Improved hook-ups

[Korrie]

I would like to share a little trick that have improved my hook-up rate.
I have tried this for a season or two, before I started to talk about it.
First wanted some field testing done, before I start a false rumour.
Here is a little excersice to proof it.

Take a normal straight shank hook and tie some strong tippet material on the eye of the hook. Take about 20 sheets of normal copier paper, split the pile in about 60:30
The tickest pile at the bottom.
Put your straight shank hook in between the 2 piles. Roughly in the middle of the page. Apply firm pressure with your one hand on the area where your hook is. With the other hand pull the tippet material with the hook attached out of the pile. You will be able to pull the hook right out of the pile.

Now take the hook and bend the point of the hook slightly off centre.

Redo excercise.
You will see the hook immediately starts to dig into the pile of papers, no matter which way you place the hook. With the "off centre point" facing to the softer, thinner top section, or facing downward to the more solid thicker pile lying on the bottom.
The best part is the more you pull, the more the hook digs into the paper.

The same principal applies when you pull the hook thru the jaws of the fish.
A lot of the nymph hooks you know find on the shelfs, will have an off centred hook point.

Try it and let me know.

[clarias]

Just about all bait fishing hooks (which I use to tie) have off centre points... I don;t know why so many fly hooks have straight points except that they maybe
swim straighter. Does anyone know the answer?

[Korrie]

Some one said to me that this will cause his flies to not swim straight,
I will do any thing so that my flies swim a bit more erratic. That is how the naturals behave.

[chris williams]

That's right, that's why most Czech nymph hooks are kirbed or reversed ('off centre') - especially effective for grayling as well as trout/yellows etc

[gkieser]

now look at the mark in the paper from the offset hook. compare it to the mark with the straight hook.

methinks you have the answer - i would think there is a conservation issue here.

[Korrie]

I have had a lot less hook ups where the hook is only in the thinnest of flesh. They penetrate deeper and are more vas. Also lost a lot less fish in the fight.

[gkieser]

my question is this: Does the inside of the fish's mouth look like the paper? If so i am not buying into this deal..

[Chris Shelton]

ahhhh shamieeee.....poor liddle troutieeeeeeee get a liddle scratchy in da mouthieeee

Grant...you're too much!!

[Chris Shelton]

Good one Korrie! Never thought of that before

[NEptuNE]

Hey dudes
Hooks depend on fish size and type of mouth or jaw type. Soft mouthed fish like smallies and carp over 6lb can be fought for longer before the hook pulls through the flesh of its mouth if you use an offset hook, especially a forged offset hook. You just have to work out which you prefer. If the hook is tearing loose then obiously the fish's mouth is being damaged. Also offset hooks tend to hook up on structure and substrate more often which can be frustrating at the best of times.