Fishing hooks are the most important tools in your tackle box. Whether you are a newbie angler or a seasoned fishing enthusiast, investing in quality fish hooks will help you catch your prized fish.
Successful Fishing Expeditions Need Strong, Sharp, Durable, and Reliable Fishing Hooks
Whatever type of fishing expedition you have planned, freshwater fishing in a lake, river, stream, or trawling for saltwater fish in the deep blue sea, your ability to hook your next big catch depends on the overall quality of your fishing hooks. Fishing hooks should be strong, sharp, durable, and reliable.
They should successfully hook nearby fish and hold it so that your prized catch cannot escape.
The 9 Best Fishing Hooks
- Eagle Claw 139GEH-8 Snelled Hooks
- JSHANMEI Circle Fishing Hooks
- Shaddock Fishing Offset Circle Fishing Hooks Kit
- Gamakatsu Octopus Hook Pack
- Mustad Classic Treble Hook
- Mustad Ultrapoint Demon Perfect In-line Circle 3 Fishing Hook (Our Top Pick)
- Goture Jig Hooks Set Kit
- Owner American 5315 SSW Super Needle Octopus Hook
- Sougayilang Fishing Hooks
Our Top Pick for the Best Fishing Hooks
Our top pick for the best fishing hooks is the Mustad Ultrapoint Demon Perfect In-line Circle 3 Fishing Hook.
If you are planning an ocean fishing expedition or fishing on your favorite lake, the Mustad Fishing Hooks will help you catch the big fish of your dreams. Built super-strong and sharp, these reliable and durable fishing hooks guarantee you great fishing success in freshwater and saltwater and will turn your fish fantasies into reality.
Check the price on AmazonHow to Choose the Best Fishing Hooks
Saltwater or Freshwater Fishing Hooks
Fishing hooks can be designed for saltwater or freshwater or they can be designed for both purposes.
For deep-sea fishing, ultra-strong fishing hooks are specially designed for rough saltwater conditions.
For commercial or sporting purposes, it is best to choose fish hooks that are specially designed for both freshwater and saltwater such as the Shaddock Fishing Offset Circle Fishing Hooks Kit.
Types of Fishing Hooks
There are many different types of hooks. The shape of the hook can vary widely with different types of curves, bends, and point or eye offsets.
The hook’s point is the most important part of the hook. It needs to be strong and sharp to penetrate the flesh of the fish so that the fish stays securely on the end of the line while you reel it in. The overall shape of the fishing hook will determine its overall hook penetration and bait and fish-holding ability.
The most popular types are needlepoint, octopus, circle-point, jig hooks, baitholder, and treble hooks.
– Needlepoint Fishing Hooks
Needlepoint hooks have an up-eyed forged shank, a reverse bend point, and a super sharp needle point and barb. Its overall design makes it a popular option with anglers.
The solid closed eye makes the hook easy to “snell“, so when the line pulls tight, the snelled hook turns upward toward the fish not downward away from the fish.
– Circle Fishing Hooks
Circle fishing hooks are also a very popular choice with many fishing experts. This type of fishing hook is designed to roll into the corner of the fish’s mouth.
It provides a more humane way of catching fish especially if you want to release a fish unharmed back into the water. Circle fishing hooks have a more pronounced curve in the shank, a barb, and a closed eye design which also makes it easy to snell a fish hook.
– Octopus Fishing Hooks
Octopus fishing hooks look similar to circle ones. They come in both traditional and circle hook styles. The difference between a circle hook and an octopus circle hook is the end of the eye bends backward and the hook has a more tapered point.
Octopus hooks are specially designed for live baiting and they work well with small bait like worms or small minnows.
– Jig Hooks
Jig hooks are the most common types of hooks. They are highly prized due to their strength and sharpness and a design that allows for consistent hook-ups.
