# Teach me about hooks and weights



## kparrott154 (Mar 26, 2007)

Can someone help me with what size hooks and weights I should be using in different conditions? I have been fishing Texas rigged worms, I just am curious if the size weight and hook make a big difference(I know not to use a HUGE hook).


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## mpd5094 (Jun 20, 2005)

I typically fish with 4-6" worms. I use a 1/0 or 2/0 hook and 1/8oz. weight. If I'm fishing heavy grass I increase the weight to get through the grass. If I'm fishing bigger worms, 10", I'll use a 5/0 hook and a 1/2 oz or 3/4 oz weight. It works for me!


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Hook size, and the weight you're using make a big difference with soft plastics. It's really hard to suggest hook sizes for a couple of different reasons. (1) To determine size hook, you need take the thickness of the body of the bait you're going to be using, into account. For instance, if you're using a slender bodied 4" worm, a straight shank 1/0 worm hook would work well. But if you were to use a fatter bodied worm, you'd need to increase your hook size to a 2/0 or 3/0 in order to compensate for added body thickness. 

My personal way of determining hook size for a particular bait is.......If the bait has a solid body, I want the gap between the hooks shank and the body of the bait (when rigged) to be at least equal to the thickness of the body of the bait. If the body of the bait is hollow, as in a tube bait, I want the gap between hook and body of the bait to be at least half the thickness of the baits body. If you're wondering how I know which hook to buy for each bait. I will first go and get a package of the baits I want to use, and then head over to the hook section and find a hook that looks like it will match my criteria for hook size. If possible, I will actually take one of the baits and one of the hooks out of their packages and hold them in a rigged position, just to be sure. 

Another thing you want to consider when choosing hooks is the wire diameter or thickness of the hook itself. If you are using light line, or light tackle, a hook that is made of heavy wire is not going to be your best choice simply because your equipment isn't going to provide the power needed to set a heavy wire hook. In contrast, if you are using heavy line and heavy tackle, a light wire hook is not going to be your best choice because your tackle can over power the hook and cause it to bend, especially if you happen to be using braided line. So wire diameter and the gap between the hook and body of a rigged bait are two things you want to pay attention to.

One suggestion would be to pick a manufacturer and get familiar with their hook sizes. Hook sizes are pretty close to universal, but they do vary a bit between manufacturers, so picking one manufacturers hooks and getting familiar with them, will make it easier for you in the long run. Whatever you do, pick a good quality hook. Personally I'd suggest Owner hooks. They make a bunch of different types and sizes and they're all awesome hooks.

The size weight you use really depends on what you're trying to do with your bait. Things to consider when choosing weight size are..... Do you want your bait to fall slow, do you want you bait to fall fast. Do you want your bait to stay on or close to the bottom. Do you want to be able to swim your bait fast, or slow. If you're fishing cover, what type is it..... How thick is it. Are you fishing along the edges of cover, or are you trying to penetrate the cover. How deep is the water. What is the water's temperature. How long are the casts you're making. Are you fishing current. Are you fishing in wind.

As you can see there are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself when choosing what size weight to use. It's definitely not a one size fits all kind of thing. Your best bet is to buy a bunch of different size weights and experiment with them until you come across the correct combination for the day, or the particular spot or time you're fishing. For instance you may be catching fish along the edge of shallow water weed beds using a Texas rigged 6" worm with an 1/8 oz. sinker in the morning .... once the sun comes up the fish have moved into the weeds. Suddenly that 1/8 oz. sinker isn't doing you any good because it's not enough weight to get your bait down into the weeds. You change to a 1/4 weight so your bait will get into the weeds and you start catching fish again. 

Anyhow...... I can see I am starting to go long here. I hope I was able to help a little.


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