TYPES OF HOOKS

1. Bait Hooks (The All-Rounders)

These are designed to hold live or prepared bait securely.

• Baitholder Hook: Features tiny barbs on the shank to keep worms or leeches from sliding off.
• Circle Hook: Designed so the fish hooks itself in the corner of the mouth as it swims away. Pro Tip: Never “set the hook” with a circle hook; just start reeling.
• Octopus Hook: Short-shanked and rounded. Great for natural baits when you need a stealthy presentation.

2. Bass & Soft Plastic Hooks

If you’re fishing with rubber worms, creatures, or craws, these are your bread and butter.

• EWG (Extra Wide Gap) Hook: The “gold standard” for Texas rigging. The deep bend allows the hook point to clear thick plastic baits when a fish bites.
• Offset Shank Hook: Similar to the EWG but with a narrower gap, perfect for slim worms and finesse setups.
• Wacky Hook: A short, wide-gap hook used for hooking a rubber worm right through the middle. Often comes with a “weed guard” to prevent snags.

3. Treble Hooks

These feature three bends and points fused to a single eye.

• Best For: Crankbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater lures.
• Safety Note: They provide the best hook-up ratio but are the hardest to remove. Always keep a pair of long-nose pliers handy!

4. Specialized & Technical Hooks

For when the conditions get tough or the species gets specific.

• Siwash Hook: A single hook with a large eye, often used to replace treble hooks on spoons or lures to make “catch and release” easier and safer.
• Jig Head: A hook with a lead (or tungsten) weight molded onto the head. Essential for bounce-along-the-bottom fishing.
• Aberdeen Hook: Made of light, thin wire. If you get snagged on a log, the wire will bend rather than snap your line, and it keeps delicate minnows alive longer.

Hook Anatomy: Quick Reference

To understand hooks, you need to know the “lingo”:

• The Point: The sharp end that penetrates the fish.
• The Shank: The long straight part between the eye and the bend.
• The Gap: The distance between the shank and the point (wider gaps are better for thick baits).
• The Eye: Where you tie your knot ($Uni$, $Palomar$, or $Improved$ $Clinch$).

Which Hook Size Do I Need?

Hook sizing can be confusing. Here is the “Golden Rule” of sizing:

1. Standard Sizes: Run from 32 (smallest) to 1 (largest). A size 4 hook is much larger than a size 12.
2. Aught Sizes: Once you pass size 1, they go to 1/0, 2/0, up to 20/0. In this system, the higher the number, the larger the hook.