Small Mouth hook sizes

[DRFTR]

I have so many random hooks around and as i learn more about rigging techniques i want to grab an assortment of finesse hooks, hooks for rigging weedless, hooks for plastics bumping over rocks

 

Primarily fishing for small mouth in rivers in Michigan. 

 

Seems like hook sizes ness me up....im in the store looking at them all and often dont know where to start

[Kdizzle]

#1, 1/0, and 2/0 are the only real sizes youll need for smallmouth, unless you are really finesse fishing with a drop shot or ned rig. 

[Jig Man]

I use 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0 for them depending on the bait.

[Michigander]

Hook sizes vary wildly between manufacturers and even within a single manufacturer's lines. For example, compare an Owner 4/0 Beast Hook to an Owner 4/0 TwistLock hook. Both 4/0 but the Beast is much bigger. For Smallmouth, especially river smallies, you are going to want a slightly smaller hook than for largemouth sometimes but not always, which isn't super helpful. It just depends.

 

I would advise you to make sure the hook is the appropriate size for the lure/bait you are throwing. If they can eat the bait, they will also get the hook. I've caught smallmouth on swim jigs with a big 5/0, so it doesn't really matter as long as you avoid the truly giant hooks. Leave the 10/0 hooks for the musky.

[ww2farmer]

Size the hook to the bait. Smallies have big enough mouths and enough attitude to woof down anything a largemouth would....especially if they are in groups and competing with each other for food. It's a sight to behold to watch a 3lb smallmouth chase a 5lb hooked largemouth to the boat on a 7" senko and watch that smallmouth try and steal the bait out of his mouth.

[Bird]

Learn particular techniques and you'll find the same hook that you'd use for LM, will be the same hook used for SM.

 

As stated above, SM aggression makes up for it's smaller mouth.

 

Catch SM frequently on 5/0 buried in a magnum fluke.

[Log Catcher]

I agree with @ww2farmer about hook sizes. I always size my hooks to the bait I am using. I have caught SMB several times on baits that are sized and used more for LMB.

[Bdnoble84]

I agree with everything said above about sizing hook to bait. The biggest issue i have is using a hook that is too small for the plastic im throwing as the hook point really doesnt get through the plastic properly to ensure hookups. Case in point, ive caught big bull bluegill on a 3/0 spinnerbait with a 3.8 keitech. If a bluegill can swallow that, a smallie will have no issue getting hooked on anything you throw at them. Alot of my smallie misses on plastics are due to their affinity to like to grab the tail or other appendages on the bait. I also get in trouble trying to use a bone breaking hook-set on them the way u might a largemouth in cover. do much better with a sweeping hookset but again thats the style of hook i like to use are ewgs.

[Boomstick]

For the most part, I use the same sizes for smallies as I do largies, but I will downsize a little bit if I am fishing a smallie only lake. I will use #1 or sometimes #2 hooks when drop shotting smallies, and instead of using my standard 4/0, I will use a 3/0 or sometimes even a 2/0.

[Ogandrews]

For dropshotting and wacky rigging I will either use a 1 or 2 owner mosquito light or a vmc sure set dropshot hook. For river fishing though majority of the time I will rig my plastics on some sort of jig head. The most universal when around rocks in my opinion is some sort of finesse football head which really helps with not getting snagged. Most of the time I will use a 1/8th or 1/4 oz head depending on depth and current. I’ll use this to rig any craw/creature/worm I want to have bottom contact. For tubes I usually use a tube jig head, although sometimes I will use a ball head also. For swimbaits and grubs I will usually use a darterhead or just a regular ball head jig. I pretty much never t rig in the rivers I fish so I don’t even bother bringing stuff for it. I have spent a lot of time in Michigan and most of the rivers you will be fishing will be very similar to the ones I fish here in south east Minnesota. If I could only bring a handful of baits for these rivers it would be a strike king rage menace in green pumpkin on a small football head, a 2.5” power tube in green pumpkin with a tube jig head inserted in the tube, a 3.3” keitech in any baitfish color on a ball head jig, a small gold jerkbait like a husky jerk or a duo realis rozante, and a smaller top water walking bait like a rapala skitter walk or a smaller spook. This is what I fish with 90% of the time and you will catch a pile of fish if this is all you had in your tackle box. Don’t overthink it, River smallies are generally very aggressive and will take a shot at most baits if presented correctly.

[TBAG]

On 4/25/2020 at 11:27 PM, Ogandrews said:

For dropshotting and wacky rigging I will either use a 1 or 2 owner mosquito light or a vmc sure set dropshot hook. For river fishing though majority of the time I will rig my plastics on some sort of jig head. The most universal when around rocks in my opinion is some sort of finesse football head which really helps with not getting snagged. Most of the time I will use a 1/8th or 1/4 oz head depending on depth and current. I’ll use this to rig any craw/creature/worm I want to have bottom contact. For tubes I usually use a tube jig head, although sometimes I will use a ball head also. For swimbaits and grubs I will usually use a darterhead or just a regular ball head jig. I pretty much never t rig in the rivers I fish so I don’t even bother bringing stuff for it. I have spent a lot of time in Michigan and most of the rivers you will be fishing will be very similar to the ones I fish here in south east Minnesota. If I could only bring a handful of baits for these rivers it would be a strike king rage menace in green pumpkin on a small football head, a 2.5” power tube in green pumpkin with a tube jig head inserted in the tube, a 3.3” keitech in any baitfish color on a ball head jig, a small gold jerkbait like a husky jerk or a duo realis rozante, and a smaller top water walking bait like a rapala skitter walk or a smaller spook. This is what I fish with 90% of the time and you will catch a pile of fish if this is all you had in your tackle box. Don’t overthink it, River smallies are generally very aggressive and will take a shot at most baits if presented correctly.

