It's often the cheapest part of your setup, yet it's the one that can cost you the fish of a lifetime. A straightened hook on a big snapper or a missed bite from a fussy bream comes down to the right pattern and size. As one of Australia's largest retailers, our guide below will help you choose the perfect hook from our range for sale.
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A Tackle Shop Guide to Fishing Hooks
Choosing the right fishing hook can be one of the most confusing jobs for any angler. With different styles, sizes, and gauges to consider, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. This guide is here to break down the essentials in simple, practical terms, helping you select the perfect fish hook for your bait, your target species, and your fishing style.
A Note From Our Local Experts
"The most common question we get at the counter is easily, 'What size fish hook do I need for...?' It's the biggest point of confusion, especially with the 'ought' sizing system. We get anglers coming in who've lost good fish because their hook was too light and straightened out, or they're missing bites because the hook is too large for the bait they were using.
My simple advice is always to start with the bait. The fish hook should be big enough to present the bait naturally without overwhelming it, and strong enough to handle your target fish species. Getting that balance right is the secret to a much better day on the water fishing." - Ben Czulowski, Owner, Fishing Tackle Shop (Owner) | 20+ years experience retailing fishing hooks
A Practical Guide: Matching Hooks to Your Bait
The secret to effective bait fishing is presentation. The right hook allows your bait to look natural and ensures a solid hook-up. Here’s our guide to matching the right fishing hook style to the most popular Australian baits.
Prawns & Pipis
What Hook to Use: A bait holder or a fine-wire long shank hook is the top choice.
Why it Works: Prawns and pipis are soft baits that can easily be torn off the hook. The extra barbs on the shank of a bait holder grip the bait securely, while the fine wire of a long shank hook allows you to thread the bait on without destroying it.
How to Rig It: For a prawn, the best method is to thread the hook from the tail up towards the head, leaving the sharp point and barb clearly exposed.
Beach Worms
What Hook to Use: A classic long shank or a dedicated worm hook.
Why it Works: The long shank is essential for presenting a worm naturally. It allows you to thread the worm up the hook without it bunching up, which is a sure way to spook a wary fish like a whiting.
How to Rig It: Carefully thread the worm starting from its head, covering the shank of the hook. A small piece of the worm's tail can be left dangling for extra movement.
Squid & Cuttlefish
What Hook to Use: A suicide (beak) or an octopus circle hook.
Why it Works: Squid is a tough bait, so you need a hook with a wide gape and a strong point. The aggressive offset point of a suicide hook is perfect for penetrating the hard mouths of reef fish like snapper. An octopus circle hook is a great alternative for catch-and-release fishing.
How to Rig It: For a whole squid, pass the hook through the body (the tube) and then once through the head to secure it. For squid strips, simply thread the hook through the top of the strip once or twice.
Pilchards & Whitebait
What Hook to Use: For whole pilchards, ganged hooks are ideal. For smaller, soft baits like whitebait, try a small circle hook through the eye socket or use a bait holder for cut pieces.
Why it Works: A whole pilchard is a long bait, and a set of ganged hooks is the only way to present it naturally. Because whitebait is so soft, a small, fine-wire circle or bait holder hook is less likely to destroy the bait during rigging.
How to Rig It: When ganging a whole pilchard, the first hook (top) should go through the head, with the subsequent hooks pinned along the body. For whitebait, a single hook through the eyes allows the bait to flutter naturally.
Fillet Baits (Mullet, Tuna, Mackerel)
What Hook to Use: A strong suicide (beak) or a wide-gape circle hook.
Why it Works: Fish fillet baits are large and tough, and they attract big, powerful fish. You need a strong hook with a wide gape to ensure the point is well exposed and can handle the crushing jaws of a big mulloway or snapper.
How to Rig It: The key is to not choke the hook. Pass the hook through the toughest end of the fillet strip only once or twice, leaving plenty of the hook point and gape exposed for a solid hookset.
How to Tie the Best All-Round Fishing Hook Knot
Pro-Tips for Hook Selection
The Thumbnail Test for Sharpness: A truly sharp fishing hook is critical. To test it, gently rest the point on your thumbnail. If it bites in and holds with almost no pressure, it's sharp. If it slides, it's dull and needs to be sharpened or replaced.
Hook Gauge Matters: "Gauge" refers to the thickness of the wire. A fine-wire hook is perfect for delicate baits and fussy fish. A heavy-gauge hook is essential for preventing the hook from straightening out on powerful, tough-jawed fish like kingfish or big reef species.
Match the Gape to the Bait: This is a simple but critical rule. The gape of your hook must be wide enough so that the point and barb are well clear of the bait. If the bait is too bulky and masks the hook point, you will miss fish.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose the right hook size?
Hook sizing can be confusing. The system runs from small (size 24) to large (size 1). After size 1, it switches to the "ought" system (1/0, 2/0, 3/0, etc.), where the number gets bigger as the hook gets bigger. As a general guide for Australian species: • Bream & Whiting: Size 6 to 1 • Flathead: Size 1 to 3/0 • Snapper: 4/0 to 8/0 • Mulloway & Kingfish: 6/0 to 10/0
What's the difference between a J-hook and a circle hook?
A J-hook is the traditional shape and requires you to strike to set the hook. A circle hook has an inwardly pointing tip and is designed to self-hook in the corner of the fish's mouth as you apply steady pressure, making it ideal for catch-and-release and for preventing gut-hooked fish.
What does "chemically sharpened" mean?
This is a modern manufacturing process where the hook point is sharpened using a chemical etching process. It results in a perfectly conical, needle-sharp point that is far sharper and more consistent than a hook that has been mechanically ground. A chemically sharpened hook provides the best possible penetration.
What is an "offset" hook?
An offset hook, like a suicide (beak) or octopus pattern, is one where the hook point is not in line with the shank. This slight offset angle is designed to improve the hook-up rate by providing a better angle for the point to grab hold in a fish's mouth.
How do I tie a fishing hook to my line?
This is a critical skill. While there are many specialised knots, the single best and most reliable knot for most situations is the Uni Knot, as demonstrated in our video guide on this page. It's strong, simple to learn, and works for tying hooks, swivels, and lures directly to your main line or leader.
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