Arezue Wright- Go Long or Go Home

This entry was posted on 3rd February, 2020

It is very rare these days that I come across another angler using a longshank hook. Quite simply the longshank has long been forgotten, fallen out of favour and being replaced by more fashionable but not necessarily better alternatives.

However, just recently a revival has occurred with a multitude of market leaders resurrecting the longshank and forging some truly awesome hooks! In my opinion, these hooks not only offer a far superior hook hold but will help to outwit even the wildest of carp whilst other anglers on the lake are throwing choddy’s and wide gapes around.

My first introduction to the long shank was as a result of reading articles from the legendary Frank Warwick who took waters apart on these little-known hooks, well at least to us carp anglers anyway.

Frank put to good use back in the day the Kamasan B175 hook. It was the brainchild of Peter Drennan, a superior chemically sharpened, bronzed hook, made from a heavy wire and with a down turned eye. This was traditionally a hook originally designed and ideal for wet fly fishing, but with the heavy wire, helped the hook to get down quicker and for us carp anglers turn and flip easier with deeper and stronger hook holds. This ultimately lead to less fish lost and more on the bank!

Today the Longshank hook is my go-to pattern, whether it be presenting a simple bottom bait, a wafter or even a pop up. I have every faith in these hooks and its use can be adapted to a lot more applications than you think.



For bottom baits and wafters I personally prefer to use the KORDA Longshank X which again is based on the B175 hook pattern, with a 20 degree, heavy wire, with down turned eye and a long point to ensure it stays in and won’t let you down.

I’m also a massive fan and believer in using big hooks with small baits. Despite looking a little agricultural, it’s been tried tested and trusted and I have 100% confidence in using this set up. I also like to play around with the balancing of a bait against the weight of the hook which is a lot easier when you have a heavy hook to begin with. For this I prefer the Nash Pinpoint Twister Longshank hooks which come in both micro barbed and barbless. These are a super heavy hook, super sharp and again with a down turned eye for instant penetration making it ideal for ultimate blow out efficiency.

Using a longshank, safely in the right situation will allow you to achieve the same hooking potential as a bent hook but obviously without the risk of causing damage to the fish. Recently, I’ve been playing with the ESP CRYOGENIC TRIG-Hammer hooks which are ultra-sharp, with long fine needle points. Combine this with its aggressive shape and you have one hell of a hook hold! These Nash hooks are ideal for a “Ronnie” type presentation and I must say that with first impressions I’m very impressed!

I know that longshank hooks may not appeal to everyone, but if you give it a try, they may certainly help you put a few more fish on the bank.

For those of you that have a pack long forgotten at the bottom of your tackle bag it’s time to dig them out and for those of you that are looking for that extra edge next time you visit your local tackle shop make sure they feature on your shopping list! You won’t be disappointed.