The Year The Lock Hook Took Over - Just Look What It Caught!
We all know that small rig changes can make a big difference in carp fishing, but surely a hook is a hook, right? Well, not if you pay attention to the phenomenal success rate of The Lock - the hook that took 2024 by storm, with a stack of enormous captures all over the world!
Released in late 2023, 'The Lock' has now been out on the wider market for over a year, and the feedback has been nothing short of spectacular. Many of our Sponsored Anglers and best customers now use this hook pattern only and for everything in their carp fishing - that's what confidence does!
But don't just take our word for it, in this article we will have a little look back at some of the astonishing fish this special little hook managed to land last year.
FIRST NIGHT MAGIC AT DOMAINE DE BOUXIER
Back at the end of February 2024, OMC's Roo Abbott set a new record for both the Lock and Magic Twig when he landed an enormous 71lb mirror on his first night at Carp Fishing Destinations Domaine de Bouxier in France. Big bunches of maggots and long hairs, combined with our Blend Coated Braid saw him catch countless other fish over 40lb that trip too - epic!
PASCAL UNLOCKS BIG MIRROR AND COMMON
Pascal Malahieude couldn't have asked for a better March and April when he banked a monster mirror of 62lb 6oz called 'Half Moon' and the impressive 'Black Common' of 56lb-plus. Both fish were landed on the same Blowback Rig presentation which incorporated a Lock size 4 and our Blend Coated Braid. Two fish that would make anyone's year!
BIG CARP AND STURGEON TOP HUGE PARCO HIT
Moving deeper into April, the Lock was put to the test at another European super water. This time at Italy's Parco Del Brenta, where Lawrence Burnes landed 19 carp to 66lb 3oz and a 69lb sturgeon on a size 4 Lock pattern fished as part of a Ronnie Rig presentation - awesome stuff!
CRAIG NETS SOLACE LAKE RECORD
There's nothing like catching a record fish, which is exactly what Craig Jackson did with the Lock Hook on a visit to Lac Solace in France. Using a Spinner Rig, which also incorporated our famous Dazzlers, he caught several 30 and 40lb-plus fish, but rounded the session off in style with a 60lb 4oz common that set the new best.
LOCK SOLVES THE MONUMENT PUZZLE
It isn't just abroad where anglers were finding special success on the Lock, in the UK many chased their target fish down on the remarkable pattern too. In early April, Jamie Hallard tracked down one of RH Fisheries' Monument 2's A-Teamers - the stunning 'Jigsaw' at 41lb 14oz. Jamie used the Lock on this occasion as part of a Solid PVA Bag Rig, tied with our Bloodliner Inturns and Long Distance Hookbeads - puzzle solved!
LOCKING ALL OVER THE WORLD!
As we moved into May, June and July, captures on the Lock were really mounting up, thanks to the release of the Lock Hook META All In One Rigs. In the UK, Ali met a 52lb 8oz Grenville beast on a mega filming session at the lake of dreams.
OMC's French contributor Stephane Gentille was also cashing in on the unstoppable hook with countless bigguns, including a special 26kg common.
We even received a stack of reports from Hungary during this period, where Ferenc Halasz was tearing it up with the Lock on Lake Balaton, catching fish over 20kg almost every trip!
LOCK TAMES 'THE LADY'
With the success rate anglers were now experiencing on this hook, it was only a matter of time before the benchmark for the biggest carp landed on it was raised again. Which is exactly what happened at the start of August. Daniel Smith was to be the new Lock Hook record holder when he caught an epic mirror known as 'The Lady' at a whopping 74lb from Bluewater Lakes in France. The mega fish topped a seven fish hit, all taken on his favourite Combi Multi Rig with the size 4 Lock.
LOCK CLAIMS LINEAR RECORD
By September the Lock and those putting their faith in it had already scooped several lake records all over Europe, but the next was to come from one of the UK's most famed day ticket waters, Linear Fisheries. Karl Reid described the Lock as "the best hook on the market for hookholds" when he used it as part of a Slip D Rig to land the biggest mirror in Hardwick and Smiths Lake at 48lb.
