hook sizes for barra lures

[rc@hinze]

Maybe this post should be in tackle but I am interested to hear from the regulars on this chat board.

We all read about upgrading hooks for impoundment barra as they can easily be over a metre these days. What about the size of the hooks? I wondered after my recent trip, and when reading other posts about fish throwing lures so easily and how this can be minimised.

A large barra has an incredibly large mouth that could easily take a bigger hook.(I know that not all get hooked in the mouth) Many of the lures we buy have an all round hook size for the lure in question and may not be barra specific.( especially 1metre+)

When upgrading do think the size of the hook should go up as well? If so what size? Do you think this would then decrease the rate of thrown lures withstanding other issues?

thanks
Richard

[NAGG]

I'd dare say that many many barra are lost due to hooks tearing out of the barras mouth ...... & this can happen just as easily with No1 , 1/O & 2/O trebles .... as it would with 6/O jig heads!
then if you do get a good hinge hookup ...... & apply enough pressure , you can straighten the hook ( jaw pressure will open up trebles too)
So from my prospective .... use the strongest & largest hooks that wont detract from a lure / SPs action ( you can of course turn a floater to a suspender / slow sinker.... by increasing hook size)

On the other hand .........Just remember the next barra that is caught on a Jackall TN60 .... wont be the last

Nagg

[Dick Pasfield]

Probably old hat to you mob but I'm replacing a few of the mustads on my scorps with 7/0 hoodlums (5/0s in the Tilsans) tied on with that fancy string (kevlar?) The lure swims fine and theres no way a fish can gain leverage on the hook to straighten them.

Advantages - they just about alway jaw hook and you can dial up the pressure well above standard trebles, a great way to red line your gear. They are a neat pin hole, no spare trebles jagged in a fish's eye or gills.

Disadvantages - When the fish are just head butting the lure any hookup is a fluke (only ever had one) but how many body hook ups stay connected when you're losing an argument with some big sucker wanting to get into the timber?

[McCod]

Yeah mate i would recommend in most cases to upgrade to the next size up and loose the middle treble..... Example 125mm 3,4 or 8 mtr Halco Scorpions come standard with 3 crappie blunt #2 Mustards! Turf the lot is the bin or let em gather dust in the shed..... Replace with 2 x #1 Owner 4x Strong's on the front and back and use 2 split rings per hook. The hook gap is wider, it hangs lower equalling more hook exposure and being double split ringed also helps with lure action and mitigates twisting leverage from the barra's jaw crunching. Been using this set up with almost 100% of my hard bodies for the last 6 years or so and i believe its contributed to hook ups staying pinned by at least 50% or more. This method is catching on of late with a reasonable amount of anglers doing the same thing or at least with 2 larger trebles anyway.I think it won't to to long before we see a few Aussie lure makers optioning lures with XS larger 2 treble models. A few years back DK lures started releasing 2 hook Scale Razors that were designed for short coarse game fishing "Faust monsters in the sticks" Bandit lures now do the DK range along with this model that's had a name change " Prowler".


Cheers Les

[PNG1M]

Thanks for the tip McCod,

I'm always on the lookout for how to vary lure set-ups with treble variations etc.

I've got a heap of Owner Hyperwire size 5# & 6# split rings and boxes of Owner x4 size 1/0, 2/0 & 3/0 trebles that I've been accumulating (along with 'too many' new lures - never can have enough).

I've been psyching up for a big 'upgade' session where I'll go through all the lures and do the biz on them. I'll definately give your idea a go by ditching the middle treble on some lures and doing the double split ring thing.

By the size of the Owner 3/0's I would have thought that size would be close to the max for upgrades on the standard 110 - 160mm lures.

Wouldn't the sizes larger than that be too 'treble heavy'? If bigger trebles are used like 4/0 & 5/0, the hooks to me look 'just too darn big' and seem to dwarf the size of the lure.

I was going to use the 3/0s on my largest lures only with the majority being upgraded with 1/0 & 2/0 trebles & size 5# splits. I thought that would be ample as I've seen good fish landed before, including 1m+ barra with as small as size 1# trebles (or whatever that size is the next one smaller than 1/0, is it size 1# ?)

Anyway, that's why I'm still 'waiting' for the right day for the upgrade session so I can consider the alternatives & combinations before I commit to the assault.

[BR65]

Les, I followed your advice re larger trebles, lose the middle hook and double splits a while back, and now have probably 75% of my snag bashing HB's modified that way.
Slows down the rise, more "pivot" with the double splits, less hooks equals less damage to a face hooked fish, and I havent noticed a decrease in hook up ratios at all, rather the reverse, with less lures thrown back at me
thanks for the tip
cheers
brian