Hooks for pike: types and features, sizes, which hook is better to choose

Predatory fish like pike are considered a desirable trophy for most anglers, both professional and novice. Moreover, the pike lives in almost all fresh water bodies of the country. This fish bites on almost all types of baits, both artificial and live bait. When catching a predator, the main attention should be paid to the strength and reliability of equipment, in particular, fishing line, rods and hooks.

Types of hooks for pike fishing

Pike fishing is a laborious process, but under the right conditions it can show the best results. At the same time, not only the current and depth of the water are important, but also the quality of the gear, including the hook. You need to pay attention to the size, design, shape and other parameters of the hook, which will undoubtedly affect the amount of catch. There are several types of pike hooks:

1. Offset.
2. Double hook or double.
3. Tee.

The shape and dimensions of the hook directly depend on the size of the expected catch, the method of setting the live bait and other parameters. For example, a large hook will not allow the pike to capture it completely. Too small hook size is not able to grasp the mouth of the fish sufficiently.

The most optimal hook size for pike fishing is considered to be a hook of 3-7 numbers.

Sometimes fishermen build special gear, consisting of 2 or 3 hooks. It is important that before hunting the hook is so sharp that it could easily pierce the body of the fish even with the slightest attack. Let us consider in more detail the features of each type of hook.

Photo: Pike on the hook

Offset (single)

This hook is a specially designed variant that is designed to replace the conventional single hook for hunting predatory fish. It has a special shape – it has a special bend on the forearm (part of the hook from the head to the beginning of the hook) and is usually used when fishing with spinning.

offset hook

Offset hooks can be used for mounting types such as:

1. Texas rig – suitable for catching fish in thickets and snags.
2. A retractable leader that performs best when catching calmer fish.
3. Carolina rig – most suitable for live bait play.
4. Drop-shot, most often used for passive pike fishing from a high bank, plumb or casting from a boat.

Double (double hook)

This type of hook is often used by anglers in the winter to set up vents. It is very convenient to extract the double from the depths of the pike’s mouth with minimal damage. It is also easy to attach a live bait for catching small fish. The bait must be chosen in the appropriate size, since a small hook and a large nozzle will not give the expected result, although they will not cling to snags. Conversely, a large double and a small bait will cause constant hooks on thickets and snags.

On such a hook, live bait can be planted in several ways. The most popular are the nozzle under the gills, behind the back and behind the lip of the live bait. Compared to a single hook, a double hook provides a greater chance of catching, which is why it is popular with most anglers.

Tee

Triple hooks are most often used in mid-water or sandy waters where they rarely catch on any obstacle. They can be used in both summer and winter seasons. They can also be used for fishing with spinners, wobblers or balancers. One of the significant disadvantages of tees is their bulkiness, which increases the likelihood of them being hooked on snags. In addition, when catching pike, it sticks deep into its mouth, so it is difficult to extract it without special equipment.

Triple hooks can be serrated or semi-serrated. The first ones have a beard on all 3 sides, and the second ones only on one side. Experienced anglers prefer semi-toothed tees, but their use requires some skill when the predator is active. On the plus side: they are easy to pull out of the mouth of the fish without injuring it.

Hooks-non-hooks for pike and their features

Underwater vegetation and snags often become an obstacle to a good catch, although it is in dense thickets that the most fish are found. Pike is one of those fish that love algae and are found precisely in places of accumulation of vegetation, snags and stones. In such cases, when it is impossible to get fish with ordinary baits, special non-hooking hooks come to the aid of fishermen, which show excellent results in snarled ponds. Most often, non-hooks are used when catching pike on spinning.

Non-hooks may differ in their shape and design, but they all help to develop hard-to-reach and promising areas of water bodies. The main types of non-hooks are jig baits, spinnerbaits, non-hooking spinners, gliders and others:

1. Non-hooking spinners are protected in the form of wire with special springs, fishing lines, some can even be hidden inside the lures. The principle of operation of such hooks is to bend the wires on the spring at the moment the pike grabs, as a result of which it is possible to detect the fish. Minnow brand spinners are considered the most popular among non-hooks.
2. For lovers of jig fishing, silicone-coated offsets are offered, that is, the hook is hidden inside the silicone, which freely passes through the thickets. There are also foam baits with a double, with a grip of which the foam is compressed, and the pike becomes prey.
3. A glider is most often used as a lure for surface fishing. They have a three-dimensional shape and light weight, which are achieved due to the plastic used in the manufacture. Inside it is a hook and a load, and the non-hook itself easily slides over the surface, creating vibrations on the water. In its appearance and shape, the bait imitates small rodents or frogs.
4. Spinnerbaits are considered one of the popular spinning baits, although they are not as versatile for hunting in dense thicket and are successful mainly in snags.

Finnish hook for pike

This type of hook has been known to anglers for a long time and is one of the most effective methods of successful fishing. It is made of steel spring wire 1 mm thick. It is easy to make, so many fishermen make it on their own.

A feature of its design is that the forearm is usually short and does not reach the gills of the fish, and on it there are 2 sharp antennae without a beard. Thanks to this structure, it easily falls into the throat, and then into the stomach of a predator, after which the antennae of the hook are stuck into the tissues and become thrust, and sometimes the hook even goes out along with the insides.

