Going fishing? Need some hooks? Don’t just grab any old packet from the shelf. Hook choice is critical and should be based on a few simple factors, not an impulse buy, as Jarrod Day explains.

pEven when using soft plastics using the right jig head is vital. Some jig head hooks could be cheap Chinese ones and buckle under the slightest pressure. Mustad’s Darter Jig Heads contain Mustad hooks which can stand up to the most brutal of species.

When you walk through the doors of a tackle store, you’re instantly faced with a mind blowing selection of rods, reels, fishing line, lures, swivels and of course hooks.
Over the last two decades, hooks have evolved in leaps and bounds and what may have been a ‘good ol’ hook’ back in the day, has now most likely been superseded by a new model that has undergone a serious upgrade in recent times.
Years ago, a hook display on a tackle store’s wall might have taken up only a small section but with an increase in technology and more effective styles, hook displays have gone from one display bay to five for more.

pEven when fishing for trout and redfin, small forged hooks retain strength and won’t fail under pressure.

With so much variety, choosing a hook can be quite daunting, some anglers buy on brand recognition, some on experience and some on an impulse buy. When you really break it down, hooks should be purchased based on only two factors, the fish being targeted and on the tackle class being used.
Hook choice is critical for any fishing trip you embark on and whether you’re catching whiting in the bay or going for a record breaking tuna on line class, choosing a hook should be a careful and well researched exercise.
Selecting a hook based on any matter other than the last two factors can lead to disaster. Think about it: you’re going whiting fishing on the weekend so you need to consider what kind of hook will be best suited. Firstly, look at the fish’s mouth; this will provide the knowledge of the size and style of hook required. Secondly, look at the habitat in which the fish resides as it will provide ample information as to the gauge of the hook required.
With this information known, choose either a Mustad Bloodworm long shank or Demon light circle style hook depending on how aggressive they are on that particular day. The size of the hook will be dictated by the size of the fish’s mouth and what they can fit into it. In this case either a size #4 or #6 in either hook style.
As for the strength of the hook, whiting do go hard once hooked and at the last dash for freedom when nearing the water’s surface. In this situation, it makes sense to choose a hook with a forged shank to ensure strength. At the same time though, whiting aren’t known for straightening hooks but they do have soft lips so with too much pressure, the hook could tear out.
In the case of battling a GT on the edge of a reef, you’d be fishing extreme drag pressure somewhere between 10 and 20 kg depending on the reel and how tight the drag knob is wound. A GT has a big mouth so a 7/0 to 9/0 hook will be ideal and as for style that depends on the type of fishing you’re implementing. When tossing surface poppers, in most cases, the lure will be rigged with either a set of treble hooks or for catch and release with minimal harm done to the fish, a J style 9/0 hook and two 9/0 jig type hooks cable tied together. These three single hooks will all be forged to ensure maximum strength due to the close contact battle around a reef as well as the extreme drag pressure required to stop the fish before you’re busted off.
Given the above, let’s take a closer look into the specific attributes that should be taken into consideration when grabbing a packet of hooks to use.
LINE/LEADER/KNOT STRENGTH
There are many factors that come into play when choosing a hook and while the above scenarios might outline the basis on how to roughly choose a hook, there really is a lot more involved when you break down the equation.
Though you can choose a hook based on the fish’s mouth composition, size, hook style and strength, you also need to take into consideration the tackle and more so the items that have direct contact with the hook such as the leader, fishing line and drag pressure from the reel as these will also dictate which hook is most suitable.
No one likes to lose a fish and when the cause is tackle failure, you do have to take a step back and analyse why that specific piece of tackle failed.
When going toe to toe with a brutal fish, it is common for knots to fail and leader to break before a hook fails, but not always.
Knots are quite easy to tie and when you’re fishing the open ocean, a three turn uni knot to the hook can stand up to the toughest of species. Given that, when a hook is embedded into a fish and the brakes are on, you’ll have an extreme amount of pressure bestowed onto the knots and hook. When you look at a hook, the bend receives most of the pressure. In this case some hooks can open and slip out of the fish’s mouth. This is where the understanding of the species and what hook should be used comes into play.


DRAG PRESSURE
Another factor to look into and probably one of the most important is drag pressure. The amount of pressure added to stop the fish from running over the reef or back into a snag ultimately dictates whether the hook will stand up to the task of not. Assessing and testing the right amount of drag pressure that is set on the reel. Doing this will avoid the leader breaking, the fish busting you off and the hook bending and or failing.
While knowing the right amount of pressure to set on a reel may come with experience, you do have to start somewhere and learn each time you hook your target.
Too much drag on a reel and you run the risk of busting the leader or having a hook open and fail, too little and you run the risk of the fish busting you off. Drag pressure is always a difficult issue, especially when fishing around snags as you only get a split second after the initial strike to get the fish out of the terrain and hope that everything holds together.

When you hook a billfish, they do not come in easily. The right hook is mandatory for the job.

FORGED OR NOT
It wasn’t until I began working in the fishing industry that the term forged became one of the main features of my hook choice. On visual appearance, hooks might look similar in all attributes but on a forged hook, you’ll notice that the sides have been flattened or pressed which increases the hook’s strength capabilities. The specifics of forged hooks are favoured by anglers fishing for big game where hook strength is vital, but these days, due to anglers targeting trophy fish using lighter tackle, the forged attribute has become a key quality in hook selection to ensure the hook is the strongest available for its size.
For smaller game and smaller sized hooks, long shank, bait holder, octopus circle and some circle hook models aren’t available in a forged version. When choosing the right hook; you do need to take your line class into consideration.
A light gauge hook and heavy line is asking for disaster but a 6/0 octopus style hook with 20 lb monofilament or 20 lb braid will be suitable for catching the majority of tough reef species. A light gauge 5/0 circle hook on the other hand will be fine when fishing 20 lb or 30 lb braid but under the pressure of a locked drag, 80 lb braid may open on an 80 kg tuna.

Fishing the Coral reefs around the country demands the very best of tackle used. These species can buckle hooks in seconds. This brute of a coral trout was no match for Mustad’s Kaiju Ultra Point Trebles.

SUMMARY
So, when it comes down to it, hook selection is not as easy as picking up a packet and running out the tackle store doors in a hurry. In fact, it is a lot more complicated than that. Still, there will always be those instances where you just grab a packet in the heat of the moment which might suffice on that fishing trip.
Hook choice is crucial and you never know what sized fish is going to take your lure or bait. It always pays to be rigged and ready for that fish of a lifetime because you’d never forgive yourself if it got away due to avoiding a few simple processes.

Jarrod Day works in Compleat Angler’s Head Office and has been an accomplished fishing journalist for the past decade. Jarrod is married with two children and resides in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges.
He has extensively fished throughout Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory as well as many international destinations.
Having built his writing career over many years, Jarrod is endorsed by L.Wilson, Yo-Zuri, Spotters, Richter Lures and Compleat Angler.