Hook size scale
Hook size scale — Fishing hooks run from large numbers (18, 16, 14 — small hooks for tiny baits) down through 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 to Size 1, then into barbed offset sizes marked 1/0, 2/0, etc., where the /0 count goes up as the hook gets bigger. Confusingly for newcomers, the largest number means the smallest hook, not the reverse of what an engineer might expect.
Shank length
Shank length — Short-shank hooks bite tight on small baits like pellets and corn; long-shank hooks reach forward to hold a boilie or meat further from the eye, so the fish cannot dislodge it with its tongue before the strike.
| Size 18 – 16 | tiny hooks for single maggots and micro pellets on hair rigs in winter stillwater |
|---|---|
| Size 14 – 12 | the everyday maggot hook — universal stock for any feeder range |
| Size 10 – 8 | medium hooks for mixed bait: half maggot, half pellet; the sweet spot for commercial carp |
| Size 6 – 4 | big-bait territory — 8 mm pellets, corn, wafters; targeting larger carp and chub |
| Size 2 – 1 | statement hooks for big boilies (14–16 mm), meat, and night fishing on wild waters |
| 1/0 – 2/0 | heavy-duty predator territory — pike, big catfish, mirror carp with tough mouths |
Hook size decides who eats, not just how hard you get hooked
Every hook on your shelf is shaped for two questions: how big a bait can it carry, and how far away from the hook eye does that bait sit when the fish has it? The size number tells you roughly which end of the spectrum you are looking at, and the shank length tells you whether the bait sits close enough to feed on or reaches forward clear of the cage cloud. Picking the wrong hook size does not mean no fish come in — it means the wrong fish do, or the same fish refuse a bait they would happily take if only it were presented at the right scale.
How the size ladder maps to bait and species
Small hooks (18 through 12) exist because winter fish and picky commercial carp often mouth a single maggot or a micro pellet without ever committing to the strike. They are the difference between seeing a lift and watching the rod tip walk into the rest holder. Medium hooks (10 through 8) are the bread-and-butter workhorse: half maggot, half pellet on the hair rig, a 6 mm pellet pushed onto the point, corn held by a short shank — these hooks do eight out of ten casts on a typical commercial day. Bigger hooks (6 through 2) are for baits that need their own room — wafers that float away from a narrow hook, large boilies on a long-shank, meat that requires surface area to grip. The 1/0 and 2/0 belong to a different conversation entirely: pike feeding on feeder-caught baitfish, mirror carp with thick lips, and catfish in summer that will swallow a 20 mm boilie whole before worrying about the point.
Wholesale buying logic
If you carry one product line — say, the FF-T6 pre-tied hair rigs — sizing it right is where the margin lives. Over-ordering the trendy biggest hook leaves you sitting on inventory nobody pulls off the peg; under-ordering the medium sizes means you lose repeat purchases faster than competitors who did the maths. Start with 4 and 6 as anchor sizes, round them out with 8 for the lighter sessions and 2 for the heavier ones, and add a small run of 1/0 if your customer base includes predator anglers or venues known for trophy carp. The factory sheet confirms breaking strain across the range, so diameter and wire thickness track together and there is no surprise on landing.
Internal links to keep in mind
Hook choice connects directly to bait selection — the guide on pellets, boilies and maggots explains how bait size drives the hook decision more than flavour ever will. It also pairs with the FF-T6 pre-tied hair rigs product page, which ships in exactly the same sizes this guide discusses. And the mainline-to-hook walkthrough shows where the hooklength diameter should match the chosen hook size so the knot holds and the line does not break prematurely on a snag.
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Does FF-T6's size range cover all common uses?
Sizes 2 through 8 span the entire commercial feeder day: the middle sizes (4, 6) handle most bait choices, while 2 answers a wary finicky day and 8 handles larger pellets and corn. For venue types outside stocked commercial — wild coarse fisheries, rivers with chub, or pike-on-feeder — stepping up to 1/0 is worth adding.
Should wholesale orders carry one size or a mix?
A single dominant size looks tidy but underperforms — real days flip between fast sipping and committed takes within a single session, so the mid-range (8 through 2) typically absorbs seventy percent of wear. A sensible wholesale carton carries four sizes at roughly 40 % for size 4 or 6, 25 % each for size 8 and 2, and 10 % reserved for the extremes.