Single hook size for trout

[kevin24018]

Since most of the fish I catch I release I'm thinking of removing the treble hooks from my in-line spinners and switching to a single hook (for stocked trout mostly)  Thinking a size 4 would be a good replacement size.  While the individual hooks on the treble are smaller the overall bulk of the treble makes me think a 4 would basically be the same width.  Thoughts?

[Hillbilly voodoo]

Ok depends on the size of trout you are talking. Around here trout can average as pan fry 12inch trout in some waters and other areas exceed 10lbs

There is one flaw to single hooks for C&R trout fishing and that is eye hooking or brain hooking trout if the hook size is a bit big compared to the trout. In my opinion a barbless treble is better for solving this issue or run smaller singles but you will loose more larger fish on the small single 

I owned a U catch trout pond for 10years and got to see the results of different hooks, lures, and bait/hook combo’s 

if you want to run singles for C&R trout think of the size of trout and pick a hook with a gape that is just small enough that it limits brain hooking on the smaller trout you catch

[TimM]

For all of my small stream trout spinner fishing I take forceps or needle nose pliers and remove one of the tines of the treble hook by bending repeatedly until it breaks.  It seems to prevent most of the bad hookups. 

I've considered the single hook build as well but have never tried.  I was always using purchased spinners until this spring when I started making my own.

 

[Anglinarcher]

Many, if not most, Salmon and Steelhead fishing Rivers in Alaska requires the single hook spinners and many Spinners, like the Blue Fox, come with the single hooks as a replacement in the sizes normally used for Salmon or Steelhead.

I made some single hook for trout myself but for 14" to 30" Browns, not pond stocked rainbows.  I found that a Kahle style hook, with barb bent down, works very well and there was no "brain hooking".  A Siwash style hook did cause problems on smaller fish.

Replacing the treble with a single hook of similar, or slightly smaller, diameter is fine.

If I recall correctly, there are some fly spinners made as well using a single hook.

[Armando Sanchez]

Is there a size 12 hook for trout? I'm getting the size 10!

[Armando Sanchez]

Howdy?

[Fatman]

3 hours ago, Armando Sanchez said:

Is there a size 12 hook for trout? I'm getting the size 10!

Lots of flies are tied on size 12 hooks.  but a size 10 is good too.  As has been said a lot depends on the size of the trout too.  Here in Vermont small streams a 6" brookie is a nice fish, while the bigger rivers and ponds can hold really large ones.  

[Ogajiga]

As an alternative to spinners, a 1/16 #6 ball head tied with short fur has caught running water bobos from dinks to big as they get here, with the occasional big tug diversion of carp up to 30#.  The finished jig is about 1" long with a full bodied tie resembling a fur ball.