Hook size

Regarding walleye jigs, what is your preference in hook size when using a jighead made for plastics or when using bucktail jigs. There are the industry standard hook sizes the most will simply settle for but a lot of people making their own jigs have size options they can lean preferences towards.

Personally, I like a 1/0 in a 1/8. In a 1/4 I prefer the 2/0 instead of the 1 or /0. I use a 3/0 in 3/8 heads instead of a 2/0 and in 1/2 heads I like the 4/0 instead of the 2/0 or 3/0.

Walleyes have large enough mouths that they can easily take the up-sized jig hooks and in some instances, I think even larger hooks could be used in place of those I’ve mentioned. Bucktails come to mind here where the hair itself in densely tied might hinder a hookset. For plastics I always use jigs cast on the sizes I have brought up.

I’m just curious if any of you have seen any advantage to larger that standard hooks when chasing walleyes and, of course, this pertains to open water. Hair and plastics will be used quite a bit at this time of year below the dams and its been my observation that larger than the standard hook sizes have put more walleyes in the net for me over the years than the standard sizes that the industry seems to want to hold onto. Any thoughts or observations to share?

I don’t care about size vs weight. I modify my molds strictly for hook size specifically for the plastic I use. I’ve narrowed down plastics a lot in the last 10 years so I make less difference in sizes.

Yep, I am not fond of standard jigs offerings due to their hook sizes being a bit small. Standard 1/8 oz jigs are the worst. You would think that no one uses a 1/8 oz jigs for walleyes with some of these manufactures offerings.

I am using 3/0 on my 1/8 oz, 3/0 or 4/0 on my 1/4 oz and 4/0 on my 3/8 and 1/2 oz. For my application I see no benefit in small hooks on jigs unless you are bobber fishing.

And another conversation would be that there is a time and place for adding stinger hooks with either main hook size that you use.

OG Net_Man wrote:

Yep, I am not fond of standard jigs offerings due to their hook sizes being a bit small. Standard 1/8 oz jigs are the worst. You would think that no one uses a 1/8 oz jigs for <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleyes with some of these manufactures offerings.

I am using 3/0 on my 1/8 oz, 3/0 or 4/0 on my 1/4 oz and 4/0 on my 3/8 and 1/2 oz. For my application I see no benefit in small hooks on jigs unless you are bobber fishing.

And another conversation would be that there is a time and place for adding stinger hooks with either main hook size that you use.

For my stingers anymore I slip a short piece of silicone tubing over the eye of a similar sized spinnerbaits hook then punch thru the silicone with the hook riding up like the jig hook. Works very well.