A jig hook has a standard 90° bend, a round offset eye, and a razor-sharp point with a barb. Jig hooks also come in different styles such as wide gap jig hooks, weedless jig hooks, flipping jig hooks, heavy wire, and light wire jig hooks.
– Baitholder
Baitholder fishing hooks are specially designed for holding bait such as worms, prawns, or fish pieces. The hook has a long shank, a turned-down eye, and a chemically sharp point to keep the bait securely attached to the end of the hook.
– Treble Hook
Treble fishing hooks consist of 3 hooks that stem out from a single shank. These types of hooks are primarily used with artificial baits as it is illegal in many American states to use a treble hook with live bait attached.
– Barbed or Barbless Fishing Hooks
Fishing hooks may have a barb or they may have a barbless design. A barbless hook is considered to be more fish-friendly and makes it removal less stressful on the fish.
Most modern-day hooks have a barb. The barb makes sure that your fish stays attached to the hook which is even more important for larger-sized fish, like a barracuda, that may put up a fight as you reel them in.
Fishing Hook Packs
Fishing hooks can be purchased separately or in packs. To make sure you have enough hooks for your next fishing expedition is to buy your hooks in a pack or set.
Fishing hook packs can contain 17, 24, 50, 150, 180, or even 500 fishing hooks such as the Goture Jig Hooks Set Kit. Hook sets include different sized hooks ranging from small 1/0 hooks up to larger sized hooks such as 8, 10, or 12. The downsides of choosing a fishing hook pack are that the pack may include a limited range of sizes, so you may have to buy a few individual hooks to make sure you have all the hooks you need.
Also, you must make sure that the pack has the right sizes you need and the right number of hooks. Make sure you count them when you receive your package and return them straight away to the manufacturer if you are missing any hooks.
One of the best features of hooks packs is that the packs include a plastic tackle storage box that will keep the hooks safe and ready for you to use.
Understanding Fishing Hook sizes
Understanding hook sizes can be confusing. The easiest way to remember how fishing hook sizes work is to remember that small hooks are numbered from 1-32, with 32 being the smallest size. Medium to large-sized hooks is identified by a 0 that appears in front of the number such as 1/0, 2/0…up to 20/0 which is the largest hook size.
Here is a good guide to help you better understand hook sizes and extra information on the different types of hooks.
Material
Hooks should be made from strong and durable materials such as high carbon steel. Some manufacturers, such as the Norwegian company Mustad, use a unique Durasteel coating that not only makes their hooks ultra-durable but also gives the hooks a highly reflective sheen which is very effective at attracting fish.
Red hooks are also a great choice as the red color is like a wounded baitfish which is very effective at attracting the attention of nearby fish.
Whether the hooks are made from steel or nickel or have a special coating or a chrome finish, the most important things are that they are strong and reliable.
9 Best Fishing Hooks – Reviews
1. Eagle Claw 139GEH-8 Snelled Hooks
One of the most recognized and highly regarded names in the fishing industry, Eagle Claw provides anglers with quality fishing hooks in its 139GEH-8 Snelled Hooks 6-pack, which can be used for a range of species.
Made in the US, they have been quality and field-tested by fishing experts for reliability, strength, and durability, which makes them a popular choice with angling enthusiasts.
This 6-pack contains size 8 hooks that are pre-tied, so you can spend your valuable time catching fish and less time snelling the hooks. The red color is highly reflective in the water to help you have more success in attracting fish. Although they are primarily designed for small and medium-sized freshwater fish, they are not suited for large saltwater fish.
Pros
- Great quality
- Very good value for money
- Excellent price
- Made in the US
- Quality and field-tested by fishing experts
- Reliable
- Strong and durable
- Good sized pack
- Hooks are pre-tied
- Primarily designed for small to medium freshwater fish
- Nice red reflective design
Cons
- Not ideal for large saltwater fish
2. JSHANMEI Circle Fishing Hooks
These JSHANMEI Circle Fishing Hooks are an excellent choice for any fishing enthusiast.