LOCK HOOK RECORD SMASHED BY 41KG GIANT
October 2024 got off to an unbelievable start, when amongst the chaos of the release of the Magic Wand, Mik Dolmans contacted us with a catch report that truly blew us all away. Using a size 2 Lock Hook, Mik had managed to land one of the biggest carp of the Benelux - a fish known as 'Mohican', at a staggeringly colossal 41kg (that's over 90lb!). Take a bow that man - we still can't get over that shot of the back of this fish - insane!
DAVID LOCKS ON TO PRE-BAIT MONSTER
OMC German Contributor David Rosemeier spent October of 2024 implementing a long-term baiting strategy to try and get the fish feeding in an extremely weedy situation on his water. Due to the conditions, robust tackle was required, so he combined the Lock with our Ammo Braid - neither let him down when he landed this awesome mirror of over 60lb. Just one of the beasts he tempted on the Lock in an extraordinary year of angling (more on that in a future article!).
A LOCKING GREAT GRASS CARP HITS THE BANK TOO!
It isn't just your standard carp that can't deal with the Lock Hook too, this enormous 63lb 1oz grass carp landed by Marcus Watts on a visit to France in October 2024 proved that. Marcus used a size 4 Lock in combination with the Magic Twig and Dog Bone Ronnie Clips on Spinner Rigs.
STEPHANE LOCKS IT LARGE AGAIN!
Our French contributor Stephane Gentile capped a special season when he landed a new personal best and the biggest in his French syndicate lake. A story you can read here or watch below... Safe to say he faced many challenges but hook choice wasn't one of them!
LOCK TAKES VICTOR SKY HIGH!
It is important to remember the catches listed in this article are only the ones we have been told about, there's plenty of under the radar captures left un-reported and some we know of but captors want to keep their rig secrets quiet. An example of these hidden monsters was shared with us at the Winter Carp Show, when Victor Mihai from Romania showed us his new personal best from Sky Lake in France. A true beast of a carp named 'The Pet', which weighed a humungous 78lb 2oz.
M1 MONSTER MAKES FIRST CAPTURE ON THE LOCK
It was kind of fitting that right at the end of 2024 the hook that breaks all the traditional carp hook norms would catch a UK carp that breaks the norms too - in this case the incredible 65lb Monument 1 Common. Stocked into the lake at over 60lb, this was the first time the fish was caught, and boy was captor Daniel Culluck glad he put his faith in the Lock. He used it in conjunction with our Dazzlers and Hookbeads as part of a Combi Rig - an insane history-making capture - just what this hook is all about!
SO WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE LOCK?
Well if you aren't convinced by all those captures, how about a bit of the science behind this phenomenal hook pattern...
The relationship between each part of this hook is critical. The way every detailed millimetre talks to the other parts to ensure the performance journey of the hook is consistent.
The inturned eye leading to the curve shank often relates to hooks being more aggressive but possibly moving a little too much during battle…not the Lock. You get the dynamics of a curve shank, but when coupled with an exaggerated large gape, subtle beaked and outrageously fine needle sharp hook point, you have everything to sting the fish instantly, but when you’ve 'Locked on', the final piece of the jigsaw is the “flat base” of the hook leading to the “apex corner”, which is the junction between shank and bend creating the nucleus of why this hook is so god damn brilliant!
A variety of rigs can be deployed with this design, so when that beaked point drives in - the intricate pattern means the physics are focused on taking that super sharp point with speed to the apex corner to 'Lock' and not move!
What are you waiting for? Have your best carp fishing season ever - get on the LOCK!
Journalist Chris Haydon joined the OMC Family in the spring of 2024, after six years working for the UK's number 1 fishing publication, the Angling Times. He is a keen Coarse and Carp Fishing All-rounder, fishing in the South West region, including the famous Cotswold Water Park.
