Best Crappie Hooks
The best crappie hooks – As any crappie angler will tell you, hooks are just as important as your rod, reel, and line. Crappies have a larger mouth than bluegills and prefer minnows over worms. You might not be familiar with what to look out for when chasing spring slabs.
You have a pack of #8 bait holders in your tackle box. You can use it for something else.
Don’t be confused if this leaves you confused, or if you don’t know what a baitholder means. We are here to help. We will explain all you need about hooks for crappie and even give reviews of some of our favorite.
Here’s a quick look at the top crappie fishing hooks:
- Eagle Claw
- Gamakatsu Circle
- Matzuo Sickle Aberdeen
- Mustad Aberdeen
- Tru-Turn Aberdeen
Best Hooks For Crappie Reviewed
Eagle Claw
Color Gold
Sizes that are recommended#1, #2, and #4.
Eagle Claw hooks are a trusted choice for anglers of all ages. Their sharpness and quality have been proven time and again.
The light-wire Aberdeen hooks feature a long shank and a gentle sweeping bed. This allows for the large gap that crappie need. This allows them to bend under extreme loads, which is great for breaking a snag.
We love the general purpose crappie hook. It’s our favorite.
Gamakatsu Circle
Color Black
Sizes that are recommended#1, #2, and #4.
Gamakatsu hooks are of exceptional quality, and we have found them to be among the most sharp. Gamakatsu’s circle hooks may be the answer to your problems with hooking crappie.
Gamakatsu’s circular hooks are exactly what you would expect. They have a deadly point and the long, curved bend that gives them a charm. We recommend #4 for crappie, #1 and #2 in almost any size. They are only available in black. However, we wouldn’t mind if they came in other colors.
These will be rougher on your live bait, and you’ll have more trouble if there isn’t cover. It is alsoIt is important that you don’t try to set the hook by this design. Simply start your retrieve whenever you feel a bite!
Matzuo Sickle Aberdeen
Color Red Chrome
Sizes that are recommended#2 and #4
Matzuo hooks are another manufacturer who is setting new standards for quality. If you’re a crappie angler and can’t stomach a weak Aberdeen, Matzuo might have a design that works for you.
Although their sickle Aberdeen hooks look traditional in many respects, you will notice that they are thicker and have a flat initial bend. This makes them a lot less flexible than standard designs. These hooks are less likely to break under extreme stress and will still work if you need them.
Matzuo’s sickle-style Aberdeens are available in two colors: #2 and #4.
Mustad Aberdeen
Color Blonde Red, Gold, Blue, Bronze and Bronze
Sizes that are recommended#1, #2, and #4.
Like Eagle Claw, Mustad is a respected name in hooks. You can trust them to know what works.
The excellent Aberdeen hooks can be purchased in Gold, Blue and Bronze in sizes #1, #24, #4, #6, and #8. Traditional design features include a long shank, gentle bend and large gap.
Tru-Turn Aberdeen
Color Red and gold
Sizes that are recommended#1, #2, and #4.
Tru-Turn’s innovative hook designs can really improve your chances of landing a strike.
These traditional Aberdeens are available in Red and Gold in sizes #1 through 8. This bend allows the point to turn towards impact, increasing the chances of a solid hookset.
The Ins and Outs of Hooks – A Short Guide
If you know the parts of a hook, you’re a long way toward knowing why one is a better or worse choice for crappie.
Eye –The point at which the hook’s eye is tied to your line is called the “eye of a hook”. The factory can make eyeballs in one of three ways: straight, turned down or turned up. These configurations alter how the force applied to the eyes orients the point.
Shank –This is the distance between the eye of the throat and the hook. There are many gauges of wire that can be used to make shanks. Thicker gauges bend easier, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Keep in mind, for now, that longer shanks can be removed from fish’s mouths more easily and allow live bait to be used with certain styles of rigging.
A bait holder is a shank that has a few barbs on it to hold the worm in place. You can offset sanks to rig soft baits or improve their performance like Tru-turn hooks.
ThroatThe throat is the area on the shank that lies between the barb and point. It is the depth at which the bend begins and the depth where the hook will penetrate.