You have a lot of fishing hook versatility to work with as the extra-large 150-piece pack contains 25 pieces for each fishing hook size, and there are 6 hooks sizes: 1, 1/0, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0, and 5/0.
Whether you are a new angler or partake in sport fishing, they have been quality and field-tested for reliability, durability, and strength to ensure that you get great results and can compete with the best anglers.
They are made of high carbon steel, so they have high corrosion resistance. They can be used for freshwater or saltwater fish to catch carp or catfish, but the points may not be very resistant to long-term saltwater immersion.
Hooking your favorite fish is effortless as the octopus circle hooks are well designed. They have very sharp barb hooks that are specially designed for a lower fish mortality rate. The closed swept-back eye, pronounced circular bend, inward bending point, and short shank is designed to assist anglers to hook and hold onto more fish.
The barb is quite small but still big enough to hold the fish and keep it alive while you reel it in.
JSHANMEI also offers a sturdy reusable plastic case that has 6 sections where you can keep all the hooks safely stored.
Pros
- High quality
- Great value for money
- Very good price
- Extra-large 150-piece pack
- Six different sizes
- Quality and field-tested for reliability, durability, and strength
- Very good sharpness
- Designed for a lower mortality rate and to assist anglers to hold more fish
- Can be used for freshwater and saltwater
- Closed eye is easy to snell
- Very sharp
- Sturdy, reusable plastic case
Cons
- Steel may not be strong enough for long-term saltwater use
- Limited small sizes
- Not very effective at self-hooking
- Large hooks can be hard to fit into the case
- Some of the eyes of the hooks are not closed properly
3. Shaddock Fishing Offset Circle Fishing Hooks Kit
The Shaddock Fishing Offset Circle Fishing Hooks Kit 180-piece box set of circle octopus style fishing hooks are a great choice for freshwater or saltwater fishing.
The pack contains 180 circle hooks that come in 6 sizes: 1-50pcs, 1/0-50pcs, 2/0-20pcs, 3/0-20pcs, 4/0- 20pcs, and 5/0-20pcs.
All the hooks have been quality and field-tested for reliability, durability, and strength. They have a pronounced circular bend, a short shank, an inward bending point, and a ringed eye, which makes it easier to snell a fishing line.
Made from high carbon steel, they have high corrosion resistance in freshwater and saltwater. You can use them for live bait to catch yellowtail, bass, rockfish, or catfish in the lake, pond, reservoir, rock-fishing, or on a boat at sea.
Shaddock Fishing offers a 20-day-refund or exchange policy for its fishing hook set.
Pros
- High quality
- Very good value for money
- Good price
- High strength and corrosion-resistant carbon steel
- Ideal for live bait
- Can be used on small and large fish such as yellowtail, bass, rockfish, catfish
- Trusted for reliability, durability, and strength
- Very good selection of sizes
- Quality and field-tested
- Sharp, sturdy and strong design
- Ringed eye for easy snelling
- Sturdy reusable box
Cons
- Some of the eyes are not fully closed or the eye is very small
4. Gamakatsu Octopus Hook Pack
Gamakatsu is one of the leading fish hook manufacturers worldwide and their fishing products are known for their outstanding durability and strength. Whether you like to catch trout, catfish, snapper, jewfish, or kingfish, the Gamakatsu Octopus Hook Pack is very versatile and offers you a lot of live baiting possibilities.
The octopus hooks come in a wide variety of small to large sizes, colors, and finishes, including fluorescent finishes.
Made from strong and durable forged high carbon steel, they are especially ideal for medium and large-sized fish like a catfish or a 6-10lbs silver salmon. The hooks are barbed and have a razor-sharp offset point and a closed eye, so you can easily snell the hook with your favorite bait.
You can purchase the hooks separately or in a 25-pack.
