Straight-shank hooks
The shank runs straight from the eye to the bend. One of the two big hook families: Aberdeen, straight worm, flipping and punching, drop-shot, octopus, circle, wacky and Neko hooks.
A straight-shank hook has no bend behind the eye. The pull of the line runs in one straight line to the point, and the bait stays straight. What holds the bait is not a bend but a barb on the shank, a snell, or the way it is hooked (nose, middle).
| Type | Shank and bend | Wire | Common sizes | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Long shank, round bend | Fine (1X fine) | #6–3/0 | Live minnows, crappie; bends free when snagged |
| Straight worm hook | Medium-long, bait-keeper barbs | Light to standard | #2–5/0 | Texas and Carolina rigs with slim worms |
| Flipping / punching (a straight worm hook, wide gap, heavy duty) | Short-medium, keeper, sealed eye | Heavy (4X–5X) | 1/0–5/0 | Punching mats, flipping with heavy braid |
| Drop-shot (nose hook, swivel, octopus) | Short, compact bend; in-line or up-turned eye | Finesse, forged | #6–2/0 | Nose-hooked drop shot; the octopus-style sizes 2/0+ for wacky |
| Circle | Point turned back toward the shank | Standard | #2–2/0 | Live bait, wacky; sets itself in the corner of the mouth |
| Wacky / Neko | Short, wide gap, often a weedguard | Fine | #2–3/0 | Wacky and Neko rigs near cover |
Every type is one page below. How to pick between straight and offset, and between fine and heavy wire, is in the hook guide.
- Straight worm hooks — The straight-shank answer to the Texas rig: barbs on the shank (the bait keeper) hold the head of a slim worm, and the bait stays dead straight. Light-wire versions are…
- Flipping and punching hooks — The wide-gap, heavy-duty build of the straight worm hook. The eye is welded or sealed so a snell of braid cannot slip through, a keeper holds the bait, and the wire is…
- Drop-shot hooks — Light-wire, short-shank hooks made to be nose-hooked on a drop shot: the bait hangs level off an exposed point and the hook stands out from the line. Built for spinning…
- Drop shot hook (Octopus hook) — The hook most American anglers mean by "drop-shot hook": a short shank, a round belly and an eye turned up off the shank. Makers call it an octopus hook because the…
- Swivel drop-shot hooks — A drop-shot hook whose eye is a swivel: the hook turns freely on the leader, so a nose-hooked bait that spins on the drop or in current does not twist the line, and the…
- Wacky and Neko hooks — Short shank, wide gap, fine wire, often a wire or twin-fibre weedguard. The stick bait is hooked through the middle (wacky) or near the head with a nail weight in the…
- Aberdeen hooks — A long-shank, round-bend hook in fine wire. The long shank makes it easy to hook and unhook live bait; the fine wire bends open on a snag, so you get the rig back and…
- Circle hooks — The point is turned back toward the shank. When a fish swims off with the bait and the line comes tight, the hook slides to the corner of the mouth and rolls in. You do…