Bending a hook point

[Solitario Lupo]

So anyone here actually bend their points out to the side. I’ve been missing a lot of hooksets. Think it’s how I’m pulling back to get it. Usually on the end of the drift I feel the bite and try to set the hook. I think since I’m in front and pulling the hook back at me the hook comes right out of their mouths and hook is not catching.
so I watched a vid and they say offset the hook point. I’ve seen some hooks come like this. So what’s your thought. Have you tried the offset points on hooks.

 

[Melvinp]

So anyone here actually bend their points out to the side. I’ve been missing a lot of hooksets. Think it’s how I’m pulling back to get it. Usually on the end of the drift I feel the bite and try to set the hook. I think since I’m in front and pulling the hook back at me the hook comes right out of their mouths and hook is not catching.
so I watched a vid and they say offset the hook point. I’ve seen some hooks come like this. So what’s your thought. Have you tried the offset points on hooks.

What kind of fish are you loosing and are you talking fly,lure or bait hooks (I don’t usually bend hooks but I do use offsets often)

 

[Solitario Lupo]

Been missing a lot of trout on flies. But it seems to happen to me even with some other fish. Using my plastic lures. Mostly flies.
Using the offset do you think your hookup ratio is better.

 

[Don]

So anyone here actually bend their points out to the side. I’ve been missing a lot of hooksets. Think it’s how I’m pulling back to get it. Usually on the end of the drift I feel the bite and try to set the hook. I think since I’m in front and pulling the hook back at me the hook comes right out of their mouths and hook is not catching.
so I watched a vid and they say offset the hook point. I’ve seen some hooks come like this. So what’s your thought. Have you tried the offset points on hooks.

Great question as I rarely resort to the violence of the Basser crowd. I do not violently set hooks. If the hook is sharp and the fish turns then the fish sets the hook. This is even more the case with Pickerel. I learned from fly fishing that when you hook up just start reeling and it all gets better from there on. some of these guys claim you can bend or break hooks. Balonney. They're pulling in world record Browns and Bass on Fly rigs with as little as size 26 hooks. The fish does not bend the hook...the fisherman bends or breaks the hook. Machoism can be our biggest enemy.

Don't be caught using a non-circle and/or offset bait hooks in waters stocked with Striper ( or is that Jersey only).
an offset hook is best.

These are my opinions but I will not fall on my sword for them.

 

[Solitario Lupo]

Don if you think you’re going to just a light pull on some with a bony mouth you’ll never set the hook. Got get aggressive sometimes haha.

As for circle hooks they do seem to work better and the offset hooks seem to grab a little better. When it comes to bait I usually just let a trout take it and it’s basically just a gut hook. With flies and goes with a lot of fish is they grab and then spit fast once they know it’s not food. So you need to be quick and give a pull to hook.

As for stripers they don’t protect them in some of the places I know around here but circle hooks are supposed to be the best for them.

 

[Melvinp]

Been missing a lot of trout on flies. But it seems to happen to me even with some other fish. Using my plastic lures. Mostly flies.
Using the offset do you think your hookup ratio is better.

I would say my biggest problems with hookups was that either the tail was too long or to much stuff in front of the hook bend.With my bugger patterns I try to keep the tail length about 3/4s of the length of the hook and bigger fluffy patterns I trim the fuzz from around the hook bend making sure nothing is blocking the opening

 

[Solitario Lupo]

I did that when I started tying was blocked a couple but I’ve been pretty good about not doing that. I’ll stick my finger on the point if it catches my finger I would think it should get the fishes mouth. The thing is it’s happening to even the simplest flies I’ve got.