The predator almost never leaves such a bait, unless at the first stage of the attack or grip. Often anglers are advised to take spare leashes with Finnish hooks for hunting. This is necessary in cases where the predator swallows the hook and it remains in its stomach indefinitely. In this case, to continue hunting, it is more convenient to unfasten the leash and put on a new one.

In a special way, the live bait is fixed on such a hook. For this, a method is used to pass a metal hook leash under the gills of the bait. Then it is taken out from under the gill cover and attached to the clasp on the fishing line of the vent. With this method, the live bait swims in a natural position and attracts the attention of a predator.

What kind of hook is needed for pike fishing

There are many opinions about what type of hook is best for pike fishing. Someone uses single, someone tees, but many agree that you need to choose a hook depending on the type of live bait and how it is baited. In addition, pike hooks are selected depending on the type, length and height of the lure. When buying artificial fish, it is best to apply them to the hook in order to understand how well it will sit on it.

Also, experienced anglers are advised to pay attention to such parameters as the quality of the wire, the width of the hook, the antennae of the hook bent inward and the method of attaching the hook to the leash.

What size pike hook to choose

As noted above, you first need to decide on the bait, and already pick up a hook in size for it. If you do not guess with the ratio, then you can get fewer hooks for the bottom, but the number of gatherings and empty bites will increase. It is important to remember that according to the international classification, with an increase in the number, the size of the hook becomes smaller. So, number 24 is considered the smallest hook.

Offset

For pike fishing, an offset hook of size No. 5/0 is most often used, but the bait should also match it. It is better to pick up a hook, the length of which will be approximately 1/2 the length of the body of the bait.

Double

A double hook of size No. 7 according to domestic numbering will be the most suitable for pike fishing. According to the international classification, a double No. 6-8 is often used.

Tee

When fishing for pike on live bait, a tee No. 3-7 according to international numbering is mainly used. Triple hooks are also often used in spinning fishing.

Which hooks are best

For pike fishing, different types of hooks and different mounting techniques are used. They are selected depending on the time of year, the depth of the reservoir, the gear used and the method of fishing. The most important requirement for a hook is its sharpness, since the mouth of a pike is hard and rather toothy, and it can be difficult to securely hook it.

For spinning fishing

The most popular lures for spinning fishing are wobblers, spinners and silicone lures. For each bait, appropriate hooks are selected.

1. For oscillating and rotating baubles, single, double and triple hooks are used. Sometimes a hook with 4 or even more hooks is used.
2. Wobblers are rarely equipped with double hooks, triple or single are often used.
3. Silicone baits are equipped with an offset, double or triple hook.

For fishing on silicone, it is better to purchase special offset hooks. They can be of various shapes. When choosing, it is also necessary to focus on the size, shape of the bait and the estimated weight of the trophy. In the event that the bait is narrow-bodied and elongated, hooks with a straight forearm will do. However, the most popular are models with a wide bend on the forearm – it is this shape that allows you to securely hook the fish, thereby reducing the number of empty bites.

For girders

All types of hooks, both single and double and tees, are used for gantry fishing:

• Single are used when the size of the live bait is not more than 5 cm, however, this method increases the number of exits of the predator from the hook.
• Double hooks are used for “lazy” equipment, when its forends are threaded through the gills of the live bait fish, and the predator swallows it without noticing the hook. Therefore, the number of empty bites or abandoned live bait is much less.

Often tees are used for girders. They guarantee the maximum percentage of successful strikes and bringing prey to the ice.

How to take a pike off the hook

In addition to good equipment and a suitable hook, you need to have a special tool in your arsenal to extract the hook from the fish’s mouth. Yawner – pike extractor (fishing clamp or tongs). Of course, the small teeth of the pike will not allow you to bite off the angler’s hand or drag the dog near the water, but some precautions still need to be observed.

Using a Yawn to Retrieve a Hook

Yawner and extractor

Photo: Fishing clamp

How to pull a hook out of a pike

To correctly pull the hook out of the caught pike, you need to do the following:

1. Having pulled the pike out of the water, you need to lay it with its head to the left; if the angler is right-handed, the glove should also be put on the left hand.
2. Next, pass 2 fingers along the gill wall into the gap under the jaws and raise the pike’s head so that the mouth opens.
3. With proper hooking, the nozzle should be near the mouth. You can remove it with a fishing clip. If this is a tee, then you can ask your partner for help to hold the leash.
4. Some anglers still use a pike gaper to help hold the mouth open to retrieve the hook.
5. If the fish has swallowed the hook deeply, then you can use a special industrial hook extractor or extractor.

The use of a barbless hook and proper hooking are a guarantee of unimpeded extraction from the predator’s mouth.

For successful pike hunting, it is important to choose the right type of hook. Pay attention to the material of its manufacture, the bait used and its size. In addition, the type of reservoir, current, season and, of course, the weight of the fish itself are of great importance. In order to get a good catch, you should stock up on different types of hooks. And use them, adjusting to specific fishing conditions.