If you’re new to striper fishing, you might be confused about what size hook to use for striped bass. As a rule of thumb, consider the fish’s size you’re looking to catch and scale your hook accordingly.
This rule applies to striped bass as well. Stripers can vary in size depending on their diet, age and where they live. While a small hook may be great for freshwater stripers, you may need a large hook for stripers found migrating in the oceans. Here, we’ll explain how to pick the right size hook to use when fishing for striped bass.
Hook Sizes for Striped Bass Fishing
Anglers looking for stripers in the 18-inch range called schoolies are typically fishing in lakes and ponds that aren’t nearby the ocean. For example, Lake Mead in Nevada or Lake Powell in Utah are premium spots for stripers around this size. You should use a one or two aught (1/0) hook to wrangle stripers such as these.
For medium to large-sized striped bass in the 20 to 30-inch range, you’re going to need a bigger hook. Experienced anglers use four aught (4/0) hooks for stripers of this size. You can also use a three or a five aught hook, but you may miss some opportunities if you do. Fishers typically find stripers in this range in larger lakes or the ocean and often use live bait to reel them in.
The largest stripers measure around 35 to 40 inches. You can often find them in large lakes or rivers and bays that feed directly into the ocean. These stripers require a much larger hook than smaller variants because you will need to use bigger bait. You should aim for a seven to eight aught (7/0) hook when fishing stripers in this range.
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