hook-sizes/
Fishing hook size chart
Every species the Rig Studio knows, with its hook size window on one scale from #22 to 12/0. Plain sizes shrink as the number climbs; aught sizes grow. The two meet between #1 and 1/0, so on this chart hooks get bigger the whole way from left to right. Pick a fish to see its window, the hooks that cover it, and how strong the wire has to be.
23 species · 11 hook patterns · source: src/data/species.ts + catalog · the same windows the studio checks your hook against
Hook size by species
Each bar is a species' working window. Below the low end the gap is too narrow to clear the jaw; above the high end the hook will not fit the mouth or sinks a small bait. Grey bars underneath are the printed size range of every hook pattern in the catalog.
species window
catalog hook, printed range
Outlines follow a smooth curve (8% per size step) so you can see the progression. Real hooks of the same printed size differ between makers and patterns; lay a new pack next to one you know.
What size hook for each species
The window is the size range the studio accepts without a warning. The wire floor is the studio's other hook check: a hook rated to straighten under 1.2× the fish's top typical weight gets flagged, because leverage at the point exceeds the fish's weight once it turns. "Covered by" lists catalog hooks that clear both checks.
Hook pattern and size by bait or technique
Size is half the choice; the pattern decides how the hook sets and what it can hold. Each row is a hook in our catalog, its printed size range, its wire relative to standard gauge, the pull it straightens at, and the soft baits in the catalog that are rigged on that pattern.
| Built for | Hook | Sizes | Wire | Holds | Salt | Species windows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tying flies | Daiichi Dry Fly & Nymph Hooksfly · ~$12 | #22 to #8 | 0.5× | 6 lb | ✕ | 4 Bluegill & Panfish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Crappie |
| Replacement hooks for crankbaits and other hard baits | VMC Barbarian Treble Hooktreble · ~$8 | #12 to 2/0 | 1.3× | 45 lb | ✓ | 16 Bluegill & Panfish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Crappie +12 |
| Minnows and small baits for crappie and panfish | Eagle Claw Aberdeen Light Wireaberdeen · ~$4 | #10 to #1 | 0.6× | 10 lb | ✕ | 11 Bluegill & Panfish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Crappie +7 |
| Live bait, drop-shot, and baits that have to sit naturallyrigs: Trick Worm | Owner Mosquito Light Hookoctopus · ~$8 | #10 to 2/0 | 0.7× | 14 lb | ✕ | 16 Bluegill & Panfish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Crappie +12 |
| Live bait, drop-shot, and baits that have to sit naturallyrigs: Trick Worm | Gamakatsu Octopus Hookoctopus · ~$7 | #8 to 5/0 | 1.0× | 30 lb | ✕ | 23 Bluegill & Panfish, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, Crappie +19 |
| Bait soaked on a tight line; hooks the jaw hinge without a hooksetrigs: Gulp! Shrimp | Owner Mutu Light Circlecircle · ~$10 | #4 to 6/0 | 0.9× | 45 lb | ✓ | 21 Rainbow Trout, Crappie, Walleye, Common Carp +17 |
| Single-hook swap on spoons and spinners for salmon and steelhead | Mustad O'Shaughnessy Siwashsiwash · ~$7 | #2 to 7/0 | 1.3× | 65 lb | ✓ | 19 Walleye, Common Carp, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass +15 |
| Texas-rigged soft plasticsrigs: Senko Soft Stickbait, Trick Worm | Gamakatsu Superline EWG Worm Hookewg · ~$9 | #1 to 6/0 | 1.5× | 60 lb | ✕ | 19 Walleye, Common Carp, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass +15 |
| Bait soaked on a tight line; hooks the jaw hinge without a hooksetrigs: Gulp! Shrimp | Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp Circle Seacircle · ~$5 | #2 to 9/0 | 1.1× | 70 lb | ✓ | 19 Walleye, Common Carp, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass +15 |
| Flipping and punching heavy coverrigs: Senko Soft Stickbait, Trick Worm, Gulp! Shrimp | Owner Jungle Flippin' Hookj · ~$11 | 2/0 to 6/0 | 1.9× | 95 lb | ✕ | 18 Common Carp, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass, Bonefish +14 |
| Bait soaked on a tight line; hooks the jaw hinge without a hooksetrigs: Gulp! Shrimp | Mustad Demon Perfect Circlecircle · ~$9 | #1 to 10/0 | 1.2× | 90 lb | ✓ | 19 Walleye, Common Carp, Steelhead, Smallmouth Bass +15 |
How the studio checks a hook
- hook-small
Size below the window. Example: a #8 against Largemouth Bass (#4 to 5/0). The gap is too narrow to clear the jaw, so it hooks skin and pulls free. Fix sets the low edge.
