Thread: Hooks- choosing the size

So part two on hooks. How do you decide what size hook to use? Do you prefer a large hook for power and strength or a small hook for "hiding" the metal or getting more hookups? And how does hook diameter affect the size hook you use? Some have already touched on hook size in the other thread, but I wanted to make a separate thread to answer this topic.

Personally I prefer a tiny 3x #10 or #12 black nickel treble for Sheepshead and specks. I have had my a** handed to me by a certain sheepshead fisherman who I won't name (Tilly hat and suspenders) fishing the same piling. Like 8 to 1 before I switched up. I prefer the strength of a 4x size 8 but often they wither won't bite it or see it and nibble the bait off without getting hooked. The target is the soft outer lips which the hook will penetrate better than those nasty choppers just inside the mouth. Specks seem to have the eye equivalent of the Eastern Wild Turkey and are line and hook shy in clear water. As for Spanish I still prefer small and strong. Size #6 or #4 bronze 3X or 4X treble or the strong wire hook in a Spearhead jig. Eagle Claw 735 I think. You aren't as likely to have a hook bend when swinging one over the rail, which is unfortunately necessary to keep away from jaws and Flipper. The hooks in a Gotcha are too light for my taste but they catch fish and aren't easy to change out.

One thing to consider is matching the hook to your bait and not necessarily the fish you are after. A smaller hook lets the shrimp or LY swim naturally and doesn't capsize or kill it---when the fish are suspicious (I think that is spelled t-r-o-u-t) a natural bait presentation is vital. That knob on the reel that controls the drag will help you balance out the equation. Me, I'd rather get the strikes and lose some than sit there watching the closed mouth bastiges laugh at my bait.

Small hooks can hold big fish, especially if they are 2x, 3x, 4x etc. Small fish just think of big hooks as a takeout platter risk-free.

Adjust leaders to clarity and species, toothy critters excepted. The idea that small hooks pull is based on using your rod and line as a lift and the small amount of fish-lip pierced, not the hook straightening. Thin leaders remind you to play fish carefully and to call for a net.