Fishing Tackle: How to Choose the Suitable Saltwater Fishing Hooks?

There is an ancient legend in China about a wisdom man who called Jiang Tai Gong, he used a straight hook without any baits to catch the fish. So there is an old saying about him: A fish jumping to Jiang Tai Gong’s no hook and no bait line-a willing victim. But the fact is that Jiang Tai Gong just wanted to attract the emperor by this strange action, no really wanted to catch the real fish. Finally, Jiang Tai Gong helped the emperor and his son turn over the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty.

But actually speaking, it is nearly impossible to catch a fish with a straight hook. As the basic tool of fishing, hooks are crucial. In order to more enjoy the fishing, people have been improving the fishing hooks generations after generations. And now, we have many kinds of fishing hooks in the market. And today, we will introduce you some common hooks which are suitable for saltwater fishing.

Before choosing the types of fishing hooks, we should know the sizes we need. Fishing hook size is measured at the gap between the point and the shank. Saltwater fish hook sizes start at a tiny No. 32 and run up to a huge 19/0. From size 32 to 1, saltwater hook size increases while the number decreases. From size 1/0 to 19/0, the hook size increases along with the number. There is no standard in hook size, so one brand’s 3/0 may be larger than that of another brand.

The size you need is mainly determined by 2 factors: the size of the fish you catch and the size of your baits or fishing lures. The common sense for fishermen is that small hooks are suitable for fish with small mouths, while large hooks are used to catch fish with large mouth. But another rule is that when your baits are small, you’d better use the small hooks, even the fish you want to catch is large. This is because that the large hook can’t hide in the small bait.

Then let’s talk about the types of saltwater fishing hooks.

J-hook

J-hooks earned their name from their resemblance to the letter. Some people like use j-hooks because they fit into a fish’s mouth and then catch on something on the way out, and they’ve worked that same way for a long time. But J-hooks have different styles, and each style is suitable for different types of saltwater fishing. For example, bait fishermen usually choose long-shank saltwater fishing hooks that are easy to remove from a fish’s mouth.

Circle hooks

A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. With the development of the catch-and-release, circle hooks have become widely used among anglers in recent years. As the fishermen pulls on the line, the hook slides forward until it reaches the fish's mouth. Once there, it lodges in the side of the mouth. These hooks are popular in the saltwater world, but are making their way into the freshwater side as well.

Treble hooks

The treble hooks work by snagging the fish when it hits a bait. Treble fishing hooks are sized the same way as other hooks, but it usually takes a smaller treble hook to catch the same size fish as a circle or J-hook. Most plugs use treble hooks so that when the fish realizes it has eaten a lure instead of a real fish, it is already hooked.

There is no doubt that fishing hooks play an important part in all kinds of fishing. Choose the right fishing hooks can determine the success or failure of you fishing to some extent. If you are a real fishing lovers, you must have already had this sense.