Which hook to choose for white fish? Hook sizes, colour and shape

A hook looks like one of the simplest pieces of fishing tackle. A small bit of metal tied to the end of the line. But many anglers have probably been there: the fish seem to want to bite, they taste the bait, the float bobs, yet there is still no decent fish on the bank.

Sometimes the problem is not the bait, not the groundbait and not even the fishing spot. You are simply using a hook that is not quite right.

This is especially noticeable when fishing for white fish – roach, bream, white bream, crucian carp, tench. One day a small No. 18 hook works great; the next day, with a bigger bait, you already want a No. 14 or No. 12.

So there is no single universal answer to “the best hook for white fish”. It is best to choose a hook based on the fish, bait, fishing method and the specific conditions.

What does hook size mean?

If you are just starting to look into hooks, their numbering may seem a little illogical. A simple rule applies here:

So No. 18 is a small hook, No. 14 is already bigger, and No. 8 is bigger still.

White fish usually call for fairly small hooks. When fishing for roach or white bream with one or several maggots, you can fish with No. 18–16. For bream with sweetcorn or a larger worm, No. 14–12 is more often needed. And in tench fishing, No. 10 or No. 8 is nothing unusual.

What matters most is not the number on the pack. What matters most is how the hook looks with the bait on it.

If, with the bait on, the hook almost completely disappears and the point is covered – the hook is probably too big or too much bait has been put on.

Match the hook size to the bait first

This is probably the simplest rule worth remembering.

If you fish with a single maggot, there is no need for a big hook. A small, fine-wire hook lets you present the bait more naturally, and a cautious fish will feel less resistance.

But if you thread on a piece of sweetcorn, a larger worm or a “bunch” of several maggots, a small hook can already be awkward.

So choose a hook not by the principle “I am fishing for bream – I need a bream hook”, but by asking:

Hooks for roach

Roach is probably one of those fish for which it is always worth keeping smaller sizes in your hook box.

When roach are active, they can be caught quite easily. But there are days when they just touch the bait, nudge the float and vanish. In such cases a hook that is too big definitely does not help.

When fishing for roach with maggots, it is usually worth starting with No. 18–16. If a very small bait is used or the fish are extremely cautious, you can also try No. 20.

With a bigger bait – for example bread, wheat or a piece of sweetcorn – you can move up to No. 16–14.

And what colour of hook should you choose for roach?

There is no single rule here.

Darker, bronze or other not very shiny hooks often work well. With red maggots you can also try a red hook.

But hook colour is not something worth spending half your fishing time on. If the fish are inactive, I would first change the hook size and the bait presentation, and only then experiment with colour.

🛒 Float fishing hooks for roach →

Hooks for bream and white bream

In bream fishing, the choice of hook depends a lot on what we put on it.

With maggots you can start well with No. 16–14. If several baits or a larger worm go on the hook, you can choose No. 14–12.

When fishing for bream with a feeder, the situation is even more interesting. In one spot bream may readily take a single maggot, in another – only sweetcorn or a bigger bait.

So there is no point in taking only one hook size fishing. I would put at least a few sizes in the box, for example:

• No. 18 – for small baits;
• No. 16 – a universal option;
• No. 14 – for a bigger bait;
• No. 12 – for sweetcorn, a worm or a bulkier bait.

Then you can adapt quickly on the spot.

🛒 Hooks for bream and feeder fishing →

Which hooks suit crucian carp?

Crucian carp is another fish that can completely ruin your plans.

It seems we will fish with sweetcorn today, and ten minutes later it turns out the fish want only a small piece of worm. The next day it is the other way round.

For smaller baits you can choose No. 18–16, and when using sweetcorn, dough or a bigger worm – roughly No. 16–12.

In crucian carp fishing it also matters that the hook is not too heavy. If you fish with a float rod, thin line and a small bait, a small, light hook will often let the bait look more natural.

🛒 Float fishing hooks for crucian carp →

Tench need a more serious hook

With tench things are a bit different.

It is a strong fish, and it often has to be pulled out of weeds, mud or other places where you would rather not hook a fish. For this reason, in tench fishing the hook must be not only sharp but also strong enough.

In practice, No. 10–8 hooks are often used for tench, especially when a bigger bait is used.

If you fish with a worm, sweetcorn or several maggots, No. 12–10 can be a very good starting option.

