Hook Explanation?

[RF813]

There are 3 types of hooks i've used so far. The EWG (1), The round Bend (4) and the O'Shaughnessy bend. (3).  I picked up a pack of skip gap (2) in hopes it may hold plastics a bit better, but really, is there an appropriate time to use one over the other?  Is there really that much difference between an O'Shaughnessy and a round to make any difference at all?  

 

I'd love to get people's perspective on this. 

 

 

 

[junyer357]

I fell in love with skip gaps for lizards and creatures. They do hold the lure on better in my experience.

[rippin-lips]

I use the skip gap a lot. I wish it came in a thicker version but it's held up very well so far.

[papajoe222]

Yes, there is and a lot of those reasons are personal. I, personally would never use a O'Shaughnessy bend worm hook as I feel that style is more appropriate for live bait.  I prefer a round bend worm hook for soft jerkbaits and an EWG for creature and beaver style baits. My favorite hook for the remainder of applications is a straight shank, round bend worm hook.  I've tried the Skip-Gap for tubes, and it does hold the bait well, but it's a pain to thread through an internal tube weight.

If they made an EWG in a straight shank, I'd love to check them out as I'm not a big fan of off-set hooks.

[kingmotorboat]

I found t rigging on an offset round bend hook to be easier and a better hook ratio

[smalljaw67]

Ok, here is how I break down which hook to use and which one does what, they all have a reason and purpose. EWG or extra wide gap, these became popular because of creature baits, with an oversize gap the hook has more hook point coming through the plastic which means better penetration, use on beavers or worms that are thick. The round bend hook is the original worm hook, I use these a lot on T-rigged and split shot rigged finesse worms as they have plenty of bite and have a smaller profile which helps when coming through cover. The sproat and O'Shaughnessy bend, these are what use to be popular on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits before larger round bends became the norm. I'll be honest in that I have a finesse buzzbait that I use and it is cheap but it uses a Laser sharp hook with the O'Shaughnessy bend, it is a 1/4oz Luck-E-Strike buzzbait you find in walmart and are sold in a kit. What I like is the holding ability, once you hook a fish with a hook using an O'Shaughnessy bend, they rarely come off but I don't like them any larger than a 2/0 because that bend also hampers hook up and the smaller hooks penetrate better with less force. I will also say that I make a copy of the Eakins jig, and I like using a Mustad 32893 which has a sproat bend, similar to an O'Shaughnessy but a little more open, the same sproat bend hook was used in the original Eakins jig because of the holding ability of that type of hook and the more open bite of a sproat made it great for a thin trailer like a craw worm. So the last one is one you don't need to worry about but use the wide gap on thicker plastics and use the round bend on normal thickness or thin worms.