Confused by all the different hooks styles on offer? You’re not alone. Lasse Bøe gets to the point with a guide to hook patterns and which to use to boost your catches

There is a huge jungle of hooks out there and I completely understand that people have trouble finding their preferred hook. It is easy to lose the overview over all the brands, all the patterns, and all the colours available. But fear not – this is just another opportunity to optimize your own individual fishing approach. Finding the hooks you prefer is just like finding your favourite rod and your favourite reel. You fish with what gives you confidence. 

The best thing about fishing, is that no one can tell you what to fish with. You will make a personal and very individual choice when picking out the rods and reels that you rely on. Choosing hooks is no different. 

Hook size and shape is generally based on the species, the bait being used, and the method

It is worth mentioning that I am affiliated with Cox & Rawle, and the hooks in this article are based on the range from the UK based company. I could be a hypocrite in my role in Cox & Rawle and say that this is the only hook brand that provides quality hooks. Do other brands have great hooks? Yes, of course, but I have used Cox & Rawle hooks for several years for one simple reason – I have 100 per cent faith in them, and they have never let me down.  

Finding your preferred hook is a personal choice

When I arrive at a certain mark, it is the fishing method, the rig, the targeted species, the bait, the casting distance and depth that determine what hook I will be using. At this stage it seems difficult to take one choice that will make you catch fish, but the trick is to choose the hook that ticks off as many of these boxes as possible that determines the right hook to choose for each application. 

Catching halibut is about leaving nothing to chance

Luckily, we generally divide hooks into only two families. This narrows down the chances you have to pick the wrong hook. Common for all hook types is that they work best with the hook point as proud as possible, and it will become natural which kind of hook suits your fishing best. As always, experience takes time and it is the experience that allows you to choose the right tackle at the right time. 

J-HOOKS

The classic choice for shore angling for many species is the J-hook. Within this main group of hooks you will find many shapes and makes, each of which has its own purposes. Common for them all is that you strike when you want to set the hook. 

A classic and popular choice for general shore angling is the long-shanked Aberdeen hook. When baiting up with long baits like sandeels, lugworm and ragworm, this is an obvious choice and is easy to unhook from a fish’s mouth.

A classic – the Aberdeen hook

A Chinu pattern is a good choice when using bulkier bait. These short-shanked hooks are heavy gauged, which gives you the opportunity to target bigger, hard-fighting, species and still be able to give a quick strike. This is my preferred hook for sole as it is small enough to fit in the sole’s mouth and strong enough to not bend when you are playing them. The Chinu is also a great hook to use in conjunction with dongles, as well as a top hook in a Pennell setup. 

A short-shanked Chinu hook is a great choice for bulkier baits

One of my favourites is the catfish hook with its wide range of applications. They are tough, and it is the ultimate big fish hook. The wide gape is ideal for big baits and the special “sickle” bend works brilliantly as a holding point in a fish’s mouth. This is my preferred choice for congers besides the infamous big fish hook, the Cox & Rawle Meat Hook. This is also a great top hook in a Pennell setup when using big baits and you can bet your life they won’t bend or snap. This also gives me the chance to fish with smaller hooks, resulting in quicker strikes. 

The Catfish hook is an Octopus hook with extra holding power

In recent years I have been using specimen-styled hooks as my go-to hook for general fishing, especially the “Extra” version with a heavy gauge wire. With its wide gape it differs from the traditional Aberdeen hook, offering more space for bait and more holding power. It is a great hook for just about anything with fins, with a small exception towards smaller flatfish like dabs and soles. 

A big mouthed Abeerdeen hook is a great hook for general fishing

CIRCLE HOOKS

The last few years my fishing has almost exclusively been done with circle hooks. Using circle hooks suits my fishing perfectly as it gives me the chance to practice catch and release in a wider range than with J-hooks. Even when fishing right in the middle of a school of codling, the circle hooks has greatly enhanced hooking in the outer part of the fish mouth, especially in the “scissors”. I must admit that I have had some bad conscience in the past when deep hooking 20-inch cod and the only thing left to do is to feed the otters or the seagulls with them. 

Circle hooks works wonders for species like whiting

Switching to circle hooks has been an eye-opener and the amount of deep hooked (and unwanted) fish is limited down to almost nothing. To use a circle hook it is important to never strike, but rather let the fish hook themselves. 

A widely debated issue when using circle hooks is how to attach it to the hook length. A lot of anglers swear by using a loop knot, giving the hook more room to move freely and turn in the fish’s mouth. This is an important aspect of using circle hooks, but I have never noticed any difference between using a snell-knot around the hook shank, using a loop knot, or just a standard knot straight in the hook eye. This is a personal preference; I go for the latter option, as it works fine for me.  