Bend –This is the portion of the hook that curves from the shank to its point. There are many styles of bends, and they are a critical feature of hook selection. Different bends distinguish between common hook types.
Gap –This is the distance between the shank and the point. This is another important difference between hooks. The larger the gap, the more minnows can be caught, but the smaller the hook per gauge.
Barb –Below the point, you will see the backward-facing prong.
Point –This is the end of the business hook.
Hook Size
As you can see in the diagram, hooks come in a variety of sizes.
Their numbering system is quite simple. In single digits, larger numbers are smaller hooks. If you separate double digits with a slash (or a combination thereof), larger is better.
What we look for in the best hooks for crappie
What makes a good crappie hook?
You will generally want hooks that are larger with a long shank and lots of space. Let’s take a look at why this is so.
Crappie Hook Sizes
Crappie don’t get the name “papermouths” accidentally. If you are an avid angler, then you know that a gentle hookset for crappie is crucial. There are some things to consider when choosing the right size hooks.
Crappie have large mouths for their size. We’ll fish often #2 and #4 hooks and move up to a #1 minnow for big ones. Bluegill might be caught with #6 or #7 hooks, but these smaller hooks are more likely to break free of a crappie’s mouth due to their small gap.
Hook Style
Some people don’t like the same things in a hook. Sometimes, a fishing technique or location can make a good choice less ideal. The best crappie hooks have a long shank with a large gap. These hooks are easy to bait and easy to remove. They also make it easy for you to catch them on the brush where crappie often school.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the recommended hook styles.
Aberdeen –This is the most popular design for crappie and a great choice for all panfish species. Aberdeen hooks are distinctive with their long, thin shanks, and gentle sweeping bend that creates large gaps.
These tiny hooks are made from light-wire and have many advantages for crappie. They are easy to remove from a wriggling fish because of their long shank. They are smaller in gauge, which means they cause less damage to live bait. This keeps it alive longer and prevents them from breaking the line.
You can actually force a light-wire hook to bend so that it releases. Then, simply reform it using a pair of scissors.
CircleGut hooking is a common problem for anglers. It happens when the fish swallows the hook, which can often result in a dead or dying crappie.
Circle hooks are a great option if you have trouble with gut hooks and want to increase your chances of a corner-lip hookset.
They have a distinctive circular shape that is consistent with their name. This unique shape is paired up with a turned-up eye. They behave differently to a regular hook design.
A circle hook is easy to use. You simply need to detect a bite, then reel in the fish. The hook will turn around the crappie’s mouth due to the shape of the eye and bend. This creates a corner with a perfect hookset.
The down side? These minnows are quite strong and will put your fishing line to the test if you manage to catch one. They are also not very live bait-friendly so your minnows will die soon after you have rigged them.
SickleSickle hooks are a unique way to make standard Aberdeen hooks stronger, while keeping them thin. They are less likely to bend under stress and can be used for live minnows.
Tru-turnTru-turn hooks have a slight offset in the shank that causes the point to rotate towards contact. This increases the chances of a solid hookup. This innovative design can result in larger fish and more frequent catches for some anglers.
This video explains how to bait your minnow hook using a variety of techniques.
Hook Color
Anecdotal evidence suggests that hook color can affect crappie behavior. It seems that gold, red, and bronze work the best.
We will let you decide if this is true, but we have found that there is something to it.
A Quick Summary
We recommend using size #1, #2 and #4 of the red, gold, and bronze Aberdeen hooks for crappie. These hooks have the qualities that most anglers require when they are chasing spring slabs.
If you are having trouble with hooksets due to missing fish or gut-hooking too often, a Tru-turn hook or circle hook might be a good option. A sickle hook may be the right choice if you are unable to stand the intentional pliability that Aberdeen hooks can cause.
We don’t think any hook is better than the other. They are just different and offer a variety of styles and options to fit your needs.
Last Thoughts
We hope you found our information and recommendations helpful in making the right decision for your next crappie adventure. We prefer an Aberdeen hook but not everyone will. Many anglers may choose to use a Tru-Turn or a circle hook. If you know your strengths and weaknesses, they will all work well.
Let us know what you think of our advice. Are there any hooks you like that we haven’t included in our advice?
Leave a comment below
