Fishing hooks are deceptively simple objects that repay careful attention. The wrong hook for the application – the wrong size, wire gauge, or pattern – costs fish not because the hook fails but because it behaves incorrectly: too heavy for the bait, too wide in the gape for the fish’s mouth, or barbed in a fishery that requires barbless.
This guide explains hook sizing, the key patterns used in UK coarse and sea fishing, wire gauge, barbed vs barbless, and how to match hook to species and bait.
[Image placeholder: A selection of fishing hooks laid out on a white background, showing the range from a size 26 match hook through to a size 2 pike/carp hook, with labels showing each size]
How Hook Sizing Works
UK fish hook sizes use a counter-intuitive scale: the smaller the number, the bigger the hook. This system goes from very small (size 28, barely visible) to around size 1, after which it switches to a /0 system (1/0, 2/0, 3/0 etc.) for larger sea and predator hooks where the number gets bigger as the hook gets larger.
Practical UK coarse fishing range:
| Size | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| 28-26 | Bloodworm, midge larvae, extremely fine match work |
| 24-22 | Pinkie, single squatt, bleak fishing, fine match pole |
| 20-18 | Single maggot, small bread punch, canal roach |
| 16-14 | Double maggot, caster, sweetcorn, small worm section |
| 12-10 | Large worm, corn for tench/bream, pellet |
| 8-6 | Big worm for barbel/chub, large bait for carp in weeds |
| 4-2 | Very large baits, perch worm, large deadbait sections |
| 1/0-4/0 | Pike traces, sea hooks, very large deadbaits |
This is a general guide – hook selection for specific species and baits varies and there is overlap between sizes for different applications.
Key Hook Parts and What They Mean
Point: The sharp tip that penetrates the fish’s mouth. Good hooks are sharp from the packet – poor quality hooks require stropping or sharpening.
Barb: A small protrusion behind the point that prevents the hook from pulling back out once penetrated. Barbless hooks have no barb (or a microbarb so small it functions as barbless). Almost all commercial coarse fisheries in the UK require barbless hooks.
Bend: The curved section of the hook. Different bend shapes produce different hooking characteristics.
Gape: The distance between the point and the hook shank. Wide-gape hooks have more space for the bait, which is important for hair rig presentations where a boilie or pellet must sit on a hair loop below the hook with enough space to enter the fish’s mouth cleanly.
Shank: The straight section between the eye and the bend. Long-shank hooks are easier to remove from deeply hooked fish. Short-shank hooks are more compact and less visible.
Eye: The loop at the top of the shank where the line or hooklink is tied. Eyes can be straight (in line with the shank), turned-up, or turned-down. The direction affects how the hook sits in the water and how it sets on the strike.
Main Hook Patterns in UK Coarse Fishing
Spade End Hooks
Spade end hooks have no eye – instead the shank flares at the top into a small flat spade shape. The hooklink is whipped around this spade rather than tied through an eye.
Use: Very fine match hooks in sizes 18-26 for roach, bleak, and small fish on pole and waggler. Spade end hooks are lighter than eyed hooks of the same size, which matters when fishing extremely fine lines.
Not suitable for: Hair rig fishing, large baits, anything requiring a knotted connection to thick hooklink.
Eyed Hooks
An eye at the top of the shank for knotting the hooklink. The most versatile type of hook. Used for virtually all coarse fishing applications except the finest match work.
Straight eye: Standard for most applications. The Grinner (uni knot) or improved blood knot work well.
Turned-down eye: The eye angles down toward the hook point. Common on wide-gape carp hooks. The downturned eye creates a sharper angle between hooklink and hook shank, which some anglers believe improves hooking on the bolt rig principle.
Turned-up eye: Less common; used on some specialist patterns.
Hooks to Nylon (pre-tied hooks)
Hooks supplied pre-tied to a short hooklink of specified breaking strain. Very convenient for beginners and for match fishing where fast hooklink changes are needed. Quality varies – reputable brands use quality hooks and consistent knotting.
Use: Beginners, match fishing, casual fishing where speed matters more than customisation.
Limitation: Pre-tied hooklinks are typically limited to standard sizes and breaking strains. Specialist presentations require tying your own.
Hook Patterns Explained
Wide Gape
The most widely used carp hook pattern. The wide gape allows a boilie, pellet, or worm to sit on a hair loop with room for the hook gape to enter the fish’s mouth and turn.
Used for: hair rig carp fishing, tench on boilies, barbel on large baits.
Crystal Bend (or Round Bend)
A classically shaped hook with a round, symmetrical bend. Excellent for maggot and worm presentations because the round bend does not restrict the bait’s movement. Used widely in match fishing.
Used for: maggots, casters, worm, general coarse fishing.
Wide Gape Specialist
A variation on the wide gape with a point that kicks inward (a “kicking” or “kick” point). This inturned point improves hook-hold once the fish is hooked – the point turns into the flesh as the fish moves. Common on carp specialist hooks.
Used for: hair rig presentations, barbel, specimen tench.
