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Joe Carass explains why he believes the Guru Pellet Waggler hook is the ultimate choice for rod-and-line tactics!

Hook choice is a constant source of confusion for me. I like certain patterns of hooks for pole fishing and use them a lot – the Kamasan B911 and Drennan Silverfish Pellet spring immediately to mind.

But when it comes to eyed hooks for rod-and-line fishing, I must admit to being a bit of a chopper and changer. The Guru QM1 has long been my favourite hook pattern for any kind of legering for carp, as once a carp is hooked with this piece of steel they rarely come off! There are times, though, when I have felt that they were just not quite right.

I have tried the Preston PR 36, a popular choice, but I just couldn’t get along with them despite some of the best anglers in the land using them! After a frustrating few years of swapping around, I think I have finally settled on the best all-round carp pattern – the Guru Pellet Waggler hook.

I am all for simplifying things and to me there isn’t a better hook that will cope with as many different methods. The Pellet Waggler is a hook with a very wide gape, a super-long point (a feature of a few Guru hook models) and an out-turned eye. Fish losses seem to be really low with these hooks and they are plenty strong enough.

Let me explain my thinking on why I choose this type of hook. I have been doing a little bit of proper carp fishing of an evening and all of the rigs used are based around the hook catching hold before the fish can spit the bait out. This is obviously easily achieved with a size 6 hook, as the gape of the hook is so large! This got me thinking and if you actually look at a tied-up hook, in something like a QM1 pattern, the actual chance of the point catching hold is quite small, whereas a wide-gape hook such as the Pellet Waggler, combined with its out turned eye, leaves the hook point wide open to prick in a fish’s mouth.

Of course, this is all theory, but it is one that I am happy to stick with and, since swapping to this hook pattern, my catches have definitely improved.

One of the big plus points for me is the durability of the Pellet Waggler hook. It features what is known in the trade as a wasabi point, as opposed to the more commonly used standard point. Basically, a standard point is a fine-point hook with quite a slow taper. This means that the point of the hook is quite long and fragile. The wasabi point, however, is a very fast taper, which increases its strength and durability. They are certainly tough hooks and I can’t remember one becoming blunt!

One match that really sticks in my mind with these hooks was the Angling Trust Masters last year. The match was on the Glebe and I was fortunate enough to win. However, the match was far from plain sailing.

For two hours I was really suffering with fish losses on the feeder and poor hook-holds were a problem. I was getting incredibly frustrated and searched through my box for an alternative hook. Some Pellet Wagglers were in the corner of my box, size 14 to be precise, and I hastily tied a couple of hooklengths up through desperation.

The difference the hooks made was incredible, in fact it was one of the few times I have witnessed such a huge change in fortune come from such a small alteration.

From that day on, I have been totally sold on these hooks for all of my rod-and-line carp fishing. They really are a wonderful pattern and I urge you to give them a try!