What Type of Fish Hook to Use

To discover which freshwater hooks work best for a specific species of fish or fishing situation, talk to somebody at your local tackle shop or any other experienced fisherman.

They’ll often describe the best freshwater hooks for your needs and the different freshwater fishing hooks you can use.

Freshwater fishing hooks are manufactured from either high-carbon steel, steel alloyed with vanadium, or stainless steel.

Hook types can be named after the design of the point, barb, eye, shank, bend, or size.

With such a vast variety of features to choose from, choosing freshwater hooks can seem extremely daunting at first.

However, with just a little patience and study (of the fishing environment), you’ll soon be a pro at choosing the best hooks for freshwater fishing for all situations you may likely encounter.

ANATOMY OF FRESHWATER FISHING HOOKS

POINTS

The point of a fishhook is the sharp end that penetrates the mouth or flesh of a fish. The profile of the fish hook point and its length determine how well the point penetrates.

Points are described by the direction of the point when looking directly down the line of the shank: straight (in line with the shank), kirbed (offset to the left) or reversed (offset to the right), and design of the point: needlepoint, rolled-in, hollow, spear, beak, mini-barb, semi-dropped and knife-edge.

Freshwater fishing hooks may be described as kirbed needle, straight knife-edge, reversed spear, or any other combination of direction and design noted above.

BARBS

The barb on a fishing hook is the projection extending backward from the point that keeps the fish from unhooking.

The length of the barb determines how much pressure is required to penetrate the point and hold the fish on the hook. In other words, how deep you need to set the hook.

Barbless freshwater hooks make hook removal and fish release less stressful on the fish, especially if you’re doing catch-and-release fishing.

EYES

The eye is the part of the fish hook that’s used to connect the hook to the line or lure. Hook-eye design is usually optimized for strength, weight, and/or presentation.

Fishing hook eye types can be used to describe a certain kind of hook: ring or ball eye, brazed eye (the eye is fully closed), tapered eye (to reduce weight), looped eye (traditional on Atlantic salmon flies), needle eye and spade end (no eye at all, but a flattened area to allow attachment of the leader to the hook).

Eyes on freshwater hooks can also be positioned one of three ways on the shank—up-turned, down-turned, straight, ringed, or lopped. So, much like the points of a hook, the eyes can also be described by direction and design: e.g., up-turned tapered eye.

BEND, SHANK, SHAPE

Simply put, the bend in the “U” shaped part of the hook connects the side with the point to the side with the shank and eye.

The shape of the hook shank can vary widely from merely straight to all sorts of curves, kinks, bends, and offsets. This can contribute to better hook penetration or better bait-holding ability.

Many freshwater hooks intended to hold dead or artificial baits have sliced shanks, which create barbs for better bait-holding ability.

Shank length can be used to describe a certain kind of hook, as in a standard, extra-long, 2XL, short, etc. Shape names include Aberdeen, Sproat, Model Perfect, Limerick, Kirby, Carlisle, O’Shaughnessy, Pennell, Eagle Claw, and Keel.

SIZES OF FRESHWATER FISHING HOOKS

Fishing hook sizes are generally referred to by a number from the smallest (size 32) to the largest (size 19/0).

For hook sizes from 32 to 1, the larger the number, the smaller the hook.

For fish hook sizes from 1/0 (called a one aught) to 19/0, the larger the number, the larger the hook.

TYPES OF FRESHWATER FISHING HOOKS

In general, there are three types of freshwater hooks: bait-cast hooks, fly-cast hooks, and bait and spin-cast lure hooks.

But within these broad categories, there are countless types of freshwater hooks for different species of fish and different fishing methods.

You may find hooks for freshwater fishing named for their general purpose (bait-cast, fly-cast, and bait and spin-cast lure hooks).

You may also see them named for one or more of their physical characteristics (point, barb, eye, bend, shank, and size) or a specific species of fish.

Finally, freshwater fishing hooks can be named for a combination of characteristics.

Single hooks have a single eye, shank, and point. But the eye, shank, point, and bend characteristics can be combined to create hundreds of different hooks for different types of fish and fishing methods.

Most sport fish are caught on some sort of single hook, whether it’s a hook with bait attached, a hook attached to a lure, or a hook with a fly.

Double hooks have a single eye merged with two shanks and points. They’re formed from a single piece of wire and may or may not have their shanks brazed together for strength.

Double hooks are molded into some artificial lures and are a traditional hook for Atlantic salmon flies. Otherwise, they’re uncommon.

Treble hooks have a single eye merged with three shanks and three evenly spaced points. They’re formed by adding a single, eyeless hook to a double hook and brazing all three shanks together.

Treble hooks are used on all sorts of artificial lures and for a variety of bait applications.

CIRCLE HOOKS

These fishing hooks are most popular with catch-and-release anglers. They are designed to result in less damage by hooking the fish in the lip or the corner of the jaw.

This makes it easier to unhook and release the fish. With a circle hook, it’s important to let the fish take the bait and turn away before setting the hook.

Choose the right size hook to allow room for the bait and the fish’s lip. And make sure the hook is exposed and not buried in the bait.