- hook-large
Size above the window. The hook will not fit the mouth, weighs down a small bait, and is easier to see. Fix sets the high edge.
- hook-wire-light
Rated strength under 1.2× the fish's top typical weight.For Yellowfin Tuna (to 150 lb) that is under 180 lb, so the Mustad Demon Perfect Circle at 90 lb flags even though its sizes fit.
- circle-technique
Any circle hook: reel down and let the rod load. Do not swing.
- salt:hook
A hook without a salt rating on a salt or brackish venue. It pits within a trip.
One number line for both scales
You cannot compare "#4" with "2/0" as written, so the engine converts every printed size to a single integer first. Plain sizes count down from #24, aught sizes count up from #1.
hookScale('#24') → 0
hookScale('#4') → 20
hookScale('#1') → 23
hookScale('1/0') → 24
hookScale('5/0') → 28
hookScale('12/0') → 35Largemouth Bass is stored as [20, 28], which reads back as #4 to 5/0. Any hook size you pick in the builder is converted the same way and compared with < and >.
The background, with gap, wire, and shank: fishing hook sizes explained. Pattern by pattern: types of fishing hooks and circle hooks vs J-hooks.
What size hook for bass?
Largemouth #4 to 5/0, smallmouth #5 to 2/0. The bottom of each window is for finesse plastics and small live bait, the top is for bulky Texas rigs and flipping. Size the hook to the bait first; a 5/0 in a four-inch worm just kills the action.
What size hook for trout?
Rainbow Trout #14 to #4, Brook Trout #16 to #7. Trout see well and most baits are small, so the window sits low on the number scale. In our catalog the Eagle Claw Aberdeen Light Wire covers #10 to #4 of it.
What size hook for catfish?
Channel Catfish 1/0 to 6/0, Blue Catfish 5/0 to 10/0. Catfish rigs are mostly circle hooks on cut or live bait, and the hook has to hold a fish that can top 50 lb, which is why the wire floor matters as much as the size here.
What size hook for crappie and bluegill?
Crappie #12 to #4, bluegill and panfish #16 to #8. Bluegill have small mouths: the most common panfish mistake is a hook too big to get inside one. A long-shank light-wire Aberdeen also bends free of brush instead of costing you the rig.
What size hook for walleye?
#6 to 1/0. That covers jigs, live-bait rigs, and crawler harnesses. In our catalog the Gamakatsu Octopus Hook covers #6 to 1/0 of it.
What size hook for redfish and speckled trout?
Redfish 2/0 to 6/0, Speckled Trout #2 to 4/0. Both are saltwater fish, so every hook needs a salt rating, and circle hooks are the standard for bait fishing reds.
Is a 1/0 hook bigger than a size 1?
Yes. Plain numbers get smaller as the number climbs (a #8 is smaller than a #2), and aught sizes get bigger as it climbs (a 5/0 is bigger than a 1/0). The two scales meet between #1 and 1/0, so the order from small to large runs #4, #2, #1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0.
Why does the Rig Studio warn instead of error on hook size?
Because a hook one size outside a window still catches fish. Hook size against the target is a warning with a one-click fix to the nearest edge of the window. Errors are kept for things that will actually fail: a swivel rated under the mainline, a reel under the drag floor, a fish with teeth on a leader it will bite through.
In the builder, pick a target and a hook and these windows are checked live, alongside the line, leader, and drag checks for the rest of the rig. Pick a species above to open it preloaded.
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