Are you in the market for a reliable fishing hook?
If you are an angler that fishes a lot of soft plastics, you need to make sure you're using the right hook for the job.
Wide gap hooks are just that... the right hook for the job!
For this article, we are going to be primarily focused on wide gap hooks that have the hook point and hook eye in line with each other (see picture below).
Let's jump into it!
Why Should You Use Wide Gap Hooks?
Here's our top 5 reasons on why you should choose wide gap hooks:
1. They allow for better hook penetration
Because the eye of the hook and the hook point are in direct line with each other, all the energy put into your hookset gets directly transferred to hook point.
This makes for better penetration when setting the hook and ultimately helping you land more fish.
2. They are great for weedless applications
Another great perk of having the eye of the hook and hook point in line with each other is to make your rig more weedless.
Lures fished on wide gap hooks are often times Texas-rigged making them a great choice for fishing areas where other lures may get hung up.
3. They allow you to fish bigger baits
Wide Gap or Extra Wide Gap (EWG) hooks are a great option when fishing big and bulky soft plastics.
The extra space, thanks to the wide bend in the hook shank, allows you to rig larger baits without affecting the action of the lure.
This is especially true for soft plastic jerkbaits, swimbaits, creature baits and the ever so deadly Senko.
4. They are widely available
Thanks to the success of wide gap hooks, you can find them and pick them up from just about any place that sells fishing tackle.
This is great from a pricing standpoint because so many brands and manufacturers have to continue to lower their prices to compete with each other in order to sell hooks that costs them little to nothing to produce.
Most hooks you find on the market are made using high carbon steel. For this reason, you can find knock off brands that are built using the same material and just as well as the leading brands for just a fraction of the price.
5. They come in multiple sizes and gauges
Different rigs call for different hook sizes.
Most sellers will have combo packs available that are very reasonably priced so you can properly pair your lure with the right size hook.
Choosing what size wide gap hook to use will ultimately depend on your lure choice.
Most largemouth fishing applications use a hook size ranging from 1/0 to 5/0 while smallmouth applications use hooks ranging from #2 to 3/0 so consider picking up these sizes the next time you buy.
Are you someone who fishes a lot of thick cover? Consider using Heavy Duty Wide Gap (HDWG) hooks. HDWGs can also be described as "2X" depending on the seller. These hooks have a slightly thicker wire diameter and are great for heavy line and heavy tackle situations.
When Should You Use Wide Gap Hooks?
If you ask some anglers, they may tell you to always use a wide gap hook - and for the most part we would agree with them.
To better serve you in understanding the "When", below are three applications that in-line wide gap hooks really shine in and a final use that you may have never thought about.
Without further ado, use a wide gap hook when...
Fishing Bulky Soft Plastics
It's almost like wide gap hooks were made just for this purpose. Like said above, using these hooks gives you plenty of room to properly rig and fish soft plastics that have big, bulky bodies.
One reason a lot of fish are missed when fishing a bulky soft plastic is due to the lure not having enough room to collapse and expose the hook when the fish bites.
A wide gap hook or extra wide gap hook overcomes this by leaving plenty of room for a lure to collapse and expose the hook for a great hook set.
Fishing Soft Plastic Jerkbaits
It's extremely important to use a wide gap hook when fishing soft plastic jerkbaits, such as flukes.
A weightless Texas rigged fluke on a wide gap hook (usually 3/0 or 4/0) will give you the best chances in getting the most action out of your lure while also keeping your lure weedless.
If you see your lure gracefully swaying left and right with each twitch of your rod then you know you have rigged it properly.
Fishing Topwater Frogs
To avoid snags while getting the most action out of your soft plastic frog choose a wide gap hook.
Texas rig them just like you would any other soft plastic and let the lure do the action for you.
Most soft plastic frogs have a small groove in the top of them to help keep them weedless. Do your best to choose a hook size that when properly rigged allows the hook point to set right in that groove.
Fishing a Dropshot in Heavy Cover
There's no doubt you get the best action fishing a dropshot when you run the hook just through the nose of the bait. However, that will mean a lot of snags if you are in the thick of things like submerged timber with a lot of protruding branches.
Next time you find yourself getting constantly hung up using a dropshot rig try switching to a thin gauge #1 or #2 wide gap hook for your dropshot and Texas rig your lure.
Choosing a smaller #1 or #2 hook size isn't enough to affect the horizontal, suspending presentation of your lure either, especially if using a more buoyant lure such as a Roboworm, Z-Man soft plastics, or a Zoom Trick worm.
Word of caution though, do not run the lure past the eye of the hook.
Running the soft plastic past the eye of the hook will negatively impact the action of your lure due to being in contact with your vertically positioned leader. This ends up making your worm or baitfish imitation look like it's got a broken neck. Not good!
Happy Fishing Y'all