Maggot Clip (or Claw)
A hook with a very short shank and an extended curved gape designed to hold a cluster of maggots or casters naturally. The short shank does not protrude through the baits.
Used for: match fishing, canal fishing, waggler presentations.
Long Shank
A hook with an extended straight shank. The primary advantage is the ease of unhooking deeply taken fish – the long shank gives something to grip with forceps. Also keeps bait (particularly worm) from sliding too far down the hook.
Used for: worm fishing for perch and chub, deadbaiting for pike (mounted on wire trace).
Circle Hooks
The point curves back toward the shank so that it is nearly parallel to the shank. Circle hooks are designed to set themselves – the fish hooks itself when it moves away from the bait. They are primarily used in sea fishing and increasingly in large fish specialist coarse fishing.
Advantage: Very reliable hook sets, reduced deep hooking. Limitation: You do not strike with a circle hook in the traditional sense – you slowly tighten the line as the fish takes.
Used for: sea fishing (bass, cod, rays), large specimen fishing.
Barbed vs Barbless
Barbless hooks
Required at virtually all commercial coarse fisheries in the UK. The majority of club-controlled rivers and lakes now also require barbless or microbarb hooks. Many specimen anglers use barbless by choice.
Advantages: – Less tissue damage when unhooking – Faster, easier unhooking (important at match fishing pace) – Required by almost all commercial venues
Disadvantages: – The hook can fall out of a fish’s mouth if tension is lost during the fight (slack line = lost fish more often than with barbed) – Must keep steady pressure when playing fish, particularly near the net
Barbed hooks
Standard in sea fishing (where barbless is uncommon) and on some natural, non-commercial waters that have not implemented barbless rules. Check individual fishery rules.
Barbed hooks hold better during the fight but cause more tissue damage to the fish. The welfare argument for barbless is robust.
Microbarb
A very small barb that causes minimal tissue damage but retains some of the holding properties of a full barb. Many “barbless” hooks sold for coarse fishing are technically microbarb. In most contexts, microbarb hooks are accepted where barbless is specified.
Wire Gauge
Wire gauge refers to the thickness of the metal wire from which the hook is made. The gauge is not usually stated explicitly on packaging but can be assessed by feel and inspection:
Fine wire: Used in small match hooks (sizes 18-26). Lighter and less likely to damage soft maggot or caster baits. Suitable for fine lines in the 1-2lb range.
Standard wire: The default for most coarse fishing hooks in sizes 12-20. Good balance of strength and presentation.
Heavy gauge: Used in specimen and sea hooks. Stronger, less likely to straighten under pressure from a large fish, but more obtrusive in the bait.
A match angler fishing for roach on a size 18 hook and 1.5lb hooklink needs fine wire. A carp angler fishing a 12mm boilie on a 20lb hooklink needs a heavy-gauge wide-gape hook.
Sharpness
New hooks from reputable manufacturers are sharp from the packet – test by drawing the point lightly across your thumbnail. A sharp hook will catch slightly; a blunt hook will slide.
Check sharpness after: – Catching multiple fish (scales, slime, and fish tissue dull points) – Contact with hard bottoms (gravel, rock) – Snags
Sharpening is possible with a fine diamond hook stone but a cheap hook that needs sharpening on the first session is not worth the time – replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hook size is best for carp fishing?
Size 6-10 wide-gape hooks cover most UK carp fishing. A size 8 wide-gape is the most versatile single carp hook size – it handles 10-15mm boilies, large pellets, corn, and worm on a hair rig. Use a size 6 for very large baits (18mm+ boilies, large tiger nuts) and a size 10 for smaller presentations or when fish are wary.
Do I always need to use barbless hooks?
No – but you must check the fishery rules before fishing. Commercial coarse fisheries in the UK almost universally require barbless hooks. Many club-controlled rivers and lakes also require barbless. Sea fishing typically does not require barbless. The default assumption at any commercial fishery should be barbless unless clearly stated otherwise.
What is the difference between a size 4 and a size 4/0 hook?
These are on opposite ends of the sizing scale. A size 4 is a small-medium coarse hook (suitable for worm, corn, or large pellet). A size 4/0 is a large hook used for sea fishing or large pike baits. The /0 suffix indicates a much larger hook than the equivalent number without it.
How do I tie a hook correctly?
The most reliable knot for attaching a hook to a monofilament or fluorocarbon hooklink is the improved blood knot (also called a five-turn blood or tucked half-blood knot). Pass the line through the eye, make 5-7 turns down the shank, pass the tag end back through the loop near the eye, then tuck through the main loop. Wet and pull tight. The Grinner knot (uni knot) is an alternative that many anglers prefer for fluorocarbon.
Can I use the same hook for all types of fishing?
Not ideally. A size 10 wide-gape hook on 6lb line can technically catch roach and carp and perch – but it is too large for roach, will miss bites on small baits, and the wide-gape profile is not designed for float-fished maggots. Hook selection is part of presentation, and matching hook to bait and species consistently produces more fish.