When it comes to fishing hooks there are a myriad of shapes and sizes on the market ranging from as small as a grain of rice to bigger than your index finger and each hook has a specific technique that it was made for and will improve your fishing experience when used in the right situation. The one constant with hooks is their size and the numeric scale used to determine them.

Although individual manufacturers have slight variances the main sizing is relatively constant. Hook sizes start at the middle ground… a non existent size that is 0 (Zero). The scale goes up and down from zero and as they climb higher and higher into the positive size of zero the hooks get smaller… hook sizes often times progress as follows… 1, 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18,20,22,24 etc.. by the time you hit 24 you will have a difficult time seeing them!

On the other side of zero the hooks continue to get bigger but with a variance on the number.. the first size would be 1/0 (pronounced one ott) then climbing in single digits, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, 5/0, 6/0, 7/0, 8/0, 9/0, 10/0 and finally 11/0 which is one of the biggest freshwater hooks made.

Hook materials and sharpening technique is another area that will make all the difference in the world and with hooks you almost always get what you pay for. Chemical , laser and ground sharpening methods are all available and when it comes to materials the forged steel hooks often times have the most strength. Hook colors is another area that has grown over the years and most styles are available in bronze, gold, red and black nickel finishes. To break these up into a couple of categories would be the easiest thing to do so we’ll sort them by species: