Types of Fishing Hooks

1 – Bait Hook

2 – Narrow Bait Hook

3 – Jig Hook

4 – Wide Gap Hook

5 – Weedless Wide Gap Hook

6 – Weedless Hook

7 – J Hook

8 – Aberdeen Hook

9 – Siwash Hook

10 – Keel Fly Hook

11 – Circle Hook

12 – Weighted Worm Hook

13 – Worm Hook

14 – Octopus Hook

15 – Sickle Hook

16 – Round Jighead

17 – Weedless Round Jighead

18 – Twist Shaky Jighead

Bait Hook

As bait comes in various sizes and lengths there are also many different styles of bait hooks. Bait hooks often have additional barbs on the shank of the hook as well as the bend area. These additional barbs help to keep the bait on the hook (e.g. squirming worm).

Treble Hook

“Treble” meaning consisting of 3 hooks (parts), aka. 3 bends and points to it. These 3 hooks provide excellent bite coverage for fishing artificial lures like crankbaits, spinners, topwater, and even for attaching baits (e.g. trolling for Salmon, Trout, Musky, etc). The Treble hook is very dynamic and effective in keeping the fish on as there can often be more than one hook in the fishes mouth. Note: Always check your fishing regulations when using trebles on different bodies of water.

Circle Hook

Is a circular shaped hook with a sharp tip. The shape often ensures that the hook point will only hook onto an exposed surface, which is typically in the corner of the fishes mouth. The fish will often hook themselves so you typically don’t need much (or any) of a hook set. Another pro on the circle hook is that it often doesn’t get swallowed by the fish which greatly increases the mortality rate.

Octopus Hook

These are one of my favorite hooks, they have a short shank with a slightly lower section wider gap than the average bait hook or J-hook. However, their gap width should not to be confused with the wide gap hooks. The eye points away from the hook point, this makes it ideal for tying egg loop knots which are great for holding yarn, bait, etc. I use these hooks for a variety of species typically with smaller mouths, e.g. Salmon, Steelhead and Trout. That said, I would not recommend these hooks for fish species with big mouths E.g. Bass.

Siwash Hook

These long shank hooks are an excellent alternative to treble hooks for various fishing lures (e.g. spinners, spoons, etc). These replacement hooks may be mandatory for specific bodies of water that do no allow more than 1 hook (always check your regulations). One of the biggest pros of the Siwash hook is the lack of snags in heavier foliage water as your only dealing with 1 hook versus 3. Another pro is reduced risk and damage to the fish as you’re only pulling out 1 hook (especially around the gill area reduces mortality rates). Along with less risk to the fish there is also less risk to yourself, as treble hooks can also easily get caught on yourself when they’re being pulling or dealing with the fish.

Worm Hook

There are so many options when it comes to worm hooks; weighted, wide gap, extra wide gap, different eyes, etc. I use these most often when fishing for larger mouth species like Bass and use for plastic bait setups, e.g. Texas rig. Worm hooks in general have a wider gap which provides clearance between the eye and hook point so it can hold these large plastic worms, tubes, senkos, creatures, etc.

Jig Hook

These jig hooks are used to make weighted jighead hooks (see hook diagram Round Jighead, Shaky Worm Jighead, etc). Jig molds are used for these added weight components to the jig hooks, which often will come in many different weights that are often detailed in ounces (e.g. 1/4 oz 1/2 oz, 3/4 oz, etc). The jig hook is foundational for so many different lure options you see on tackle shelves today.

Sizes and Parts of a Fishing Hook

If you’re looking for more information on proper hook sizes, bead to hooks and/or the anatomy of a hook see the other tip page: Bead Setup and Bead-to-Hook Sizes.