What's the purpose of the "offset" hook?

[OmegaDPW]

I guess I see this more in hooks geared towards panfish and other species- and I'm talking about the hooks that have the hook point bent off to the side of the shank and not EWG/round bend style hooks. What's the reasoning behind this hook bend? I have never noticed any difference in hook up compared to a straight shank hook (like on a typical jighead).

 

 Just curious and thanks! 

[Pat Brown]

Much easier to rig plastics and you save more plastics in the long run.

[OkobojiEagle]

2 hours ago, OmegaDPW said:

 I'm talking about the hooks that have the hook point bent off to the side of the shank and not EWG/round bend style hooks.

a kirbed hook point... to more easily catch the flesh when setting the hook.

[casts_by_fly]

On a straight J hook (no offset eye, no offset point), you're pulling the hook point directly in line with the line itself.  There is nothing blocking the hook other than the bait itself. 

 

 

When you offset the eye, whether an EWG or a standard offset offset hook, now the hook point is 'hiding' behind the eye of the hook and the little bend.  The fish has to press your bait inside that gap and the hook point has to catch on something in the fish's mouth as you pull.  Obviously it still works or else we wouldn't use them, but you lose just a little bit of hookup ratio.

 

 

 

An offset hook point is to try and get some of that back.  This is an extreme example from circle hooks (which are an extreme hook in the first place), but if you look at (b) below while thinking about the picture on the right of (a), there isn't a lot of space for the fish's mouth meat to get into that gap.  So you offset the point like in (c) so that its easier to catch.  The same with bass hooks (picture below).  That little bit of offset lets the hook point snag just a little piece of mouth meat as you then drive it home.