Hooks straightening out

Fact, or myth?

--riverman

riverman wrote:
Fact, or myth?

Fact. Been there, done that. Lost a really nice fish on the Owens in
California when the hook on the guide-supplied Hornberg turned into a
needle.
Frank Reid

"riverman" wrote in message
Fact, or myth?

I *have* had a #8 streamer hook open sufficiently to lose a nice salmon.
While "straighten out" is a bit of an exaggeration, it wasn't exactly hook
shaped when I got it back either.

Joe

On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:26:51 +0800, "riverman" wrote:

Fact, or myth?

--riverman


Well, perhaps overstated along with other hyperbolic emissions, but certainly
not a myth. I've had #20 nymph hooks straightened, hardly epic events, those
are tiny freakin' hooks after all. I also had a #16 light wire caddis hook
straightened by a fair-hooked 'bow that others that saw it claim was nearly
two feet long. All were while fishing in strong currents over large fish that
only had to turn sideways to put enormous pressure on the hook.

Over 40 years of flyfishing I bet it hasn't happened to me more than five
times total. And I bet 98% of the flies I used over that time were tied on
pedestrian Mustad hooks...

/daytripper

riverman wrote:
Fact, or myth?

--riverman

I've had hooks straighten out, but rarely (or maybe never) due to
fighting a fish. It typically happens when I'm using very heavy tippet
and I pull loose from a snag. I should always check the hook after that,
but sometimes I don't, and I discover the damage after losing a fish.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 20:26:51 +0800, "riverman" wrote:

Fact, or myth?

--riverman


Here's an experiment for you:

Gather a selection of hooks, any that you wish to test, and _file_ the
barb off any barbed hooks.

Take some fairly high strength (like 30-40 lb test) mono and tie a snap
swivel to one end to facilitate hook-switching. If you don't have a
reel loaded up with such, just tie the other end to a stick, length of
dowel, or any other object you on which you can get a good hold. I
realize that this is defeating the protection afforded by tippet, but
the test is for hooks, not other terminal tackle or line.

Then take at least one "soft" plastic container that will hold about
8-10 lbs/4 kg of water (where they are used, a gallon water/milk jug
will work) and fill it.them with water. If you are testing smaller
hooks, you one "jug," if larger, tie as many "jugs" together as it would
take to approximate the weight of any likely quarry for that hook. Tie
a retrieval line onto the jug(s) and hook your first hook _into_ the/a
jug, obviously attaching it to the swivel and mono (use an awl,
marlinspike, nail, etc., if needed to get an appropriate hole for the
hook). Toss the "jug" into a swimming pool, hot tub, etc. (NOT INTO A
LAKE, RIVER, POND, or any other place where you'd be polluting unless
you're willing to do _whatever_ it takes to retrieve _everything_ you
toss in).

Give the line a few hard tugs until _something_ happens.

I suspect that you'll find that hooks can "straighten out" (or break) at
least enough to lose fish (or water jugs, hence the retrieval line and
cautions about where you conduct this experiment...)

TC,
R

On Wed, 11 Oct 2006 10:01:31 -0500, wrote:

Slight corrections:


If you are testing smaller hooks, _use_ one "jug," if
larger _hooks/quarry_, tie as many "jugs"...

"riverman" wrote in message ...
Fact, or myth?

--riverman



I've had hooks "straighten" several times ....note that what the others say
applies, they don't get "straight" just not bent enough to hook any more,
allowing the fish his freedom.

I've also had hooks break, where I had flattened the barbs, while fighting
fish .... which is one reason I now buy only factory barbless hooks.

Note: I fish with mostly smallish flies ( #18 most common over a season )
and use light wire hooks for some very sparse spring creeky ties ... a
Tiemco 103BL, for instance, is a lovely light wire hook for such patterns
but it is the weak link in a system that includes 5X and good knots. I
have had small standard nymph hooks ( 9206?? ) open a couple times, but only
on very fat tippet, and with truly large fish that I tried to muscle when
they were still very strong right after being hooked ... not in a more
standard fishing situation.

HEHE, speaking of myth, the spot/fish in the link I posted for rw was ( the
heavy water last Spring changed the stream and it's no longer there ) a
local 'secret' in W.Yellowstone. When I told Craig Mathews that story and
showed him my straightened PS nymph he knew exactly, to the foot, where I
had been and had several funny stories of locals trying to catch the fish
..... including one about a guy that brought a huge fish into the shop with a
bullet hole in it!! ... the guy had gotten so frustrated he had gone back
and shot a fish!! Now it's true that Craig told me that story, but whether
it was a true story? I don't know G



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

riverman wrote:
Fact, or myth?

--riverman

Fact.
Fish or snag, a gape can be opened enough for release with a strong
enough tippett, knots and yank.

Steve

riverman wrote:
Fact, or myth?

--riverman


About a decade ago, I was fishing a particularly heavy run of chinook
salmon. The bodies were so thick that you would constantly foul-hook
them. I resorted to using flies tied on a soft wire hook that would
bend open if I gave a steady hard pull. That way I wasn't constantly
re-rigging after snapping off a fin-hooked fish. I had to play
fair-hooked fish more carefully, but I was catching enough that I didn't
much care if I lost one.

Pete Collin