 

Great post, thanks. I'm trying to simplify my creek kayak fishing this season and lighten my tackle and rod arsenal when I'm out there. I seem to take way too much stuff and it's a constant battle and not as enjoyable. If you don't mind could you elaborate on a few things? 

 

Everyone and they're mother throws a texas rigged 3" or 4" Senko in this specific creek and I'd like to do try some different presentations this year. 

 

I assume you're referring to a 1 size mosquito light hook? Not a 1/0? I normally wacky rig with a 1/0 or 2/0 EWG and clear plastic tubing on a 5" Senko but would like to downsize both hook and Senko size on the creek. 

 

Do you have any recommendations on finesse football jig heads for rage menaces and other craws? This particular creek is pretty rocky so the more snag proof the better? Also, what ball jig head for Keitechs? I was looking at the Gamakatsu ball heads. I don't fish tubes much but I think they'd do wonders in this creek as well, so any recommendations on brand of tube jig head? I saw Gamakatsu makes one as well. 

 

I think I've got topwater covered as I always have a topwater rod and whopper plopper with me but need to grab a spook or two. 

 

Any tips on rigging any of the plastics would maybe help as well. I know you said to not overthink it, haha but I always do and that's part of my problem. I overthink things, take too much stuff (4 to 5 rods and tons of tackle) 

 

My main goal this summer is to simplify and downsize when I float this particular stretch of creek. 

 

Thanks

[Ogandrews]

1 hour ago, TBAG said:

 

Great post, thanks. I'm trying to simplify my creek kayak fishing this season and lighten my tackle and rod arsenal when I'm out there. I seem to take way too much stuff and it's a constant battle and not as enjoyable. If you don't mind could you elaborate on a few things? 

 

Everyone and they're mother throws a texas rigged 3" or 4" Senko in this specific creek and I'd like to do try some different presentations this year. 

 

I assume you're referring to a 1 size mosquito light hook? Not a 1/0? I normally wacky rig with a 1/0 or 2/0 EWG and clear plastic tubing on a 5" Senko but would like to downsize both hook and Senko size on the creek. 

 

Do you have any recommendations on finesse football jig heads for rage menaces and other craws? This particular creek is pretty rocky so the more snag proof the better? Also, what ball jig head for Keitechs? I was looking at the Gamakatsu ball heads. I don't fish tubes much but I think they'd do wonders in this creek as well, so any recommendations on brand of tube jig head? I saw Gamakatsu makes one as well. 

 

I think I've got topwater covered as I always have a topwater rod and whopper plopper with me but need to grab a spook or two. 

 

Any tips on rigging any of the plastics would maybe help as well. I know you said to not overthink it, haha but I always do and that's part of my problem. I overthink things, take too much stuff (4 to 5 rods and tons of tackle) 

 

My main goal this summer is to simplify and downsize when I float this particular stretch of creek. 

 

Thanks

Honestly when it comes to both ball heads and small football heads I buy the ones that my local bait shop makes for 50 cents a piece. Comes with a good hook and I’m not worried when I lose a couple in the rocks. I know there are other finesse footballs on the market, can’t remember the brands but I’ve used a few off of TW that have been great. Generally I’m using between 1/8-1/4 oz for any of the applications. As for wacky rigging I rarely do it in rivers. I know it works, but most of my rivers around here are very fast current and I feel more confident with the other techniques i talked about. When I do wacky rig it is almost always with a size 1 hook, the lighter the hook the slower the fall and lighter of a setup you can use. Especially with a 4” the fish gets the entire bait in their mouth so I notice very little difference in hookup percentage going to a smaller hook. The main river I fish smallmouth on is a state protected catch and release only river with true trophy potential. It also has a big musky population with 55”+ fish in it. Unless I’m shore fishing I’m floating the river in a kayak and I will only bring 2 rods with one of them being a musky setup. Generally all of the baits I talked about I will throw on a g loomis 852jwr, so 7’1” m xf. Not perfect for the top waters but it throws everything I need it to. Usually 10lbs braid to a 10-15ft 10-12lbs mono leader. If I took the smallmouth fishing more seriously I would probably bring a dobyns 733c with me for somewhat larger baits, but I’m pretty successful with only bringing one bass rod. Half the time I will catch big smallmouth when I am throwing musky baits, especially big topwaters and 6-8” swimbaits.

[WRB]

Will admit up front that I didn't read through all the post, the title intrigued me.

Smallmouth bass don't have small mouths, they strike and engulf pray just like Largemouth or Spotted bass.

From the opening post the OP is new to bass fishing and a general question regarding soft plastic hook sizes. It is over whelming with the nearly endless hook styles and types bass anglers use for soft plastics everyone has thier opinion, so here is mine; the hook gap is the distance between the hook shank and hook point across the bend opening.

The gap should be 2 times the plastic diameter.

Before I can suggest a specific hook what tackle, spinning or casting and line size / type do you use??

Tom

[Mbirdsley]

I’ve fished Michigan rivers and lakes for a long time.  I caught a lot of smallies when I first re-started on a weightless T-rigged a gulp crawler with a 4/0 hook.  Unless you using a smaller worm 4/0 will suffice and is kinda a universal bass hook size for anything imho. 

[Jleebesaw]

Ive caught them on #1 dropshot hooks and 5/0 ewg hooks with 10" worms. Anything you might use on LM will work on smallies for the most part. Super big swimbaits and stuff like that may not work, but standard bass fishing baits will be fine. They dont actually have very small mouths, really.