Using The Best Hooks For Carp Fishing
So, you’ve purchased a bunch of boilies, and you’ve grabbed a sturdy rod to fight even the biggest carp. What hooks do you use, though? That can be a difficult question to answer because carp have such weird mouths.
However, there are three hooks that I’ve used extensively throughout my time fishing for carp, and I think you’ll grow to love them if you try them out.
Inward Carp Hooks
Inward-facing hooks come in many different styles and variations, and you can find them in patterns that are designed for all types of fish. For carp, you want the ones that have a large and deep curve.
You can tell that a hook has an inward-facing eye by looking at the position of the eye in relation to the hook’s point. Imagine being able to bend the eye down to the hook’s point. If you were looking at an inward-facing hook, you would be able to put the point through the eye of the hook.
Obviously, you can’t bend your hooks in half, and if you can, you’ll ruin them. However, that’s a good way for you to paint a mental picture that will help you select your next batch of carp hooks.
I really love hooks with inward-facing eyes because they’re versatile. I like to switch up my rigs when the fishing slows down, and I don’t like having to dig through my tackle box for a new type of hook every time I do that.
You can use these hooks for boilies, snowman rigs, peanut butter balls, corn rigs, and just about anything else that involves natural bait. They turn quickly, and they don’t need to be aligned when you tie them on.
My favorite rig to use these with for carp is the snowman rig. A snowman rig is a series of three hooks. The bottom hook is the biggest, the middle hook is a medium hook, and the top hook is tiny. It’s best to only use snowman rigs when you want to eat the carp. They’re difficult to remove, and they can get swallowed pretty easily. If that happens, the fish will die after a short amount of time.
If you only use a single hook at a time, I recommend going with a bigger hook. Size-ten hooks are great for catching big carp, and they allow you to use bigger baits. If you use smaller baits, try to use something that’s a size-four.
Circle Hooks
Circle hooks have gotten popular with fishermen that target catfish, but American carp anglers are starting to use them a lot more, too. They don’t require you to set the hook, and they’re hard for carp to spit out.
You can tell a circle hook apart from other patterns because it looks like a circle. In fact, the tip curves so much that it almost touches the shank.
If you’ve never used a circle hook before, it might be a little weird when you first start. It’s the only type of hook that you’re not supposed to set. It does all of the work on its own, and if you try to set it, you just rip the hook out of the carp’s mouth.
You can use these with a lot of different rigs, but you don’t want to use them with rigs that require you to bury your hook in the bait. They’re great for snowman rigs, umbrella rigs, and other multi-hook rigs, though.
I recommend starting with a size-six hook when you first start fishing for carp. That’s a great middle-ground, and it’ll allow you to use the majority of carp baits. Once you get a little more experience under your belt, you can start adjusting your hook size.
Bent-Shank Hooks
Bent-shank hooks are exactly what they sound like. Their shanks are bent into a shallow curve, and their shanks are a bit longer than what you’ll see on average hooks.
These hooks are a bit controversial in the world of carp fishing. A lot of carp fishermen believe that bent-shank hooks will damage the mouths of carp, but I’ve never personally witnessed that happening. That’s also a possibility with all hook patterns, and it’s important that fishermen learn how to quickly and properly remove hooks before they start to blame the hooks themselves for damaging fish.
That is something that you should consider before using them, though. I haven’t injured carp with bent-shank hooks, but that doesn’t mean that every other carp angler is lying. Take their warnings seriously. If you notice that you’re causing unnecessary harm to the carp, you might want to try another hook pattern.
These are best to use when you’re trying to target large carp. They turn extremely quickly, and they force their barbs through the thicker mouths of large carp. They’re just a lot easier to set than other hooks, and they utilize your strength a lot better than other hooks.
I recommend using a size-ten hook when you’re using these. You should be targeting larger carp with these anyways, and a larger hook will allow you to properly use larger baits.
Tips For Using Carp Fishing Hooks
Here are three things that you should try during your next carp fishing trip.
- Try using dangling hooks. If you can make a rig that utilizes several free-floating hooks, you’ll have an easier time hooking into carp. Just don’t use multi-hook rigs at fishing spots that have hook limits. You’ll get a nasty surprise from the game warden.
- Sharpen all of your carp hooks. Carp mouths aren’t as hard as gar mouths, but they’re still a little difficult to penetrate when you use dull hooks. If you simply take the time to put proper points on your hooks, you’ll catch a lot more fish.
- Experiment with different patterns. I listed three hooks that I keep in my tackle box at all times, but you might have better luck with one of the many variations of those patterns that are available. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
Carp Hooks Mentioned In This Post
Final Thoughts
If you want to catch carp, you have to use hooks that work well with their unique mouths. Carp have mouths that are designed to suck in water and blow out debris. They’re not like bass that inhale everything in sight.
I’ve listed three of my favorite hooks, but there are many different variations of those hooks that you can try. Just try to stick to hooks that are in the same family as my suggestions.
