Hooks
Tackle · Last reviewed 2026-08-10
The only part of the tackle that touches the fish — and the part where size numbering confuses more beginners than anything else in angling.
Safety
Hooks and barbs — Can cause injury needing treatment
A barbed hook driven past the barb into a person cannot be pulled back out without tearing tissue, because the barb is designed precisely to prevent that. Hooks in hands, ears, scalps and — occasionally — eyes are the most common angling injury by a wide margin.
What reduces it: Use barbless or crushed-barb hooks, which come out the way they go in. Wear eye protection when casting anything with hooks near your head. If a barbed hook goes in past the barb: cut the line, do not attempt to pull it out, and get medical help. Never remove a hook from anywhere near an eye.
Precautions that always apply here
- Use barbless or crushed-barb hooks where people are close by. A barbless hook comes out of a person the way it goes in.
- If a hook goes past the barb into a person, cut the line, leave the hook where it is, and get medical help. Pulling it back out does far more damage than pushing it through under proper care.
A hook is a curved point with a means of attachment, and it is the component where every decision has a direct welfare consequence. Its size, its shape, its wire gauge and whether it has a barb all decide how a fish is hooked, how much damage is done, and how easily it can be released.
Hook sizing is genuinely confusing and worth explaining once, properly. Below a certain point, hooks are numbered so that BIGGER NUMBERS MEAN SMALLER HOOKS: a size 20 is tiny and a size 6 is substantial. Above that, the numbering switches to a slash notation — 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 — where BIGGER NUMBERS MEAN BIGGER HOOKS. The sequence runs 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and upwards. There is no logic to it beyond history, and there is no standardisation between manufacturers, so a size 10 from one maker is not necessarily the same as another's.
Barbless hooks are increasingly required rather than merely preferred. They come out of a fish cleanly, they come out of a person the way they went in, and the loss rate is far lower than most anglers assume.
- Category
- Hooks
What it does
Penetrates and holds in the fish's jaw, carries the bait, and transfers the load from the fish to the line. The point does the penetrating, the gape determines what it can take hold of, the wire gauge determines whether it will bend or hold under load, and the barb — if present — resists the hook backing out.
How to choose one
- Size the hook to the BAIT first and the fish second; a hook that the bait cannot sit on naturally will not be taken.
- Match wire gauge to the fish and the tackle: fine wire for small hooks and light lines, heavy wire where a large fish will straighten anything thinner.
- Use barbless or crushed-barb hooks unless there is a specific reason not to — the welfare and safety gain is large and the loss rate is small.
- Chemically sharpened points blunt on gravel and on unhooking; check the point on a thumbnail and change the hook when it slides rather than bites.
- Pattern matters: long shank for threading worms, wide gape for boilies on a hair, circle hooks where deep hooking must be avoided.
What the numbers mean
SIZE runs in two sequences. From about size 32 up to size 1, larger numbers mean SMALLER hooks — 20 is very small, 6 is moderate, 1 is large. From 1/0 upwards, larger numbers mean LARGER hooks — 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and so on. Sizes are NOT standardised between manufacturers and can differ by a size or more. GAPE is the distance between point and shank, and it decides what the hook can take hold of. SHANK LENGTH is described in multiples — 2X long, 3X long — relative to a standard for that gape. WIRE GAUGE is described similarly: 2X strong means wire two sizes heavier than standard for that size.
Care, and how it fails
Hooks fail by blunting, by bending open, or by breaking. Blunting is the commonest and the most easily missed: run the point lightly across a thumbnail, and if it slides instead of catching, replace it. Bending open means the wire gauge was too light for the load, which is a selection error rather than a defect. Rust after sea use weakens hooks invisibly, so a rusty hook is a discarded hook. Store hooks dry, and discard rather than reuse any hook that has been straightened.
Where to go next
Fish it is used for
What these connections rest on (1)
Practitioner consensus — 1 connection
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Chub
Hook requirement for a species is angling convention, reported consistently across independent coarse-angling sources.
- Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice: baits, terminal arrangements, presentation and swim selection for river species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse angling practice as reported by practitioners, including rig and tackle convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where it is used
What these connections rest on (1)
Practitioner consensus — 1 connection
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Handlining
The minimal gear set is what defines the method.
- FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Description of handline gear and its components in world fisheries.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Recreational practice with handlines.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
What it works with
- Hair rigA wide gape matters here specifically, because the point has to turn and catch the bottom lip as the fish ejects.
- Improved clinch knotThe commonest line-to-hook connection in angling, and the one most anglers learn first.
- Method feeder rigA short, strong hooklength is structural to the rig rather than a preference: the whole arrangement works by the fish bolting against the weight of the feeder, and that force arrives at the hook hold immediately.
- Palomar knotA doubled-line knot that is quick to tie and hard to tie wrongly, which is why it displaced the clinch for many anglers.
What these connections rest on (4)
Practitioner consensus — 4 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Hair rig
Hook pattern selection for the rig is independently described.
- Carp Fever — Beekay Publishers, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Hook selection for hair rig presentation.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary hook pattern practice for hair rigs.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Improved clinch knot
The component and the knot most often used to attach it.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot selection for joining line to terminal tackle and line to line.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The role of knots and connections in terminal tackle, and the line-class conventions that depend on them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Method feeder rig
The equipment a rig depends on is angling convention, reported consistently by independent practitioner sources.
- Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice: baits, presentation, swim selection and the reasoning behind them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse and match angling practice as reported by practitioners, including bait convention and rig use.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Palomar knot
The alternative connection, and the reason people switch.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot selection for joining line to terminal tackle and line to line.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The role of knots and connections in terminal tackle, and the line-class conventions that depend on them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Understanding it
- Barbed and barbless hooksWhether a hook carries a barb is the most consequential single choice on the hook record and the one with a real evidence base behind it.
