Fishing Hook Size Chart: Sizes by Species Explained

How hook sizes work

Arkansas Game & Fish says hooks are sized with numbers, and larger numbers mean a smaller hook, so a number 12 hook is much smaller than a number 2 of the same style. Once the size includes a /0, pronounced aught and standing for zero (1/0, 3/0, 5/0), the hook gets bigger as the first number increases, so a 12/0 is much larger than a 2/0.

South Carolina DNR puts the two scales together: for sizes 32 to 1 the larger the number the smaller the hook, and from 1/0 (one aught) to 19/0 the larger the number the larger the hook. Florida FWC puts it the same way, with size 32 the smallest and size 1 much larger.

How far the scale runs depends on the source. New York DEC says sizes range from tiny #22, used for tying small flies, to a giant #16/0 for shark fishing. Florida FWC’s example is an 18/0 hook for sharks against a 5/0 for grouper. New York DEC adds that hook size is determined by the length of the shank, excluding the eye.

Hook size by species

The sizes below are what state agencies recommend. They overlap because hook size also depends on the bait and rig.

For the line to match each hook, see fishing line pound test.

Match the hook to the fish’s mouth

• Use a hook that is not so big that a fish can easily detect it, but not so small that it is easily swallowed (New York DEC).
• A hook that is too large may not fit in a small fish’s mouth, and one that is too small could let a larger fish bend or break it (Oklahoma DWC).
• To choose, picture the species and look at its mouth and what it likes to eat (South Carolina DNR).
• When in doubt, go smaller so the fish can take it into its mouth (Arkansas Game & Fish).
• If fish are nibbling but not getting hooked, use a smaller hook (Outdoor Alabama).

Hook styles and wire

Arkansas Game & Fish calls the J-hook, also known as the Aberdeen or round-bend hook, by far the most widely used and perhaps the most versatile style. South Carolina DNR lists popular styles as treble, Kirby, octopus, wide gap, O’Shaughnessy, baitholder, circle and weedless.

Florida FWC says a J-hook requires a strong hook set, while with circle hooks you keep tension on the line and do not set the hook.

Wire weight matters too. Thin-wire hooks are better for smaller fish and quick hooksets with less force, and crappie, bream and trout suit them. The twists, head shakes and jerks of larger fish, and the strain of heavy hooksets, can straighten light-wire hooks, while heavier wire withstands them (Arkansas Game & Fish).

The basic parts of a hook are the eye, shank, bend and barb (Oklahoma DWC), plus the sharp point (South Carolina DNR). New York DEC says any hook can be made barbless by bending the barb down with pliers.