How to improve your hooks
‘It’s the little things you do that make the big things happen’ – and here’s Mat Woods’s little edges which help keep him catching
The hook you use is arguably the most crucial element of everything you do to catch a carp. Lots of anglers check hook points by pulling them along their hand or across the back of their nail, but why reduce the potential of the hook point like this? Remember that hooks come in boxes in the millions. Then they are put into packets, by hand. Then they are shipped across the world. Then they go on a lorry to a factory. Then they go on another lorry to a tackle shop. They’ve been through a lot, hooks, so don’t check the points by feel, check by eye.
Just take what you use
Only carry what you actually use. I went fishing with a good friend of mine recently and he had more hooks than my local tackle shop. It was clear he was having a crisis of confidence, having been on a difficult venue not catching a lot, but I reminded him of his affections for a couple of patterns and insisted he remove everything else! I usually fill one box or packet with two or three packets worth. It saves space and let’s be honest, none of the packets are full to the brim at purchase, are they? There’s nothing worse than running out of a hook you’re catching all your fish on, mid-session!
Watch Jason Hayward
I like sharpening my hooks but not all hooks can be sharpened effectively. The CRV sharpens beautifully, but the LSK is best used straight from the packet. You’ll find it’s easy to get the sharpening process wrong, too. My advice is go on YouTube and watch the master, Jason Hayward, explain how to do it properly. Take your time with this process, too. As mentioned earlier, the hook is the single most crucial element of your rig. Don’t balls it up!
Go big with your hooks
Loads of anglers use too small a hook in my opinion. I use size 4’s with 12mm hookbaits, to give you some perspective. I think it’s a balance issue. How carp suck in a small hookbait compared to a big hookbait obviously alters how your rig behaves. It’s because of this I think the increased gape of the larger hooks is better. I will use small hooks, of course, but on a size 10 hook I’d probably have a 6-8mm hookbait. If you’re worried about losing fish, think about going bigger before you go smaller. In my experience, it’s the larger hook that gives a more positive hook hold.