And if the goal is specifically a big tench and you want to filter out smaller fish, the hook can be made even bigger. There are anglers who use even No. 6 or larger hooks with a very large worm for big tench.

This is a good example of why hook size cannot be judged separately from the bait.

🛒 Strong hooks for tench →

Which hook shape is best?

Hook shape is no less important.

If you compared several hooks of the same number, you would quickly notice that they are not necessarily the same. One has a long shank, another a short one, one has a wider bend, another a narrower one. And there is a reason for that.

Longer shank

Convenient when a worm, several maggots or another bait is used that needs to be threaded comfortably onto the hook.

Shorter shank

Can be convenient when fishing with compact baits such as sweetcorn, dough or other small baits.

Thinner wire

Great for fine fishing. Such a hook is lighter, less noticeable and allows a small bait to be presented naturally.

Thicker wire

For when more strength is needed. Especially relevant in tench fishing or where the fish has to be led out of weeds quickly after the bite.

Does hook colour matter?

Short answer – yes, but not as much as it sometimes seems.

Hook colour can be an extra factor worth adapting to, but you should certainly not assume that one colour will guarantee a bite.

A dark hook may stand out less against a dark bottom. A bronze or natural-metal hook is fairly universal. A red hook can blend nicely with maggots or be an interesting option when experimenting.

If the fish are very cautious today, you can try changing the colour.

But if you are using a No. 10 hook with a big bait and the fish only nibble, I would first try a smaller hook, not another colour.

How to tell that a hook is too big?

There is a very simple way. Put the bait on and look at it the way a fish would see it.

If the hook obviously sticks out of the bait and looks like a big foreign object – it may be worth going smaller.

But there is one important thing: the point must remain free. There is no need to hide the hook completely in the bait.

If you thread so much worm onto the hook that the point is barely visible, you can make striking harder for yourself. Good bait on a hook looks natural, and the point stays ready to penetrate.

And if the hook is too small?

A hook that is too small is not good either.

• First sign – you constantly feel bites but the fish does not hook itself.
• Second – the bait keeps slipping off or cannot be put on properly.
• Third – when a bigger fish is hooked, the hook starts to straighten or deform.

In that case it is worth going one size up. For example, if you fish with No. 18 and use sweetcorn, you can try No. 16. If a big worm looks awkward on a No. 14 hook, you can choose No. 12.

Sometimes one such change solves the problem.

Hook size cheat sheet for white fish

If you do not want to think from scratch every time, you can go roughly by this:

This is not a “law” and these numbers should not be treated as the only correct option. Hooks of the same number from different manufacturers can differ in shape and size, and on a real fishery everything is further changed by fish activity and the bait used.

What to take fishing?

If you do not want to haul hooks from a whole shop, you can put together a fairly simple set for white fish. For example:

• No. 18 – for small roach and small baits.
• No. 16 – a universal option for float fishing.
• No. 14 – for a bigger bait, bream or crucian carp.
• No. 12 – for sweetcorn, worm and a bulkier bait.
• No. 10 or No. 8 – for tench and a more serious bait.

With a few sizes like these you can already adapt quite well to most usual situations.

A hook is not the place to save money

Finally, there is one thing worth remembering.

It is better to have a few good hooks than a big box of cheap ones that quickly go blunt or cannot withstand the load.

The hook point must be sharp. If a hook has fallen on a stone, snagged on the bottom or already landed several fish, it is worth checking. Sometimes it seems that “the fish are not biting today”, when in fact the problem is very simple – a blunt hook.

And one more detail: a hook must suit not only the fish but the whole system. There is no point in hanging a very big, heavy hook on a very thin hooklength if it makes the bait look unnatural. Likewise, there is no point in using a very thin hook for a big tench just because it looks nice in the box.

In short – which hook to choose?

If the whole article had to be shortened to a few sentences, the rule would be:

• small fish + small bait = small hook;
• bigger bait = bigger hook;
• cautious fish = it is often worth reducing the hook and the bait;
• strong fish and fishing in weeds = you need more hook strength.

And if you are unsure between two sizes, there is no need to guess. Pack both and try them while fishing. Sometimes the difference between No. 16 and No. 14 seems completely insignificant until you see that after changing the hook the fish start to hook up properly.

That is exactly why a good angler usually has not one “best hook” but several different options and knows how to apply them to the situation.