How can I avoid foul hooking small fish?

[Norfolk N' Good]

Fished the Wooden Jetty today for 2.5 hours over high tide. There were loads of small whiting about and the occasional sized one. To avoid catching the little blighters (15-18cm), I upped the hook size to a 1/0 and used bigger baits. That didn't put them off though, they still attacked the bait and when I struck I ended up foul hooking 2 of them. All fish returned safely, but one was lasoo'ed around the snout with the hook snood just above the hook (never lassoo'ed a fish before), and the other was hooked through the mouth, but with the hook shank outside the mouth.

Do you think a pennel rig would have been better?

 

[SnaggedUpLad]

1/0 is a pretty small hook size mate, up to a 2/0 4/0 to avoid. personally anyway

 

[codcatcher3000]

ive used 6.0 and still get amazed by the size of the whititng that swallows a 6'0 hook filled with 5 lug and mackerel strip..

 

[codseeker]

you carnt win whatever size hooks ya hoy out i use 5/0 hooks and still get whiting ,dabs and flounders

 

[waco]

Fished the Wooden Jetty today for 2.5 hours over high tide. There were loads of small whiting about and the occasional sized one. To avoid catching the little blighters (15-18cm), I upped the hook size to a 1/0 and used bigger baits. That didn't put them off though, they still attacked the bait and when I struck I ended up foul hooking 2 of them. All fish returned safely, but one was lasoo'ed around the snout with the hook snood just above the hook (never lassoo'ed a fish before), and the other was hooked through the mouth, but with the hook shank outside the mouth.

Do you think a pennel rig would have been better?

no you got a chance to catch 2 then

dont use hooks simple as that , seriously though there's not a dammed thing you can do about it, ive seen 3inch dab taken on a 4/0m hook and with a good size bait, you just got tp persevere