Owner trebles for pike fishing reviewed

People talk a lot about these trebles, which are probably as good as anything else you can get your hands on at the moment. The main debate is whether the ST36 pattern (pictured left...) is strong enough, or whether the ST41(on the right...)  is a more reliable hook.

Both are seriously sharp, with a whisker barb. Having tried both, the slightly finer 36 gets my vote - not for reasons of strength, although I've never had one straighten on a fish, but because I've got more confidence in a hook with a straight needle point, than the curved points on the 46s.

When the points blunt - as all hooks do sooner or later - I find it much easier to touch up the straight ones with a sharpening stone than the curved variety. I tend to use the black ones, which currently cost upwards of £4 for seven. Mates tell me the red ones are just as good.

Hooks usually outlive the wire, so when a trace becomes kinked, I cut the hooks off and re-use them. I always used barbed hooks, because I lost too many fish when I used barbless. Most of the time, I use size fours, but will happily go up to twos for larger baits.

Both have a smaller barb than a lot of other hooks. So they come out easier. In fact despite the fact they're barbed, I still land fish and find the hooks in the net from time to time - or lose the odd one that throws the bait, taking the hooks with it.

There's not much else you can say about a hook, other than it's obviously the thing that connects you to the fish. For these reason alone, it pays not to skimp on them.