- Circle hooks or J hooks: where the fish gets hookedA point turned sharply inwards cannot be driven into anything flat by a straight pull. It slides, rotates and catches at an edge — which is why a circle hook is wound into rather than struck.
- Hook points, patterns and penetrationWhich pattern to use is decided by how a hook rotates and penetrates, and neither is visible from the pattern name.
- Hook sizingThe hook record describes patterns and materials; the size number on the packet is a separate system with two scales running in opposite directions, and it is not explained by looking at a hook.
- Hooks pulling outA point that will not catch on a thumbnail slides rather than penetrating, and sea fishing blunts hooks quickly.
- How hooks are sized, and what the numbers meanThe numbering runs in two directions from a pivot between 1 and 1/0, and nothing on a packet says so.
- Missed bites, and what they usually meanSize against the mouth taking it, and a point that will catch on a thumbnail. Sea fishing blunts hooks quickly.
- The kinds of hook, and what each is shaped forPoint, gape, shank, eye and wire gauge are five independent choices, and reading a hook by those features is more useful than learning pattern names.
3 more
- What actually happens to a released fish Explainer
- Why fish are hooked deeply, and how to reduce it Explainer
- Why hooks straighten or open Explainer
What these connections rest on (11)
Scientific evidence — 2 connections
Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.
Barbed and barbless hooks
The release literature addresses hook type and hooking location directly, which puts this above convention.
- A review of catch-and-release angling mortality with implications for no-take reserves — Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 15:129–154, 2005 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Synthesis of catch-and-release mortality by hook type and hooking location across species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Why fish are hooked deeply, and how to reduce it
Hook geometry and hooking location are directly connected, and the connection has evidence behind it.
- A review of catch-and-release angling mortality with implications for no-take reserves — Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 15:129–154, 2005 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Review establishing hooking location among the strongest determinants of catch-and-release mortality, and the gear and timing factors that influence it.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Practitioner consensus — 8 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Circle hooks or J hooks: where the fish gets hooked
A mechanism edge from a record to the reasoning beneath it, resting on practice reported consistently across independent sources rather than on experiment.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse, match and lure angling practice as reported by practitioners, including tackle convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including tackle, bait and lure convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Hook points, patterns and penetration
Pattern naming is trade convention; the geometry underneath it is what actually decides behaviour.
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Tackle definitions and the dimensions by which tackle is specified.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: British freshwater practice on tackle selection and its reasoning.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Hook sizing
The sizing convention is trade practice with no standards body behind it, which is precisely why it needs an explainer rather than a specification.
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Tackle definitions and the dimensions by which tackle is specified.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: British freshwater practice on tackle selection and its reasoning.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Hooks pulling out
The component behind most pulled hooks.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Line behaviour, knot performance, terminal tackle and casting mechanics.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Pike and the Pike Angler — Stanley Paul, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Line, knot and terminal-tackle mechanics described independently of the sea-angling tradition.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How hooks are sized, and what the numbers mean
A mechanism edge from a record to the explanation beneath it. How tackle behaves is established practitioner knowledge reported consistently across independent traditions, and the label says that rather than claiming a test that was never run.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice including rods, reels, lines, terminal tackle and the reasoning behind the choices.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Stillwater angling practice including rod design reasoning, line choice, hooks and the mechanics of playing fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Missed bites, and what they usually mean
The component whose size and sharpness explain most missed fish.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Terminal tackle behaviour, line drag in flow, bait presentation and rig geometry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Pike and the Pike Angler — Stanley Paul, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Rig and terminal-tackle mechanics described independently of the sea-angling tradition.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
The kinds of hook, and what each is shaped for
A mechanism edge from a record to the explanation beneath it. How tackle behaves is established practitioner knowledge reported consistently across independent traditions, and the label says that rather than claiming a test that was never run.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice including rods, reels, lines, terminal tackle and the reasoning behind the choices.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Stillwater angling practice including rod design reasoning, line choice, hooks and the mechanics of playing fish.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
What actually happens to a released fish
Hook type is documented as a factor in post-release outcome.
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Hook selection guidance in fish care practice.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary barbless hook practice.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Why hooks straighten or open
An opened hook is usually a statement about the tackle, and the hook record is where that should be said.
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Line class and terminal tackle specification, within which hook gauge and drag setting are conventionally related.States this directlyPassage read and verified
History and culture
- Pacific fish hook technologyComposite and one-piece hooks developed in the Pacific are among the most sophisticated pre-industrial fishing technology documented anywhere.
- The history of the fish hookFrom a bone gorge swallowed whole to a chemically-sharpened steel point — one of the longest continuous design lineages in human technology.
What these connections rest on (2)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Pacific fish hook technology
The component with the longest and least European history in the catalogue.
- Fishers' Craft and Lettered Art: Tracts on Fishing from the End of the Middle Ages — University of Toronto Press, 1997 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Historical treatment of fishing practice, technology and its transmission between cultures.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Practitioner consensus — 1 connection
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
The history of the fish hook
The historical record covers this object class.
- Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle — Wynkyn de Worde, in the Boke of Saint Albans, 1496 (Reference work)Relied on for: Fifteenth-century hook making described in the earliest English angling text.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Fishers' Craft and Lettered Art: Tracts on Fishing from the End of the Middle Ages — University of Toronto Press, 1997 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Scholarly analysis of the medieval European hook and tackle tradition.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly