#12 jig hook. is it to small for good hook sets ?

[naturenut]

hey guys.
i was going to build some flies onto a 1/100, #12 hook jigs.
there's only a 1/4'' gap from the hook eye, to the hook point.
just doesn't seem like enough gap to get good, consistant hook sets.
even the #10's look close...

really don't want to go any bigger.
just wondering if any of you have any experience with these small jigs.

thx, dave

[S10CHEVY]

I always bend the small jigs out about 10 degrees, to create a better bhook set, 2which is suppose to hook them in the roof of the mouth. Have you ever tried that?

[snake River]

Yes I have.

[naturenut]

good idea.
yes, i tried that. only at the bench. lakes froze over here...
think i'm going to pass on this idea. i think with that 90 degree bend, it would be easy
to pull it right out of their mouth. or i'll wait till spring and test it on the fish,
thx,

[deathb4disco]

Instead of widening the hook gape, try bending it slightly to one side. (It's called "kirbing" the hook). It really helps with small hooks. I first heard about it years ago in a fly fishing book. The author said it greatly increased his hook ups with tiny #26 and #28 flies.

[skeetbum]

That "kirbing" is what we did in the 70's and to date with flat built double offset plastic worm hooks. Upped our catch ratio a bunch. I used some #10 hooks in some small jigs a few years back. My issue was the length of the point section of the hook being short and not penetrating anything but light membrane inside the mouth and pulling free. The fish hit them a lot, and being smaller the gills kept me busy too. I think for that size, a straight shank with a bead head would get a better hookset. I think the 90* bend helps to block the point at hookset. Just my opinion and what I've thought of about that since. Good luck with them. They might do well for you, and anything new is always worth a shot.........Skeet.

[trypman1]

I use #12's all the time for small pan fish like bluegill and redears.

[naturenut]

my thinking was going with the 90 degree bend jig, over a straight shank hook was
i would get a horizontal presentation.

[naturenut]

i was playing around with that "kirbing". i spun the hook around 180 degrees just to see..
now that would be perfect, if they made a hook a small jig like that.

any reason why not running the hook point around 180 degrees ?
it really didn't weaken the hook doing this. i wasn't able to break it any easier...

[skiptomylu]

i was playing around with that "kirbing". i spun the hook around 180 degrees just to see..
now that would be perfect, if they made a hook a small jig like that.

any reason why not running the hook point around 180 degrees ?
it really didn't weaken the hook doing this. i wasn't able to break it any easier...

You sure wouldn't want to fish it like that around any kind of snags, even just grass would catch on it.

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