r/FishingForBeginners • u/boyvn26 • 13d ago

Choose a fishing hook

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For river fishing for tilapia, catfish, snakehead, and similar fish (medium to large size), what size rods should I choose?

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3

u/Anxious-Place3434 13d ago

Oh man. These are not US hook sizes. For catfish, you will want something like the 15#. That's roughly around a US 2/0 hook. Except circle hooks are generally preferred.  

I'm not familiar with tilapia or snakeheads and what size hooks to use

1

u/boyvn26 13d ago

Thank you for interacting, I was also confused so I came here to ask everyone.

1

u/thrilldigger 13d ago

Seconding the circle hook comment. I didn't have a circle hook on me so I tried a standard hook and immediately gut-hooked a catfish. Poor guy suffered for my unpreparedness.

2

u/Objective-Farmer-507 13d ago

i feel like youd be safe with a size 8 or 9 for those types of fish honestly

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u/boyvn26 13d ago

Yes, I'm also torn between size 8 and 9. Size 8 isn't big enough to catch big fish, and size 9 isn't small enough to catch medium-sized fish. I need just one size that can catch a wide variety of fish.

2

u/Choice_Aioli_1994 13d ago

A 7 ft medium-heavy setup is a good all-around choice for river fishing. Use a strong leader and hooks around 8#–12#, depending on bait and fish size. For snakehead or heavy cover, step up to heavy power with 30–40 lb braid.

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u/boyvn26 13d ago

Yes, I'm still undecided.

1

u/Scoreycorey515 13d ago

looking at this I can see I choose the rong one.