, I use #2 red sickle hooks. The #4 is ok, but the gap vs shank length is ALMOST too small. There isnt a crappie swimmin that cant get a #2 in his mouth. You'll be glad you got a #2 when you stop losing fish.

[hunter7711]

I also use #2 in my 1/16 & #4 in my 1/32.

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[ERNEST PATY]

I guess I'm not smart enough to use bigger hooks, losing fish hasn't beem much of a problem. My theory is, if you lose one just catch another.

I feel that getting the most bites is what's important. Our lakes don't produce many giant fish like Grenada, average is around 1# to 1.5# with a few 2# each day. A 3# fish here is rare. Only two in my life.

Back to hook size. I use #6 on 1/8 oz. most of the time. When the bite is slow I use 1/16 oz with #8 (that's right, #8) hooks. these very small hooks on a full size Slab Bandit sink so slow that the fish can't resist it and it floats thru brush piles like a feather, rarely hanging. up. I catch lots of good sized Crappie on the little hooks and rarely lose one. If their over 1.5# I use the net.

Don't laugh at this until you try it. Lots of guys that have fished with me did but they couldn't wait to get some after the trip. Try Crazy angler tackle or TNT tackle to order.

If you do get hung the small hooks pull out easily most of the time.

[CrappieJigMaker]

I pour alot of 1/4 size 4 and 1/8 size 4..And even got 1 guy that likes 1/32 size 2, and 1/64oz size 2

[Kman]

I guess I'm not smart enough to use bigger hooks, losing fish hasn't beem much of a problem. My theory is, if you lose one just catch another.

I feel that getting the most bites is what's important. Our lakes don't produce many giant fish like Grenada, average is around 1# to 1.5# with a few 2# each day. A 3# fish here is rare. Only two in my life.

Back to hook size. I use #6 on 1/8 oz. most of the time. When the bite is slow I use 1/16 oz with #8 (that's right, #8) hooks. these very small hooks on a full size Slab Bandit sink so slow that the fish can't resist it and it floats thru brush piles like a feather, rarely hanging. up. I catch lots of good sized Crappie on the little hooks and rarely lose one. If their over 1.5# I use the net.

Don't laugh at this until you try it. Lots of guys that have fished with me did but they couldn't wait to get some after the trip. Try Crazy angler tackle or TNT tackle to order.

If you do get hung the small hooks pull out easily most of the time.

Not sure it has anything to do with being smart enough, just like everything else in life, we all have an opinion. Mine differs greatly from yours in this aspect though. 1lb to 1.5lb crappie, especially 2lb crappie are big crappie in my book. Ive NEVER caught a 3lber. When you hook a crappie in that loose paper thin lip area, it wont matter a lot. But when you hook em in that bony mouth roof top, it does! Its no different with bass fishing. Too small a hook wont penetrate and hold the fish and they throw it. Thats why you lose bass a lot on crank baits and top water baits with treble hooks. MOST, not all, but most treble hooks on those types of baits have a small gap between the shank and the hook tip and wont penetrate deep enough and tear out easily, and there are usually 6 of them on a bait, sometimes NINE! Small hooks tear free too easily under the weight of a "decent" crappie. I dont want to lose ANY. I use a net too, but you know how nets go.
The hooks from a #8 to a #2 may make a difference to your style of fishing, I just cant see it being enough to sacrifice a good hook set. I never have any trouble catchin em with a #2. If I want it to fall slower, I just insert that #2 into a smaller jig head when I pour. My 2 cents

[NIMROD]

I like #2 hooks but then all I use is 1/8 oz heads on hand ties like Meatgetter or Southern Pro Umbrella tubes. I never use a net except on fish over 1.5 lbs. I feel like a big hook is needed in bigger baits I use and more confident swinging them in the boat.
If I used smaller baits then I would consider down sizing lead and hook also.

[Cray]

I'm way out there I guess. I use #1 on 1/16 and 1/0 in 1/8oz. Little harder with the smaller baits but I usually use 2 to 2 1/2 in solid bodies or umbrella tubes.

[skiptomylu]

Don't think color make a lot of difference. Also believe if you get the right color jig and they are in a feeding mode at all they will eat the jig and you wont be hooking them in the paper thin part of their mouth and will hook them deep in the back of their mouth and then hook size will not make much difference. I believe if your hooking crappie in the lips then you are close to the right color and if you change the right part of the color to what they really want then you will find your jigs in the back of their mouth. That is my opinion and experience.