Choosing the Right Hook Size
Bad, good and effective hook selection.
By Dan MacLeod, Pursuit Sport Fishing
Making the best decision for yourself and the fishery
Most anglers have their favourite fishing hooks for one reason or another. To try and change an anglers mind about his favourite type, size or colour of hook can be virtually impossible.
Just like boats and trucks, we have many choices these days when it comes to hook selection. It seems like every year, tackle manufacturers are inventing a different type of hook for specialty fisheries that they claim will change the industry. Slow death hooks, weedless hooks, circle hooks, round bend treble hooks, snelled hooks, siwash hooks, bait hooks and so on…
Hooks are categorized in several different ways:
The eye of the hook, the position of the eye on the hook, the total length of the hook, the gape, the bite, the bend or the shank. There are approximately 8 different types of eyes found on hooks, 9 different types of barbs and points, 8 different colours, 12 different shank lengths, 5 different wire strengths, 6 different wire diameters, 6 different hook coatings and sizes ranging from 32 to 9/0. We have choices.
For example, the Sturgeon, Shark, Tuna, Grooper and Halibut fisheries saw a big change with the introduction of circle hooks over the last 20 years and many anglers are claiming that fish hooked on a circle hook never let go. Walleye anglers have had more changes and options over the years with dozens of different types of hooks for the many specific techniques.
Start tying flies and you will quickly see there are hundreds of types of hooks on the market and it can be overwhelming just trying to have a good selection at home.
An area that I am more intimate with is the selection for salmon fishing hooks for ocean and river angling. Over the years I have heard of, and hypothesized on a variety of techniques and theories on how to hook more fish, keep fish on longer, and limit the amount of long distance releases. I most certainly have seen the quality of hooks over the last 20 years go up. Hook points stay sharp longer, less bent hooks and more aggressive beaks and the twist of the gape on hooks has improved my success over the years. Many anglers remove the inferior hooks attached to spoons, spinners, plugs and pre-made hoochies that many manufacturers are using, but an equal amount of manufacturers like Gibbs/Delta are using good quality and perfectly sized hooks that do not need to be removed. Siwash hooks, popular with commercial fishermen, are becoming more popular with sport anglers for their ease of use. They are often my hook of choice for a quick change for spoons, plugs and even hoochies.
One common mistake by anglers on the ocean, rivers and lakes is using too large a hook for the size of spoon, plug or spinner. A 2.5” spoon does not need a 3/0 hook on it and a small size 2 Mepps spinner does not need a 2/0 treble hook attached. Any hook too large for the body of the lure or species of fish will adversely effect the action the spoon or spinner is designed to have and will ultimately effect your catch success. Try dancing a jig with a 10lb cannon ball in your shoes.
I see a wide variety of hooks used in the guiding business for hoochie/flasher fishing on the salt chuck. Lots of guys use tandem hooks and a bead inside the hoochie. I use, and most of the west coast guides use, a 2/0 or 3/0 siwash + swivel and bead combo inside the hoochie set up for large Chinook and a size down for coho. I have also seen #1 treble hook used effectively as well.
Bait set ups are even more diverse with some anglers choosing to use, tandem 1/0 singles, tandem 2/0 singles, 3/0 and 2/0 singles, 2/0 and 1/0 singles. A single size #1 treble can be very effective and one single 1/0 hook can be all it takes with the right size bait. The bait size will often dictate the size and set up of hooks you should use. It is not usually advised to use tandem 2/0 hooks on a small anchovy, just as it is not a good idea to use one small treble on a jumbo herring.
Most halibut set ups are large single hooks or tandem single hooks on artificial baits or large pieces of bait, but I have noticed more and more anglers using a single 1/0 or 2/0 sized treble hook with excellent success.
One area that I feel we should all be more conscious of, is the appropriate size of hook for the species of fish targeted. Most of us are old enough to remember the introduction of single barbless hooks for angling in B.C and most of us remember thinking, how on earth are we ever going to land a fish with a barbless hook. It really forced us to rethink our way of angling and it certainly made us better at fighting fish. I can’t count how many times I have said to my guests, “Always keep tension on that fish cause if you don't the bugger will spit the hook”….. Now that we have learned to fish with single barbless hooks, I for one would not go back. I like having to concentrate at all times when fighting a fish, and I especially like seeing a fish swim away after a release without needing a facial reconstruction or blood transfusion.
I was out on a personal fishing trip with a good friend on the west coast last year and observed his selection of a hook for a hoochie/flasher combo that left me scratching my head. We had a great day hooking dozens of chinook in the high teens as well as a half dozen coho. He chose to use a 3/0 heavy gauge siwash hook behind a swivel and bead inside the cuttle fish and flasher presentation. This set up was perfect for the 15-20lb chinook we were catching but I noticed that half of the coho we hooked had the hook in the eye or top of the head. These fish were either bleeding or had lost an eye because the hook was too big.
We ended up keeping the first four coho we hooked because of the damage we had done to them. Thank goodness we did not get into a school of wild coho and had to release dying or severely damaged fish. I let him do his thing, as it was his boat, rods and tackle, and I felt, at the time, it was not my place to make a suggestion. We have since had a discussion about the topic, and we both agree that the best choice of hook is for the lowest common denominator of salmon you may hook. If you are in thick coho numbers and looking for chinook, don't use a 2/0 or 3/0 hook, but size it down for the coho. A sharp 1/0 or 2/0 hook or #2 or #4 treble is just as effective for large springs and it will allow for a quick and ethical release of any coho, sockeye or pinks hooked. I have hooked numerous 30lb chinook on a single #1 treble on an anchovy presentation and it has become my only way to fish bait.
Choosing the Right Hook Size
Bleeding caused by a large hook.
One fishery that is notorious for large hooks is our sockeye and pink fishery. Most anglers are out for table fair, and getting the fish into the cooler is the objective. Rather than lose fish, anglers often believe the biggest hook will prevent any lost fish. They rarely consider that those fish that did get away were most likely severely damaged. Hooks in the eye, brain or gills will almost always cause death and I truly believe most of us don’t want that to happen.
We often think the biggest and baddest hook in the tackle box is the choice for large fish, but often a sharp and appropriate sized hook is the better choice. Hook fish with the intention to release them without harm, and if you choose to keep some for dinner or the freezer, then make that choice with your net not the hook.
Pursuit Sport Fishing Charters, Vancouver, BC