You guys are going to freak out on this one. In the Midwest, I would have to say that most of the guys fish with 4's and 6's. This includes fishing for salmon up to the 40 pound range. Our fish are very skittish when they come in to the rivers, and can develop a real ugly case of lockjaw. There are rivers in Michigan, that when they are clear, must be fished with 8's and 10's in order to get a bite. Yarn is trimmed in the shape of an egg on a snelled hook, and is often times ½ the size of a green pea.

I personally feel that the bigger issue is the line you use. When using 8's and 10's, you typically fish with no more than 6 pound test and a slow action rod (aka; noodle). These hooks have to be fine wire, so the light line can bury the hook. If you use heavier line, you'll straighten the hook on the fish. When I came out West last year, I was fishing rope (12# Ultragreen), and found it perfect for 1's and 2's. My hooking and landing percentages went up with the bigger hooks and heavier line. You neeed 10# or better line to drive these bigger hooks in to the fishes mouth and have them hold. I also tried some 1/0's last year, and they worked great with 12 pound Ultragreen. The nice thing about the larger hooks is that they have a little wider gap, for better bite, and the shank is longer, which I find nice when the fish has the opportunity to run it along his teeth. The shorter shanked hooks allow the line to rub on the fish's teeth, and result in a few break offs.

As a tickler, I tried a 1/0 in a river here this fall, and I was surprised at the results. The hook (Grappling) hit the water, and was followed by a huge comotion, as 50 mint bright steelies went screaming back to Lake Michigan. I was able to pull out the carcass of a drone, and a abandoned car from the bottom of the hole, where they had previously been covered with fish.

Moral of the story. Conditions can and do dictate what size hook to use. I try and run them as big as the fish will tolerate. Make sure to match them up with your line.

Good Fishin!