think that they work so well.

The trouble is, they are just socheap and tiny that often little thought goes intotheir purchase. Let me ask you this question? How manydifferent hook patterns do you own? Obviously, theanswer will depend on the species you pursue, but inmost cases, the range of hooks I carry is moreextensive than any other item of tackle. The range of hooks available now is huge, but thatdoes not necessarily mean that they are of universallyhigh quality. I have yet to find any range of hookswhich are faultless. Even the most expensive packetscontain the odd rogue, with an ill-formed point orhalf closed eye. So my first suggestion is that eachhook should be examined before being tied on. After awhile this will become second nature, but try to makea conscious effort to check each one. First, check that there is no rust on the metal. Next,check that the eye is closed properly and that thereare no sharp edges. Points often become damaged, socheck the sharpness next. I prefer to stick the pointinto the soft skin on the tip of a finger, rather thandraw the point across my nail (which may inadvertantlyblunt it). Be careful not to draw blood though asthere are many bacteria which lurk in water. Finally,check that the barb is cut correctly and is notdamaged. Only then is the hook ready for use.Although once popular, I never use a sharpening stonefor my coarse fishing hooks. After a couple of fish,or between trips I just change hooks. Most modernhooks are coated and trying to touch the points upwith a sharpening stone will remove this coating andspeed up the rusting process. Some hooks do tarnishincredibly quickly, so it is always wise to keep aneye on the point and change any hooks which may befaulty. When fishing gravel bedded rivers and lakes,hooks points are regularly blunted or turned over. Byalways checking your hooks these problems can beeffectively eliminated from the long list of problemswhich may ruin your chances. I tend to use a single knot to attach my hooks whennot using a hair rig. The spade end knot is by far thestrongest knot around as there is no chance of theline cutting into itself. It is also quite simple totie. I am right handed, so reverse everything if youare left handed. Hold the hook by the bend in yourleft hand and the end of the line in your right. Laythe line along the shank of the hook with at least10cm overlap. Make a loop in the end of the line, sothat the end is now facing up the shank of the hook.Taking hold of the end of the line in the right handwind it between five and ten times around the hookshank (use more turns with lighter lines). Now pass theend of the line through the loop and slowly tighten theknot. As with all knots, make sure that the line iswell lubricated to stop it becoming damaged. Once theline is almost snug, make sure that the line is exitingfrom the front of the spade and then bed the knot in.The easiest way to practice this knot is to try tyingpieces of string to a nail. Gradually move down tosmaller hooks as your ability allows. The only problemwith this knot is that it does not take kindly tounbalanced tackle. Because the knot relies upon theline sitting tight to the spade, if the line is toothick it will tend to slip over the spade. Make surethe tackle is balanced and you will have no problems.When using eyed hooks I just pass the line through theeye before tying a spade end knot. Again, make surethat the line exits from the front of the eye. Theneed to match hook size to line diameter is less of aproblem with eyed hooks as the knot has more metal tostop it coming loose. You may wonder why the line exits from the front ofthe hook. Well, take it from me that with most formsof fishing this will allow you to hit far more bitesthan if the line is exiting from any other direction.As with hooks, always test your knots to make surethat they are tied correctly. This will depend uponyour skill and also the line used. Some pre-stretchedlines are a real pain to tie and tend to ‘pig tail’when the loops of the knot are drawn tight. JohnRoberts markets a nifty little knot tester whichallows you to pull pretty hard without damaging thehook. This weeks column really contains basic information,but many people do not pay adequate attention to it.Hook quality and knots should not be a problem for youas long as you get into good habits. Next week I willdescribe some of my favourite hook patterns and why I

think that they work so well.