Korda Straight Point Hook

The Wide Gape pattern of hook has been part of the Korda range for over 20 years and was one of the first products that Damian Clarke worked on at the company.

Despite a number of other patterns being added over the years since then, to cover all sorts of different rigs, presentations, or even angler preferences, as everyone has their own idea as to what makes the perfect hook, it is just as popular today as it has always been and is still a favourite of Damian, plus other top Team Korda anglers, such as Darrell Peck.

The Wide Gape has been used to land countless big carp, both in the UK and abroad, and whilst that exact pattern doesn’t need any improvement, we do like to listen to anglers, and have made a few design tweaks to come up with a completely new pattern in the form of the Straight Point.

Straight razor sharp point

There has always been much debate amongst carp anglers over whether a straight pointed hook is superior to one with an in-turned point, and even within Korda you will find that opinions vary massively!

The debate generally tends to come down to the fact that straight pointed hooks tend to take an initial hold more easily and have a higher chance of pricking a carp when it takes in your hookbait and rig and spits it out.

The counter argument, which fans of the original Wide Gape and other in-turned, or beaked point, hooks will tend to use is that whilst the chances of it pricking a fish might be lower, when this type of hook point does take a hold, then the chances are that it will stay in and there is less likelihood of losing the carp during the fight.

It has always been the main reason why some anglers avoided using the Wide Gape in its original form, as they didn't have confidence in that type of hook point and believe that a strong straight point hook is a better choice.

So it made sense to come up with a pattern that took all the best bits of the original pattern, but with a straight points versatility.

The Korda Straight Point hook has a tapered, eye-wateringly sharp straight point slightly longer than some other patterns. It is incredibly sharp straight out of the packet and doesn't need any additional sharpening unless you wish to.

Strong and durable

The original Wide Gape has always had a reputation for being a very reliable and strong hook, which is part of why it has always been so popular, so we wanted to ensure that the same was true for the Straight Point pattern.

So we decided to construct it using an ‘X' gauge of Japanese steel wire, which like all of our other ‘X' gauge hooks means that it is stronger than a standard wire, and that makes it able to withstand being used in more extreme situations, such as weedy or snaggy waters, and for very big carp both at home and abroad.

The Korda Straight Point hook pattern has also been forged, which adds to the strength of it, as it produces a hook with a refined grain structure that is better aligned, meaning that it exhibits higher tensile strength, making it harder to bend and open up, even under extreme pressure. As well as improving fatigue strength , meaning that it is able to withstand higher levels of pressure for longer. Basically, you end up with a stronger hook relative to its weight.

PTFE coating

The overall durability of the hook is further improved thanks to the PTFE coating which prevents rusting and extends the potential life of the hook, especially if re-using it on your next session – assuming the point hasn’t come into contact with anything to damage it in any way – or even fishing in silt, where the higher pH level can speed up corrosion of an uncoated hook.

The PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) coating also reduces friction, meaning that it helps the hook to penetrate into the mouth of the carp, which when combined with the long, tapered, needle sharp point, it gives you as good a chance as anything, in terms of not only getting an initial hook hold, but also of the hook going in far enough to stay in, and past the micro barb – which keeps it in place but impedes penetration as little as possible. This gives lasting durability whilst maintaining a point that is ultra sharp and strong.

Shape

We wanted to keep the shape along the same lines as the Wide Gape, otherwise it would have ended up being a completely different hook, as opposed to a straight point version of this very effective hook pattern, which is what we wanted to create, but there have been some tweaks.

The eye of the hook has a 15 degree in-turn to it, which means that your chosen hook link material exits the front at an angle which helps the hook to naturally flip over and take a hold when the hook link tightens. This makes the hook more aggressive, but not so much so that it can’t be used with materials such as fluorocarbon, where a very in-turned eye can actually close the gape and reduce the chances of a hook up.

This means that these hooks can be used without the need of any sort of kicker or line aligner, although with many rigs that will further enhance hooking potential as it extends that in-turn and encourages the hook to flip over even more quickly.

The shank has also been lengthened slightly, as compared to the Wide Gape, which also helps in terms with how well it turns and flips over, as well as how well it penetrates under force.

Versatile and can be used for many different rigs

Like the original Wide Gape, the Korda Straight Point Hook can be used in conjunction with a wide variety of different rigs, including all of the popular ones such as Ronnie rigs and combi multi rigs.

So, whether you are looking for a hook to use with pop-ups, wafters, or standard bottom baits, the Straight Point does it all.

To make it even more versatile, we have introduced intermediate sizes – this hook comes in size 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 – to give you even more flexibility when it comes you your rigs, such as in situations where a size 4 might feel a bit too big, but a size 6 isn’t quite right either. They come in packs of ten.