Hooks are one of the most important aspects of fishing, but they are often overlooked. Make sure you are using the best trout hooks you can find. Here’s where to start!
There are five important things to consider when shopping for good trout hooks. I’ll walk you through each of those, and by the time you are done reading this article you will have the knowledge you need to hook more fish!
But first, here’s a simple diagram you can refer to if you aren’t sure what I’m talking about…
1. Big or Small Hooks?
The first step to Choosing the best trout hook is to know what size you are looking for. For trout it’s best to stay in the size 10-14 range when fishing with bait.
This is smaller than most people recommend for beginners, But I don’t see why. I don’t care if you are a beginner, I’m here to tell you how to catch more fish! So stick with sizes 10, 12, or 14. These are the best hook sizes for trout when bait fishing.
Many people believe that a bigger hook will catch a bigger fish. This is simply not true. What a big hook will do is prevent smaller fish from eating it. So if you are going for size over quantity then go bigger.
But don’t think that you can’t catch a monster trout on a size 14 hook… I have caught many big trout on hooks smaller than size 14…
2. Sharp, Very Sharp, Or Crazy Sharp?
For trout… The sharper the better.
Growing up I always used the popular Eagle Claw brand bait holder hooks. They are easy to find and cheap. And I thought they felt pretty sharp. (Always inspect each hook before tying it on. Make sure it’s sharp!)
Then I went to Japan… My mind was blown! Japanese hooks in general are unbelievably sharp!
When I got back to the US, I was able to recognize a few of the better brands such as Owner and Gamakatsu. In more recent years a few new hook companies have popped up with some amazing hooks, unfortunately they are mostly geared towards bass fishing.
Finding a good bait hook can be a little challenging, but they are out there. Start with Gamakatsu and Owner. They make amazing hooks!
The key is simply to find the sharpest hook.
You can also sharpen your hooks with a diamond sharpener or 600-800 grit sandpaper.
3. Thick or Thin Hooks?
Hook wire diameter is another thing I learned in Japan, but it’s also something familiar to most fly fishermen.
Wire diameter goes hand in hand with hook sharpness. Imagine you have a pencil and a sewing needle. Both are sharpened to a fine point of equal sharpness. Now which one would be easier to stab deep into an apple? The needle would. Since it’s a thinner diameter, it doesn’t need to make as big of a hole.
Hooks are the same way. A fine-wire hook will be much easier to set into a trout’s mouth than a big thick-wire hook.
You can find fine-wire hooks in the fly fishing section of your local tackle shop.
Fine-wire hooks will bend more easily, so it’s important to play the fish a little longer if it’s really big. The proper rod, line and reel combination will help with this.
4. Big Barbs, Micro Barbs, or No Barbs
The barb is an important part of good trout hooks.
Barbs serve two purposes.
-First of all they helps prevent the fish from shaking the hook out of it’s mouth.
-Secondly, they helps certain baits like worms and salmon eggs from falling off the hook.
However, barbs also require more force to puncture the trout’s mouth. It’s the same principal demonstrated above with stabbing a pencil vs a needle into an apple. You have to pull the thicker diameter of the barb through the fishes mouth.
I wouldn’t recommend going barbless when fishing with most baits as the barb really helps to keep your worm on the hook. But I do recommend trying to get hooks with relatively small barbs.
Most Fly Fishing hooks have micro barbs, but they lack the bait-holder type barbs on the shank of the hook so they aren’t as effective at keeping your worm on.
Many hooks in the fly fishing world come with a barbless option these days as barbless is becoming more and more popular.
5. Hook Shape
Hooks are designed with different shapes. The shape you choose should match the bait you are using.
When you are using common baits such as Powerbait, earth worms, mealworms… Use baitholder style hooks like in the picture shown at the top of this article.
However, when fishing with bread or salmon eggs, use an egg hook (or curved emerger hook which I’ll talk about below). Since these are small baits they don’t need the long shank of a standard hook.
Trout Hooks I Use
Worms, crickets, grasshoppers and other insects: Size 10-14 Gamakatsu or Owner bait holder hooks.
Bread and salmon eggs: Size 10-14 emerger hooks (emerger is a style of hook bent similarly to an egg hook.) You’ll have to look in the fly fishing section for these.
There are actually quite a few different curved hooks in the fly fishing section. Some examples would be scud hooks, and nymph hooks. Although they all work great, I prefer the emerger hooks because they use a thinner diameter wire.
IMPORTANT: Using small hooks increases your chance of gut-hooking a fish. You need to pay very close attention to your bobber or rod tip so you can set the hook before the fish has the chance to swallow it. Using the smallest most sensitive bobber will also help with setting the hook early.
Experiment… (Optional)
Now that you have a good idea of what to consider when choosing the best trout hooks, do your own experimenting!
Check out the fly fishing hooks. There are many different shapes and sizes. You can get fine wire hooks, or extra thick wire hooks. Extra long shank hooks, and extra short shank hooks.
More on Trout Fishing
Trout fishing can be tons of fun for both kids and experienced anglers. They hit the bait hard, and give a good fight, often times leaping into the air. If you want to really get into trout fishing and learn more, I have a number of articles such as How To Catch Trout, Best Fishing Bait For Trout, as well as How To Find The Best Fishing Holes
