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Hook Type, Size and Gauge

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Hook Type, Size and Gauge

The differences in hook types, size and gauge are discussed in this page.

Hook Type, Size and Gauge

As every angler knows, hooks are one of the most important parts of a fishing set up. There are many different sizes and types which can lead to confusion on what hook setup should be used for bass. This confusion is based on many developments in the technology by manufacturers and the underlying idea that there should be a hook type for every size and species a fisherman is going after. We have compiled information about hooks so you do not become lost when you are in the shopping aisle of your favorite tackle store or out with your buddies fishing.

Types

There are three types of hooks that are used by fisherman; the single, the double, and the treble hook. The Single hook is the most basic and common hook in use today from professional to the casual fisherman. The popularity of this hook is based on the ease that it provides when setting up bait. Almost all bass fishermen use these types of hooks for the ease of set up for weed less tubes. The second type of hook is called the Double hook. This hook has two points which make them more useful for fly fishing or pike fishing. The third type of hook is called the Treble hook. Since the design consists of three points, this hook offers a high degree of potential catching ability. Because of this characteristic this hook is mainly used for fish such as pike and salmon.

Parts of a Hook

Similar to any piece of fishing equipment, the hook has named features. The typical features on a hook are the eye, shank, bend, point, barb, throat, and gap. Below is a diagram which shows where each feature is located on the hook.

Hook Sizes

As was stated above hooks come in different sizes which are related to the size of fish that the fisherman desires. The small size hook is a size 30. Most fisherman use the hook size 30 to size 1 for freshwater fish. As the size of the hook becomes numerically smaller the anticipated fish becomes bigger. A hook size of 1/0 to 16/0 is mainly used for salt water fishing.

To add complexity to the size there is a difference between where the hook was made. The largest difference is between the European and Japanese. Basically a Japanese hook usually trends to be a size smaller than their European counterparts. Importers of the Japanese hooks usually compensate this size difference by lowering the size of the hooks. In essence a Japanese size six becomes a size eight.

Wire Gauges

The definition of a gauge is basically the diameter of the wire in which a hook is made on. This diameter used to depend on the hooks pattern and size but now many manufacturers offer a fisherman the choice of gauges for their hook.

There are three different gauges of a hook; heavy, medium, and fine. Heavy gauge is used for bigger game fishing and most freshwater fishing. Medium gauge hooks are used mainly for fly fishing and for general fishing. Fine gauge hooks are the lightest and tend to appeal to fly fishermen.