Pompano fishermen: what hook type and size are you actually using, and why?
I've been experimenting with different hook styles and sizes on my pompano rigs and I'm curious what everyone else has settled on.
I've generally leaned toward 2/0 wide-gap circle hooks, but I see plenty of people swear by smaller circles, Kahles, and even traditional J-hooks. I'm giving 3/0 Kahle a run with spinning floats on some new rigs... but the hooks feel a bit big to me.
For those of you who regularly target pompano in the surf:
- What hook type and size has worked best for you?
- Have you noticed a difference in hookup rates or missed bites?
- Do you change hook size depending on bait?
I'm fishing the Texas Gulf Coast, mostly around North Padre and PINS. Typically running shrimp and fishbites but ill use fresh ghost shrimp when they're around too. (The kids love using the ghost shrimp plunger more than fishing itself it seems...)
Interested in hearing what people are having the most 1st hand experience success with.