Choosing hooks: Straight or offset

	Straight-shank	Offset-shank
Shape	Eye to bend in one straight line	Z-shaped step behind the eye
What holds the bait	Barbs on the shank, a snell, the way it is hooked	The step locks the head
Bait posture	Dead straight	Head slightly bent (irrelevant on thick baits)
Hook set	Pull goes straight to the point; best through mats	The step takes a little of the pull
Weedless	Mostly point exposed (flipping hooks: point back in the bait)	Point buried in the plastic (Texas, Texposed)
Types	Aberdeen, straight worm, flipping / punching, octopus, circle, wacky / Neko	Offset Worm (narrow gap), EWG, each in fine or heavy wire; spring / screw-lock; weighted (Texas, swimbait, bladed)

Situation	Pick
Slim straight-tail worm must stay straight	Straight worm hook
Worm slides down the shank	Offset Worm hook
Thick creature / stick bait	EWG
Punching mats with a heavy tungsten weight	Straight flipping hook
Nose-hooked drop shot	Drop-shot hook
Live bait	Octopus hook
Big soft swimbait	Spring-lock or weighted offset

Wire gauge formula →

Choosing hooks

Straight or offset, fine or heavy wire (with a formula), the wire for your line and rod, hook size for each soft bait, every way to hook a drop shot, and hook eyes: which way they face and at what angle.