Kinds of Hooks

Hook Parts and Functions

• All hooks, no matter how different they are from one another, have certain specific parts. One is the point, the sharpened end that goes in to the flesh or jaw of the fish when you catch it. Some, but not all, feature a barb -- a projection that extends backward from the hook's point. Its job is to make it difficult for the fish to pull back off the hook once the point penetrates its flesh. The fishing line connects to the rounded end of the hook, known as the eye, while the shank and the bend are the portions of a hook that join the eye to the point. Anglers use the term "gap" to describe the distance from the shank of a hook to its point.
  
  

Hook Types and Features

• The Aberdeen hook possesses a long shank and a composition of light wire. The bait holder hook features multiple barbs on the shank of the hook. Circle hooks own a more circular shape, with the point of the hook pointing inward toward the shank. Egg hooks have a semi-circle shape and a bend near the eye. Offset worm hooks have a pair of 90-degree bends close to the hook's eye and an elongated shank. Treble and double hooks are a combination of two and three hooks fused together, respectively, with one eye. Weedless hooks have a design featuring a very light wire coming from the eye that forms a loop about the hook point.
  
  

Functions of Different Hooks

• The Aberdeen hook's design allows you to hook live minnows with minimum damage to the bait, and to extract the hook from the narrow mouth of a fish easily. Bait holder hook barbs prevent bait, such as a night crawler, from slipping down the shank and off the hook. Circle hooks have a design that makes it much more likely to hook a fish in the lip, rather than the fish swallowing the hook. Egg hooks hold smaller baits, including grubs and salmon eggs, more securely. The portion of the offset worm hook holds plastic baits in place. Treble hooks and double hooks typically are features of artificial lures, attached to lures such as crankbaits and spoons. A weedless hook does not foul or catch on vegetation, rocks and other underwater structure because of the wire loop over the point, but still manages to hook a biting fish.
  
  

Different Hooks for Different Fish

• Aberdeen hooks work well on fish with small mouths, such as bluegills and perch. Bait holder hooks are a staple in the tackle boxes of fishermen who prefer using live bait, such as leeches and worms, to attract a variety of species. Circle hooks are good for fish like muskellunge, catfish and sturgeon -- species that tend to swallow bait when possible. Salmon and trout are the main objective of anglers using egg hooks. Offset worm hooks and plastic baits target species such as bass, pickerel and crappie. Treble hooks and double hooks catch any fish that chases artificial lures with abandon, such as pike, bass and walleye. Weedless hooks do well when fishing for species that usually hide or ambush from vegetation, including bass and pike.