Pros
- Outstanding quality
- Great value for money
- Reliable performance
- Made in Japan
- Versatile octopus design
- Ideal for medium and large-sized fish
- Durable and strong forged high carbon steel
- Razor-sharp barbs and off-set point
- Closed-eye design is easy to snell
- Available in a wide variety of small to large sizes, colors, and finishes, including fluorescent finishes
- Hooks can be purchased separately or in a 25-pack
Cons
- Expensive
- Some of the packs do not contain the correct amount of hooks
- Some of the hooks may not have a fully closed eye
5. Mustad Classic Treble Hook
Mustad is one of the best-selling Norwegian fish hook brands and the superb 25-pack of Mustad Classic Treble Hook are a fantastic choice for saltwater and freshwater commercial and traditional fishing needs.
The Mustad fishing hooks are designed to replace dull hooks on crankbaits, spinner, spoons, minnow baits, jerk baits, live and artificial bait rigs. As they are made from durable steel and have been subject to Mustad’s exclusive Wire Technology and a Nor-Tempering Process, they are lighter and 20% stronger than other similar types of fish hooks.
Designed for tougher fishing conditions, the Durasteel coating has a superior rust resistance, and the highly reflective surface attracts the attention of the fish. The treble hooks have a sturdy shank and the points and barbs have a good sharpness. The solid well-made ringed eye makes it easy to attach bait to the hook.
The 25-pack includes hooks sizes 1, 4, 6, and 8, and they also come in nickel.
Pros
- Excellent quality
- Great value for money
- Heavy-duty design
- Ideal for saltwater and freshwater commercial and traditional fishing needs
- Designed to replace dull hooks on crankbaits, spinner, spoons, minnow baits, jerk baits, live and artificial bait rigs
- Superior Durasteel rust-resistant coating
- Exclusive wire technology and Nor-tempering process
- Lighter and up to 20% stronger steel
- Solid ringed eye is easy to snell
- Sturdy standard shank length
- Sharp double treble hook and barbs
- Four different sizes
- Available in nickel
Cons
- Only 4 sizes
- Hooks are not ultra-sharp
6. Mustad Ultrapoint Demon Perfect In-line Circle 3 Fishing Hook
Whether you need to catch fish for commercial use or a family fish fry-up, the Mustad UltraPoint Demon Perfect In-line Circle 3 Fishing Hook is the ultimate angling tool for any fishing adventure.
This 25-pack contains 9/0 fishing hooks, so you will be able to catch medium to large-sized fish such as snapper, flathead, catfish, bass, or tuna.
As the high-carbon steel fish hook has been subject to Mustad’s innovative ultra-point wire technology and Nor-tempering process, it will maintain its outstanding strength, incredible sharpness, and durability over the long term.
You can expect a reliable live bait fishing performance as the UltraPoint Demon has exceptional hooking and holding capacity. Mustad has specially designed the point and barb so that it resists any rolling in the fish’s mouth, which is more humane for the fish.
Pros
- High quality
- Great value for money
- Ideal for catching medium to large fish
- Reliable life bait fishing performance
- Innovative ultra-point wire technology and Nor-tempering process
- Outstanding strength
- Incredible sharpness
- Long-lasting durability
- Point and barb resist rolling in the fish’s mouth
- More humane way of catching and releasing fish
- Available in other sizes
Cons
- Expensive
- No smaller sized hooks in the pack
7. Goture Jig Hooks Set Kit
If you have a big fishing expedition planned, the Goture Jig Hooks Set Kit is perfect for you.
A versatile angler set, you can use the jig hooks for live bait and they are highly effective at catching larger fish that may put up a fight as you reel them in. You can expect to see a superior performance in freshwater and saltwater as the high carbon steel has a heavy-duty strength and high corrosion resistance.
The mechanically sharpened barbs and hook points ensure a better penetration when hooking a fish and this design allows for a lower mortality rate. For good visibility in murky waters, the bright nickel color can easily be spotted and works well at attracting fish.
You can choose from 11 different sets including a massive 500-piece set. The sets include a large range of hook sizes from 3-12.
