Popular Hook Styles

This Guide provides an overview of the parts of a fishing hook, as well as some of the types of fishing hooks available for freshwater angling. There are some common parts to all hooks. Those parts include the eye, shank, gap, point and barb. The variations on these characteristics result in dozens of hook styles.

Let's begin with a brief overview of the anatomy of a hook.

The Eye

The hook eye is the connection point to the fishing line or the body of lures. Ringed eyes are the most common. The metal is bent in a uniform loop and the end sits flush against the shank. Needle, looped and tapered are some other types of hook eyes, but they tend to be used for specific applications, like saltwater or dry flies.

The Shank

The shank is the length of the hook from the eye to where the bend starts. Shanks come in short, medium or long lengths. Short ones greatly reduce the size of the hook. They are often used for finesse fishing when hook size and weight are critical to a proper presentation, like dry flies or live bait fishing with a leech. Medium length shanks are the most common and used in an array of fishing situations. Long shanks can be used for live bait fishing where finesse isn't critical, or to match a longer profile of an artificial bait (like a spinnerbait or big plastic).


The Gap

The gap is the size of the bend in a hook from the shank to its point. An average size gap will do in most situations, but sometimes a wide gap is needed. A wide gap is used for rigging thick-bodied baits to ensure that the hook point will be exposed on the hook set.

The Point

This is the tapered end of the hook. As its name suggests, it's the sharp point that penetrates a fish's mouth. The shape of the point will vary. Needle, knife edge, spear, or rolled ones are some examples. The most important thing, however, is that you keep your points sharp, so invest in a hook file and use it often. Quality hooks are packaged extremely sharp and will stay sharp longer than cheaper ones.

The Barb

The barb is designed to hold the hook in place once it penetrates the fish's mouth. The larger the barb, the more difficult it is for the fish (and likely yourself) to get the hook free. Many catch and release anglers pinch barbs with pliers or file them down for easy hook removal.








POPULAR HOOK STYLES

Now that you have a good understanding of the components to hooks, here are some basic and advanced hooks to add to your tackle box.

Bait hooks

Bait Hooks come in a variety of styles. Most feature barbs on the shaft to hold bait in place. Longer shank hooks are good for teaching kids to fish, while shorter shank ones are often used in snells.

Treble Hooks

Treble Hooks feature three bends and points in one hook. Trebles provide more hooking potential to many artificial baits such as crankbaits, jerkbaits or topwaters. Bait anglers also use trebles. Cut bait for catfish or threading minnows for lake trout are two examples where trebles are regularly used.

Siwash Hooks

Siwash Hooks are quite strong and have a long shank and point. These hooks have a straight eye so they sit properly on lures. Siwash hooks are often used on single-hook baits, such as spinnerbaits. I also use them sometimes to replace factory-provided treble hooks on certain baits, especially spoons.


Aberdeen Hooks

Aberdeen Hooks are made of a lighter wire than Siwash hooks and are often used for bait fishing. The thin metal easily hooks bait and does minimal damage so bait stays lively. Light wire also makes them a good option when fishing dense cover. When snagged, you can sometimes bend the hook and pull it free with a bit of pressure.

Circle Hooks

Circle Hooks have a pronounced circular bend, short shank and an inward bending point. They are extremely popular for bait anglers. Many fish will swallow bait, resulting in gut hooking with conventional live bait hooks. Circle hooks act differently. When an angler detects a bite, a slow steady pull of the line is all that's needed to move the hook to the side or top of the fish's mouth to prevent gut hooking.

Octopus Hooks

Don't be misled by the name; Octopus Hooks don't have eight points, only one. These short-shank hooks feature a fairly round shank and bend, but it's not as dramatic as circle hooks. Octopus hooks are often used for bait fishing when minimal hook weight and size is essential for a natural presentation. These hooks are great for hooking a leech through the sucker.



Worm Hooks

A variety of Worm Hooks exist to fish soft-plastic baits. Worm hooks feature a slight bend just below the hook eye. This feature allows for Texas-rigging plastics to make them weedless. Most worm hooks feature wide gaps to ensure the point will be exposed even with the plastic rigged on the hook. These hooks are quite strong and feature solid penetrating power to hook fish.

Jig hooks

Jig Hooks are designed to sit in specific jig molds. They feature a bend just below the hook eye, with a 90-degree bend being the most common. Pouring your own jigs can save you money and be a fun winter hobby to gear up for the next season.



The above hooks are some common styles available. Yet there are even more specialized hooks available. Here's a look at a few:

Drop-shot hooks are designed to be tied onto the line with a Palomar knot. They sit out at a 90-degree angle from the line, which has a sinker below the line and are rigged with finesse plastics.

Weedless hooks feature plastic or wire guards that stand out in front of the hook point. They help keep weeds from snagging the point, letting you fish vegetation a lot easier. Their name is misleading as they're not 100% weedless, but are better than a bare hook for fishing weeds.

Topwater jerkbait hooks are similar to worm hooks, but have a wider gap. This ensures the plastic won't interfere with the hook set, but the shank and bend also act as a rudder. Some will have a bit of weight on the shank as well.

Keeper hooks have a small barb arm that connects to the hook eye. The barb is inserted into the nose of a soft-plastic bait. The hook point is stuck lower in the plastic body. This allows for a straight presentation that's also fairly weedless.

Dressed trebles (AKA feathered trebles) are simply treble hooks with feathers and tinsel tied on their shanks. These can be used to replace the back hook on hard lures like jerkbaits or topwaters. The feathers will pulsate and flare on stop-and-start retrieves which can trigger hits.


Hooks are an important part of your terminal tackle. If new to fishing, start out with some of the basics first and then expand to more specialized ones as your skills improve. Just remember to keep them sharp.