What size of hook and bait for fresh water nad salt water thanks hak

The size of the hook and bait you use for salt water fishing is greatly dependant on two factors: 1) The size and species of fish you are angling for. 2) The size and type of bait you are using. As a rule of thumb I think the following guidelines are a good frame of reference. For small fish such as Snappers a number eight or number six hook works best. In all cases it is better to have a hook that is too small than one that is too large. A hook that is too small will occasionally cause you to lose a fish but a hook that is too large will more often impair your ability to hook the fish in the first place. Typically the bait you will use is a live shrimp when fishing for these species. You want the hook to be large enough so the tail of the shrimp fits snuggly within the confines of the “j” section of the hook. If there is space between the tail of the shrimp and the hook it is too large and vice versa if the hook does not penetrate to the other end of the tail. As you work up to pinfish as bait you will wait to increase hook size. For a three to four inch pinfish a 1/0 to a 2/0 hook should be most effective. For larger fish you will of course need to use a larger hook. I have used hooks as large as 13/0 when fishing with large crabs or bait fish for sharks.