Best Hooks for Surf Fishing: What Size and Which Type?

What’s the best hook size for surf fishing and what type of hook works best?

If you ever come across a website or other source that gives you a static, universal answer to this question, just walk away. It’s not that simple.

When determining what type of hook and size of hook is best for your surf fishing needs, you first need to determine your target. In fact here’s a list of what you should analyze prior to deciding on your hook for surf fishing.

Know This Before Selecting a Hook Size and Type

• Target Species
• Mouth Size of Target Species
• Prey/Bait You’ll Be Using
• Style of Fishing Planned

Your hook should be small enough to easily fit in the fish’s mouth, and big enough that the fish won’t swallow it or gut it on a regular basis. Find that sweet spot and that’s step one.

Next, it needs to match your bait. Sometimes this can be the difference between a longer shank and a shorter shank or a wider/narrower gap between shank and point. Other times, you simply need to use bigger or smaller hook sizes. But, whatever size/type you pick should fit into that sweet spot outlined in step one.

As for the style of fishing, that’s where we get into the types of hooks so let’s talk about the types of hooks that might be best for surf fishing.

Best Types of Hooks for Surf Fishing

• Octopus Hooks
• Mosquito Hooks
• Circle Hooks
• Baitholder Hooks

One thing I want to get out of the way: Treble hooks are typically used only on lures for surf fishing and as the back-end of a trap rig or a trailer rig/trailer hook for surf fishing. Additionally, this article is focused on hooks for baits, not for lures. Lures are their own category and may need a separate breakdown.

The most common types of hooks used for surf fishing (with bait) will include octopus hooks, mosquito hooks, circle hooks, and baitholder hooks.

Octopus Hooks

Octopus hooks will be similar in appearance to mosquito hooks with two distinct differences. 1.) The eye of the hook opens up with a backward bend to allow for easy snelling exits. 2.) The over all shape of the hook is circular and fluid in appearance. To be clear, Octopus hooks are very different than circle hooks. To be a circle hook, the point and the barb need to form a 90-degree angle and octopus hooks do not typically do this.

Benefit: Optimal for tying a snell and they allow for good presentation and unimpeded hook sets.

Mosquito Hooks

Mosquito hooks are what I typically use for surf fishing when I’m fishing for things like corbina, croaker, and other common species of fish here. The focus of a mosquito hook is simplicity and strength. Octopus hooks and mosquito hooks are used for hooking both live bait and cut bait

Benefit: Easy to hide the hook and allows for more natural presentation and unimpeded hook-set.

Baitholder Hooks

Baitholder hooks are another option. They typically have a longer shank and a couple smaller barbs on the back side of the shank meant to help keep your bait fastened onto the hook.

Benefit: These can be easier for beginners and shaky hands as there’s more shank to grip and they’re designed to keep bait on the hook better. They can also be easier to remove as they have more shank available to grab… but be careful with those extra micro-barbs. If they’re on the bigger side, it can complicate things.

I prefer mosquito hooks as you can see my exact light tackle set up below and on the linked page:

• Rod: Okuma Celilo (8’6″ MA) or the Okuma SST (8’6″ MA)
• Reel: Penn Battle II or III 4000 series
• Mainline: 15-pound monofilament
• For Bait: Carolina Rig:
  • Leader Line: 15-pound fluorocarbon
  • Swivels: 15-19mm barrel swivels
  • Hooks: size #2 or #4 owner mosquito hooks
  • Weights: 1-oz egg weight
  • Beads: 8mm fishing beads
• For Lures: Lucky Craft FM 110 and Shimano WM 115 SP
• Other best surf fishing rods and best surf fishing reels

Circle Hooks

Circle hooks are where I draw a drastic line of differentiation. This is because these typically require a different style of fishing. You shouldn’t set the hook with circle hooks, which is why these are popular hooks for “bait & wait” style fishermen. Whether you leave your rod in a holder or actively fish it, you should restrain from a hook set.

The way these hooks work is that the point of the barb and the shank form a 90-degree angle (the sharp part of the barb points directly at the shank). This narrow and odd-shaped gap is designed to hook fish only in the corner of the mouth and in my experience, the engineering is very effective. Never have I gutted a fish while using circle hooks. I’ve had a few pop off, but that’s only natural.

My recommendation is to use circle hooks for bigger predators like sharks and any time you want to leave your rod in a holder and wait for the action. I’ve found that the smaller fish result in more spat hooks than bigger ones when using circle hooks. Find my exact set-up for sharking with circle hooks below.

Benefit: No hook-set needed, easy release as the hook is always set in the corner of the fish’s mouth.

• Rod: Fiblink Moonsniper (12 or 13 feet)
• Reel: Penn Battle 8000 (II or III)
• Main Line: 50-pound braid
• Topshot: 100-pound nylon coated mono
• Leaders: Shark Leaders
• Weights: 8-ounce pyramid or 6-ounce sputnik

• Circle Hooks: 7/0 circle hooks

Best Hooks Size for Surf Fishing

Alright, to answer the impossible question: what’s the best hook for surf fishing. If you’re fishing the surf in Southern California, just follow the guide on the page that I’ve linked referencing my gear and tackle. It’s reliable and accurate and I’m here for questions. For all other areas and species, you’ll need to figure that out for yourself. Get to know the common species of fish to your area, and match the hook size to the fish and to the bait they feed on.

In the mean time, here’s a chart that illustrates the best hook size per species for surf fishing:

Hook Size Per Species for Surf Fishing

Fish Species	Hook Size
Corbina	#4 – #2
Spotfin Croaker	#4 – #2
Yellowfin Croaker	#4 – #2
Surf Perch	#4 – #2
California Halibut	1/0 – 3/0
Other Similar Flounder	1/0 – 3/0
Corvina	1/0 – 3/0
Calico and Similar Bass	1/0 – 3/0
Rockfish	2/0 – 4/0
Sheephead	2/0 – 4/0
White Seabass	2/0 – 4/0
Leopard Shark	5/0 – 8/0
Soupfin Shark	7/0 – 9/0
Whiting	#4 – #2
Pompano	#1 – 2/0
Spanish Mackerel	#4 – 2/0
Red Fish	2/0 – 5/0
Black Drum	2/0 – 8/0
Speckled Trout	1/0 – 3/0
Striped Bass	6/0 – 8/0
Tarpon	4/0 to 8/0
Snook	2/0 – 4/0
Bonito	2/0 – 4/0
Bluefish	2/0 – 4/0
Smelt	Tiny Sabiki’s up to #2
Red Snapper	5/0 – 10/0
Cobia	5/0 – 9/0
GT (Giant Trevally)	5/0 – 9/0
Bonefish	#2 – 1/0
Barracuda	3/0 – 6/0
Rooster Fish	4/0 – 7/0

Barbed vs. Barbless

If you’re fishing certain protected areas or you want to be as easy on the fish as you can, you might consider using barbless hooks. In some areas (more common for fly fishing in river and streams) barbless hooks are required. Make sure to do your research prior to hitting a new fishing spot near you.

Hopefully this helped clear up questions on which types of hooks to use for surf fishing and what size hooks to use for surf fishing. If I missed anything or you have any questions, drop them in the comments section below. Tight lines, guys!