Dehookers/hook remover

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John21:6
Posts: 254
Joined: October 14th, 2017, 7:11 pm
Location: Tallahassee

Dehookers/hook remover

Post by John21:6 »

I am looking for advice on hook removers from someone who has tried/bought them all so I don’t have to.

I’ve been using one of these spring-loaded tube type hook removers for years. However, when trying to remove a larger 8/0 hook stuck deep in the throat of a grouper or snapper, these hook removers don’t seem to hold up and it can be difficult to grasp the hooks.

Would one of the push-pull type of hook removers, like the R & R Tackle Dehooker or the ARC Sportsman Dehooker, allow me to remove deep hooks with less time and effort? Is there a reason to think that the R&R S-hook design or the ARC pigtail design is best?

Thanks for your thoughts.
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FishWithChris
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Joined: March 6th, 2009, 3:38 pm
Location: Inshore

Re: Dehookers/hook remover

Post by FishWithChris »

I love my ARC Dehooker for deeper hooks, but for most lip hooked fish a standard "J" dehooker works well. You can't go wrong with the ARC

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Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing as taking care of the lawn. ~Chuck Clark

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tailwaters
Posts: 220
Joined: January 30th, 2017, 4:50 pm

Re: Dehookers/hook remover

Post by tailwaters »

I've been using one of those stainless steal tube spring ones for years and they are the best you can buy. I just went on-line to look for them so I could give you a link to the exact one I use but could find it. There are a lot on the market now that are similar but they all have one BIG issue. They are flat at the end and not at a 45 degree angle like they should be. The 45 degree makes all the difference in the world. When you squeeze the handle it rolls the hook out. In other words it pushes the eye of the hook away from you and the J part of the hook towards you. This way when you pull the only part of the hook holding it is is the barb. Without that 45 degree angle at the end the hook just turns sideways providing no real benefit.

I can unhook a gut hooked fish in seconds with one, most of the time without even having to touch the fish.

Here is a link to one that is similar and has the 45 degree but is not from the same manufacture as the ones I have.
https://www.tackledirect.com/rapala-hook-removers.html
John21:6
Posts: 254
Joined: October 14th, 2017, 7:11 pm
Location: Tallahassee

Re: Dehookers/hook remover

Post by John21:6 »

tailwaters wrote: November 30th, 2020, 2:51 pm I've been using one of those stainless steal tube spring ones for years and they are the best you can buy. I just went on-line to look for them so I could give you a link to the exact one I use but could find it. There are a lot on the market now that are similar but they all have one BIG issue. They are flat at the end and not at a 45 degree angle like they should be. The 45 degree makes all the difference in the world. When you squeeze the handle it rolls the hook out. In other words it pushes the eye of the hook away from you and the J part of the hook towards you. This way when you pull the only part of the hook holding it is is the barb. Without that 45 degree angle at the end the hook just turns sideways providing no real benefit.

I can unhook a gut hooked fish in seconds with one, most of the time without even having to touch the fish.

Here is a link to one that is similar and has the 45 degree but is not from the same manufacture as the ones I have.
https://www.tackledirect.com/rapala-hook-removers.html
Thank you Chris and Tailwaters for your comments on dehookers. I just purchased another tube-type dehooker from Amazon and it has the 45 degree angle on the end of the tube. The specific model I purchased is the Baker HXSS Stainless Steel X-Heavy Duty HooKouT.

Because I've struggled and bent up the end of my old dehooker when trying to remove deep hooks, I am wondering whether I have been using the thing incorrectly for years. When trying to remove a hook that is down deep in the fish, I would try to place the long end of the tube against the back of the hook shank and then squeeze the hook remover. This worked but it would bend the end of the hook remover all out of shape. However, I am thinking that the proper procedure is to grab the U of the hook and then twist the hook remover as a means of inverting the embedded hook.

Should I be twisting the hook remover or grabbing the back of the shank of a hook?
tailwaters
Posts: 220
Joined: January 30th, 2017, 4:50 pm

Re: Dehookers/hook remover

Post by tailwaters »

It's easy to bend a light wire hook with one but I've never bent my dehooking devises before. Have one for inshore and a longer one for offshore.

The best way to use it is to hook on to the outside of the hook (opposite side of the hooks bend). Make sure the the point of the dehooker is closest to the eye of the hook and squeeze. When you do so it rotates the hook out if that make since. It does a good job on J and treble hooks but works best on circle hooks.
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