Hook sizes
What size hook for surf fishing
For redfish and striped bass, the two surf species this page covers, surf hook sizes for natural baits run from about 1/0 for a live shrimp up to 8/0 for a live eel, and every natural bait in the tables below goes on a circle hook. Redfish on shrimp, sand fleas or crab take 1/0 to 5/0. Striped bass on live eels or cut bait take 7/0 to 8/0. Pompano and whiting, which this page does not cover, take hooks at that small end or below it: South Carolina DNR suggests a #1 or #2 hook for pompano on mole crabs and a #1 or 1/0 for whiting on cut shrimp. Bucktail jigs and plugs come with their own hooks already sized to the lure.
Striped Bass from the beach
Stripers feed hardest at dawn, dusk and at night, and a moving tide matters more than the time on the clock. Full striped bass guide.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Bait or lure | Hook size | Hook style | On the beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live eel | 7/0–8/0 | Circle hook | Hook once through the lower and upper jaw so the eel swims straight. Wet hands or a rag make an eel possible to hold; dry hands make it impossible. |
| Cut bait | 7/0–8/0 | Circle hook | Leave the point fully exposed; on a treble, hook just one barb into the bait. Fresher is better than bigger; oily cut bait loses its scent trail within an hour or two. |
| Bucktail jig | 4/0–5/0 | Jig hook (leadhead), comes on the lure | Pick the head weight for the current, not the fish: heavy enough to hold bottom contact and no heavier. The hook is molded into the jig, so check the hook size on the package as well as the weight. |
| Topwater lure | #2–2/0 | Treble hook, comes on the lure | Wait until you feel weight before setting. Setting on the splash pulls the bait away from the fish. |
| Casting or trolling spoon | #1–3/0 | Treble hook, comes on the lure | Use a quality swivel. Spoons twist line badly without one, and twisted line is the main cause of wind knots. |
Redfish from the beach
Bull reds over 30 inches run the beach and the passes in late summer and fall, the best surf fishing of the year in much of the range. Full redfish guide.
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Bait or lure | Hook size | Hook style | On the beach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live or fresh shrimp | 1/0 | Circle hook | Hook through the horn from underneath, avoiding the dark spot, or through the last tail segment for a longer cast. |
| Sand flea or sand crab | 1/0 | Circle hook | Point up through the digger end so the flea sits naturally in the wash. |
| Blue crab or crab chunk | 3/0–5/0 | Circle hook | Remove the top shell and run the hook out through a leg socket so the point sits clear. Half a crab out-fishes a whole one because the scent is released. |
| Cut bait | 4/0–6/0 | Circle hook | Leave the point fully exposed; on a treble, hook just one barb into the bait. Fresher is better than bigger; oily cut bait loses its scent trail within an hour or two. |
| Bucktail jig | 1/0–3/0 | Jig hook (leadhead), comes on the lure | Pick the head weight for the current, not the fish: heavy enough to hold bottom contact and no heavier. The hook is molded into the jig, so check the hook size on the package as well as the weight. |
| Topwater lure | #2–2/0 | Treble hook, comes on the lure | Wait until you feel weight before setting. Setting on the splash pulls the bait away from the fish. |
| Casting or trolling spoon | 2/0–4/0 | J hook, comes on the lure | Use a quality swivel. Spoons twist line badly without one, and twisted line is the main cause of wind knots. |
Why circle hooks are the default in the surf
Bait fished from a beach usually sits in a sand spike while you watch the rod tip. You are not holding the rod when the fish takes, which is exactly the situation a circle hook is designed for: the fish turns, the hook slides to the corner of the jaw and sets itself. A J hook has to be set by the angler, and a fish that has swallowed the bait by then can be hooked in the throat or gut.
From Maine to North Carolina, the interstate plan for striped bass, managed through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and put into rule by each state, requires non-offset circle hooks when recreational anglers fish for striped bass with natural bait. Artificial lures with bait attached are exempt under that plan, and each state sets its own details, so check your state agency before the trip rather than at the truck. Striper fisheries south of North Carolina, on the West Coast and in landlocked reservoirs fall outside that plan and are regulated separately.
Do not set the hook
When the rod loads, pick it up and reel steadily. Swinging on a circle hook pulls it straight out of the fish's mouth, which is a common reason people say circle hooks do not work.
Circle hooks run smaller than a J hook of the same printed size. How each hook style is sized is on the fishing hook size chart.
Sources for this guidance
- ASMFC — Addendum VI to Amendment 6, Atlantic Striped Bass FMP (updated May 2021) Section 3.2: circle hooks are required when recreationally fishing for striped bass with bait; non-offset definition, the exemption for artificial lures with bait attached, and state flexibility. The plan covers the coastal migratory stock from Maine to North Carolina.
- ASMFC — Atlantic Striped Bass Confirms the circle-hook-with-bait requirement and records the plan's later amendments, which is why the rules need re-checking.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Red Drum Red drum eat crabs, shrimp and small fish; surf bull reds are fished on bottom rigs with cut mullet, live mullet or blue crab. It gives no hook size.
- South Carolina Department of Natural Resources — Red drum: hooks A J hook is set by jerking the rod when the angler feels a bite, and a fish that inhales the whole bait may be hooked in the esophagus or gut. Checked October 6, 2026.
- South Carolina DNR — Summer Inshore Fishing Pompano feed on mole crabs (sand fleas) in the surf wash and are fished on a #1 or #2 hook; whiting on a two-leader rig with #1 or 1/0 hooks and cut shrimp; small red drum turn up in the same water. Older, undated article: used for fishing methods only, not for regulations. Checked October 6, 2026.
What changes the size
- The bait, not the fish. In the redfish table above, a sand flea takes a 1/0 hook and cut bait a 4/0–6/0, even though the same fish eats both. Size the hook so the point sits clear of the bait and the bait still looks natural in the wash.
- Which fish is actually running. Slot-sized redfish and a school of bass are very different from a run of bull reds or forty inch stripers. If big fish are around, go up rather than hoping.
- Salt destroys hook points. Check the point against a thumbnail every few casts. A dulled or rusted point is far more likely to cost you a fish than being one size off.
- Regulations. Circle hook requirements, barbless rules and species closures all apply on the beach. They are set by your state fish and wildlife agency and change in season.
Get a size for the fish you are actually after
The Hook Size Finder takes your species, bait and technique and gives you a size, a style and the reasoning behind it.
Related hook size guides
- Hook size for bass
- Hook size for trout
- Hook size for crappie
- Full fishing hook size chartSelected common sizes from #28 to 12/0 with typical uses.
Build the rest of the surf setup
- Fishing Setup BuilderRod length, reel size, braid, shock leader and hook for surf fishing.
- Reel Size FinderSurf reels need capacity and sealing more than anything else.
- Line SelectorBraid plus a heavy monofilament shock leader, and why the shock leader is not optional.