i always have a few with me. don't always set 'em out, like hardwater says they're a pain if you want to move a lot. they help you cover more water. set them at different depths along a point, channel, weed bed, etc. from what i've been told, and in my exp. some lakes are better than others for tip up fishing. if you're gonna sit for a while, your odds are lots better with 8 hooks than 1.