Best recommended Hooks ! So many out there. Help !

[108831]

I just cant get chub to take that amount of maggots trotting,on the lead/feeder yes,maybe on the venue I was fishing Tuesday the barbel would be up for it,lol...

 

[Keith M]

I don’t squeeze maggots onto my hook quite as tightly as Ian does; but I do put up to five or six maggots onto a size 14 hook.

I’ve never found the need to use ‘dead’ maggots on a hard bottomed river bed like some recommend though.

Keith

 

[sam vimes]

tigger, Sam viMrs,

out of interest - how do you feed? How much, frequently etc?

also, when you’re stuffing a relatively small hook with multiple grubs ... do you suffer lots with maggot doubling back over the point of the hook? Ie. Bumped fish due to point not penetrating?

On the local rivers, I tend to feed by hand, little and often. How often and how much will depend on how the session goes. It'll rarely be huge amounts but if a session is going well it might end up being very frequent. One "handful" (which won't be that many) just before the float goes in and, if I'm long trotting, possibly another handful half way down the trot.

I don't stuff a hook like Ian. I also tend to use crystal bend hooks and make sure that the last maggot sits on that bend. I do suffer the occasional double back, but not often. If it happens, I tend to reduce the number of maggots on the hook by one. I also tend to use the bigger maggots threaded on the shank of the hook and smaller examples on the bend.

 

[silvers]

I was thinking that Alan and my similar experience (having Started out on the same circuit ) and how it differs from others might be to do with feeding ... as in we tried to get the chub feeding on the drop the hook bait imitating the column of loose feed.
I’ve only had significant success with multi maggot baits (Above a double) when either legering or not feeding ... just running a bait past likely lairs.

doesn’t seem like that’s the explanation though.

 

[sam vimes]

My suspicion is that both Ian and I are fishing relatively shallow and fast paced rivers. The fish have no time to be fussy. They either grab it while they can or they give it a miss. There's little chance for them to inspect a bait carefully. Those that struggle for bites when trotting multiple maggots are probably fishing more sedate paced water (ask John Step about my haunts). It may be that they are also more pressured, certainly than my usual stretches, which I largely have to myself. There are so few barbel and decent chub these days, most can't be bothered. They get sick of legering for the bigger specimens and catching nowt. I just fish for what is there, not what isn't.

 

[peytr]

Gamakatsu LS 1310N and close equivalents. Silver preferably.

I have 20 different hook types in my seat box but this is the go to hook for anything. Holds soft paste and is still fine enough for maggot. Strong and looks right. 30 years ago it was the Mustad Limerick. Now (for me) it is this one.

 

[markcw]

I could squeeze on several more if I tried Mike .

Why not hook one and superglue the others to it to create a bunch ,?
I used to do it but top n tail with red maggots or pinkies on waters where bloodworm was banned but you knew the place was full of the stuff.

 

[tigger]

Why not hook one and superglue the others to it to create a bunch ,?
I used to do it but top n tail with red maggots or pinkies on waters where bloodworm was banned but you knew the place was full of the stuff.

No need, it takes me seconds to hook em on, it would take yonks faffing with glue. I change then very regulary also,, sometimes every trott if somethings chewed em or they just look shitty.
They would hang shitty all glued to one or even against several.