Once you have baited your hook and cast out your line, you can sit back and relax while you wait for largemouth bass or crappie to bite. You will never lose your jig hooks as Goture includes a plastic storage box that has 10 separate compartments to keep your hooks sorted and ready to go.
Pros
- High quality
- Great value for money
- Excellent price
- Superior performance
- Made from high carbon steel
- Heavy-duty strength and corrosion resistance
- Ideal for freshwater and saltwater
- Mechanically-sharpened barb and point
- Designed for a lower mortality rate
- Bright highly reflective nickel color
- 11 different sets to choose from
- Large range of sizes
- Plastic storage box
Cons
- Some of the eyes are not fully closed
- Packs might be missing a few hooks
8. Owner American 5315 SSW Super Needle Octopus Hook
If you are a fishing enthusiast who engages in live bait fishing applications, the Owner American 5315 SSW Super Needle Octopus Hook is a great choice. It is specially designed for catching salmon and steelhead but you can use bait like nightcrawlers and minnows for walleye and panfish in freshwater.
If you prefer saltwater fishing, you can rig crabs, shrimp, and blood worms for surf or bay fishing.
The forged shank is durable and the steel has a shiny black chrome finish. As this hook has an up-eye design, it is very easy to attach your favorite bait. You will have no trouble keeping your fish on the hook as the reverse bend needlepoint and barb are extremely sharp.
Owner American also offers a range of hook packs that contain small and large-sized hooks and some of the smaller packs are available in a bright red.
Pros
- High quality
- Great value for money
- Good price
- Durable steel
- Shiny black chrome finish
- Strong up eyed forged shank
- Easy to attach bait
- Reverse bend point design is perfect for professional anglers
- Super sharp needlepoint and barb
- Ideal for live baiting
- Can be used with nightcrawlers and minnows for walleye and panfish
- Ideal for rigging crabs, shrimp, and blood worms for surf and bay fishing
- Specially designed for catching salmon and steelhead
- Comes in a range of small and larger sized hooks
- Smaller hook packs come in bright red
Cons
- Expensive
- Hook is a bit thin
9. Sougayilang Fishing Hooks
Whether you enjoy freshwater or saltwater fishing, the Sougayilang Fishing Hooks is an excellent choice for any type of fishing expedition.
They are made from strong and durable high carbon steel that has superior rust resistance. A popular choice with amateur and professional anglers, they have a closed eye that makes it easy to snell a line. The offset point and wider gap design give the hooks a higher tensile strength that ensures more consistent hook-ups.
Catching and holding larger fish is very easy, as the points and barbs are strong so your fish will stay on the hook as your reel or pull it in.
Whether you are fishing on the banks of your favorite lake or cruising through the best ocean fishing spots, you can keep them in the sturdy travel-ready plastic container that fits in your pocket.
Sougayilang offers hooks in 5 different sizes: 1, 2, 1/0, 2/0, and 3/0. You can also choose from black or red jig hooks, nautilus circle, or octopus circle hooks.
Pros
- Very good quality
- Great value for money
- Affordable price
- High carbon steel
- Superior rust resistance
- Strong and sharp and durable
- Off-set point and extra-wide design allows for more consistent hookups
- Off-set eye design is easy to snell
- Strong and sharp point and barb can securely hold a large fish
- Various packs available
- Five different sizes
- Compact and sturdy pocket/travel size plastic storage box
Cons
- Sizes are very small
Our Top Pick for the Best Fishing Hooks
Our top pick for the best fishing hooks is the Mustad Ultrapoint Demon Perfect In-line Circle 3 Fishing Hook.
If you are planning an ocean fishing expedition or fishing on your favorite lake, the Mustad Fishing Hooks will help you catch the big fish of your dreams. Built super-strong and sharp, these reliable and durable fishing hooks guarantee you great fishing success in freshwater and saltwater and will turn your fish fantasies into reality.
Check the price on Amazon
