Hook size for crappie

[Ketchn]

Don’t go and get sideways about this subject, but it befuddles me when folks say you need big hooks for crappie.
Have not a clue how it became so , but to be very sure many folks say you have to use big hooks.
So this said please feel free to explain why in this thread , rarely use a 4 and almost always a 6 or 8 is me , so clue me in pretty please.
Need to wrap my mind around this subject, it appears from my experience it is just old folklore gone wild , but in this case I am all ears.

[Les Young]

Maybe they catch a lot bigger fish than you do.

[Ketchn]

Maybe they catch a lot bigger fish than you do.

This might be true , but my avatar fish is about as big as they get and it was on a number 6 hook

[slabbandit]

I use a lot of jigs with hooks as big as 2/0. When pouring my own I like a #2 hook in my 1/16 and 1/8 oz sizes. i used to use 1/4 oz all the time with #4 hooks and it amazed me how well they hooked up on large crappie. A lot of times the hook would be in the roof of the mouth and the eye of the hook would be up wedged tightly up against their upper lip. Caught a lot of big crappie back in the day.

Old pic of 1/4 oz with #4 hook.

[Alphahawk]

No problem catching on #8 and #10.


Regards

[CrappiePappy]

I've caught a LOT of fish on jigs w/#4 hooks, and I've only changed to using #2 hooks in my 1/16oz weedless jigheads (for casting single jigs to cover) is because the plastics I now use are "thicker/fatter" than the little 1.5" tubes & Stinger Shad I was using back when my jigheads had #4 hooks in them. Simple as that.

The "nearly" 3# Crappie in my Avatar was caught on a jig with a #4 hook. I've yet to catch a fish of any size and have it bend my hook open and escape. And all of my minner hooks are #4's

[KRW]

Been fishing all winter with 1/4oz, 2/0 jigs. Using big swim baits too. Big baits for big crappie

[SuperDave336]

I use a lot of #6 size hooks. #6 and #4 are my main two sizes used.

[DockShootinJack]

#2 and #4 here. Seems to be be what is most widely available

[Eagle 1]

Since going to sickle hooks, I could go smaller for sure .