After 8hrs of fishing and every fish caught coming off i think i need some advice please, I am fishing with a nylon hair rig with a size 10 hook 10lb hook line and a 21 mm pellet, every fish has come off , the hook is right close to the pellet so im thinking that the fish isnt hooked very well, i had some longer hair rigs but all that happened then was the bait was pulled an fish not hooked.

Would it be best to use a smaller pellet or a larger hook?

i use a nylon braid/hair using a size ten barbel hooks, bait wise 8mm upto 14mm pellets and 15mm boilies, i have my bait very close to the hook, what u have to ask yourself is what size hook are you using? what type of hook are you using? are these hooks of good quality and does the hook size match the bait size being used. from what you have wrote the fault does lie with your hook.
cheers
jerry

After just 8 hours of fishing I would suggest that you experiment a bit yourself. At the risk of annoying some, I feel a lot of people these days just want instant results even if that means them pleading to be spoon fed. You are getting bites so are doing something right. Barbel are not hard to hook. Think a bit, experiment a bit: you will enjoy it far more if you crack this little problem yourself.

Your profile says you have caught barbs before (PB 7lbs) . Were you fishing differently then?

hi jerry, I am just using some ready made rigs i got in a pack if 10 for about £3 Korum, I dont get any paticular brand, they seem to be a good make? I think may be best to try a smaller pellet as at times it touches the pellet ? difficult to see how the fish gets hooked, 1 made it to 1ft away from the net lol then got away

Hi Jay, I used a ready made braid which was more expensive but i supose end justified the means the hook was a lot stronger and thicker, I know what you mean though probably should have stuck with those just was budget not very good at the moment, fair comment

hi mark,
as jerry said..........size matters! and a 21 mm pellet on a size 10 hook is almost certainly the reason you lost your fish i'd say,your not getting a good hook hold because the bait is too big,and it doesn't follow that big baits catch big fish. more often its quite the reverse.......good luck

kev.

Hooks may be fine, along with length or hairs etc... Have a look at the other end of your set up.

Test curves mean more than they are given credit for. Bullying green fish on high test gear results in a lot of hook pulls. You can play fish hard, you don't have to skull drag them in as soon as they are hooked.

God i bet thats frustrating, i allways make my hair rigs so that my hook isnt too far away from my bait, but clear enough from the bait that it can move without touching - the best hook ive found and wont fish for barbel without is a size 8 mugga. i havnt lost fish since i started using them, you could always try and reduce the size of your hook bait. Good Luck!!