Werlax wrote:

Bob wrote:

snipped
With the exception of a few species of fish that have very soft
mouths such as Crappie, no rod, reel, and line combination that I
have ever used, can actually rip the hooks out of the mouth of any
game fish. Bass, Northerns, Walleye, Muskie, etc., all have a mouth
structure that is boney and more than strong enough to keep the hooks
in, if they are set well.

I didn't realize this. I guess I should pay closer attention when I remove
the hooks. I always assumed it was soft tissue (despite my trouble removing
the occasional hook). I'll keep this in mind.

Some ideas to help;
1 - Use a hook sharpener regularly on all of your hook sets.

I don't currently own a hook sharpener. I never figured sharp hooks would
make a difference. They're sharp enough to jab me so I imagined they were
sharp enough to take a fish. Really, though, wouldn't they have to be
pretty dull to be a problem? I'll have to head over to the tackle shop
again. Thanks. I'm always looking for excuses. My wife wonders why I have
duplicates of some things. I tell her because I just can't leave the place
without a new pack of hooks or something.

Mark

In my experience sharp hooks make a BIG difference. I often sharpen the
new ones before using them as straight from the factory they aren't
always as sharp as I prefer. I test hooks by dragging the point across
the back of my thumbnail. As Bob noted the mouths of most game fish are
quite hard and bony; similar to consistancy of a fingernail. If the
hooks catch and dig in they are sharp enough. If they skip on your nail
they are likely to do the same in fishes mouth.

Jon