Circle hook knot decision…

It can be hard to advance from the classic J-hook and striking when you have a bite, to fishing with circle hooks and not to strike. A piece of good advice when starting off using circle hooks is to allow some room for error and learn how to use them over time. Don’t go chasing that trophy fish with tackle you have an unsure relationship with. Instead, start by fishing for species you can afford to lose. Here in Norway, I learned using circle hooks when fishing for cod. After a while, when you have lost a certain number of fish by giving striking with circle hooks, it is time for some troubleshooting. The key is to understand the way a circle hook works, and that takes practice. 

A circle hook with a dongle is an excellent weapon for thornback rays”
(Photo: Arild Haga)

 There are two ways to set the circle hook: simply reel down till you can feel the weight of the fish and “lift” into the weight of the fish, or you can let the fish hook itself. In hard pulling tides, where you normally fish with hard drag on your reel, the fish will hook itself anyway. Using a circle hook under these conditions works brilliantly. I have my best results using fixed or semi-fixed rigs like a pulley rig when using circle hooks; a running rig will in most cases work against itself and result in deep hooked fish. 

The anatomy of a circle hook

Introducing the dongle setup is some of the biggest advantages of using circle hooks. When presenting the bait below a circle hook, the bait presentation is highly optimized and offers the best part of the Pennell setup without the anchor hook at the bottom. My hook-ups have increased greatly using circle hooks with a dongle attached, and I see no point in changing a winning formula. 

A dongle rig is a great method of fishing a circle hook
(Photo: Arild Haga) 

My current favourite hook for flatfish like plaice and flounder is a newly introduced hook from Cox & Rawle – The Wacky hook. This is a funny one. It has the look of a wide-gaped J-hook but works as a semi-circle hook. And it works perfectly as a dongle-rigged hook! 

Dongle rigging Wacky hooks have been an eye-opener

CHOOSING THE RIGHT HOOK 

After using circle hooks with dongles for several years at almost any possible opportunity, it has been my preferred pattern of hook for targeting a wide range of species. It works especially well for bigger species like cod, shark species and rays. I have successfully used circle hooks with dongles when I target seatrout, which is normally a tricky species to target with bait as they are known to swallow it. Using circle hooks and dongles for flatfish like plaice, dabs and flounders has been pure magic, with a higher percentage of hook-ups on slow days. A common rule is to scale hook size and bait up or down, depending on the target species. 

Cod is the ultimate species to target with circle hooks

I also find circle hooks as the obvious choice when fishing over deeper water. It takes less effort to hook a fish, and I find them particularly handy when fishing for species like ling with swim bladders that expand as they rise through the water column. The shape of the circle hook is harder for the fish to get rid of and you have less chance that they float up without your hook in their mouth.

Using circle hooks for big mouthed species like turbot and brills would seems like a great idea, but I lose too many hooked fish because of the soft tissue in the outer part of their mouths. For these species I prefer to hook them deeper in the mouth, meaning a J-hook is a better choice. 

One species I have never been successful with when using circle hooks, is congers. I have lost too many runs that have resulted in a big Viking screaming in frustration into the night! A theory behind this is that the congers are swimming backwards, leaving no obstacles in the fish mouth to grab on to. When I finally have hooked and landed a conger, it has swallowed the hook and bait. To me it makes some sense, and that is why I’m sticking with J-hooks! 

Fishing for congers with circle hooks is impossible!

LASSE’S TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT HOOK

  1. When arriving at a mark, the fishing method, rig, targe species, bait, casting distance and depth will determine what hook to use. The trick is to choose the hook that ticks off as many of these boxes as possible.
  2. Hook choice is a personal preference: there is no right or wrong hook for any situation, simply the one that suits you.
  3. Whatever hook you choose always make sure the hook point is as proud as possible.
  4. When switching from J-hooks to circle hooks practice fishing for fish you don’t mind losing while you get used to not striking!
  5. Try using a dongle when using circle hooks in order to present the boat below the hook. This optimises bait presentation.
  6. Try using circle hooks in deep water where it’s not as easy to set the hook by striking.
  7. Circle hooks are an excellent choice in fast flowing currents where fish will often hook themselves.
  8. Experiment with different hooks until you gain experience and get results. This will give you confidence when fishing with hooks you know have caught you fish.
  9. Finally, make sure you hook points are razor sharp. Check them regularly while fishing and replace any blunt or damaged hooks.