Best Carp Hooks

Korda's Wide Gape is a compact, forged carp hook whose short shank, wide gape and beaked point make it easy to tie on almost any rig. A smooth, low-friction PTFE coating finishes it, and the point is very sharp from new.

Barbed and barbless versions run in five sizes from 2 to 10, ten to a packet. That covers anything from a single small boilie to a big snowman, on knotless knot, kicker or spinner rigs.

It suits carp anglers who want one pattern for most rigs on most venues. Against the Gardner Covert Dark Wide Gape Talon Tip, it has the shorter shank, while the Talon Tip's medium shank and angled eye suit anglers who prefer that shape.

To be fair, it doesn't get the extra post-production sharpening of the Kamakura Krank. For one hook that covers pop-ups, wafters and bottom baits, though, I think it's the all-rounder to buy.

Gardner's Covert Dark Wide Gape Talon Tip combines a wide gape and medium shank with a beaked point and an eye turned in by 5 degrees. The wire is forged and double tempered, so it's a tough hook for its size.

Its thin, matt Covert Dark finish takes the shine off without blunting the point. Sizes 4 to 10 come micro-barbed or barbless, ten to a packet, and the beak is made to cope with gravel and rough lake beds.

Gravel pit anglers and anyone on a barbless venue will get the most from it. Compared with the Korda Wide Gape, its shank is longer and its eye is angled. Beside the Gardner Covert Dark Mugga, it's the wide gape choice, where the Mugga is a curved-shank hook with a straight point.

To be fair, that medium shank hands a fish a little more leverage than a short one. For gravel pits and barbless waters, though, I think it's a smart, hard-wearing choice.

Built for weed and snags, the Atomic Grabba is a wide gape hook with a beaked point for firm holds when landing fish gets hard. Its current in-turned eye replaced the straight eye of the earlier design.

Four sizes from 2 to 8 come barbed or barbless, with the barbed hooks sold ten to a packet. The beak keeps the point tucked in, so it should stay sharp for longer when the rig lands among stones and weed stems.

Weedy lakes and snaggy swims are where it makes most sense, for anglers who need a hold that won't give. Compared with the Gardner Covert Dark Mugga, it's the weed and snag choice rather than an open-water pattern, while the Korda Kamakura Krank after it offers a finer point sharpened after production.

To be fair, it comes from a smaller brand and isn't any cheaper for it. For anglers who fish tight to weed and snags, though, I think it's a sensible, purpose-built alternative.

Korda's Kamakura Krank is the familiar Krank shape, with its curved shank and wide gape, but each point gets a second sharpening once the hook is made. That leaves it keener than anything off a normal production line.

You get micro-barbed or barbless versions in sizes 2 to 8, held in rows in a clear box that keeps the points apart. It's aimed at anglers who would otherwise file or stone every hook before tying it on.

Wary carp on pressured venues are where it makes most sense, as a finer point pricks in sooner. Next to the Atomic Grabba, it's the sharper, more refined hook, though the Grabba is the weed and snag specialist. Against the ESP Cryogen Curve Shanx, it trades a wider size range for that extra-fine point.

To be fair, it's the dearest pack in the guide by some way. For anglers who want a very fine point without reaching for a file, though, I think it's worth the extra.

Forged and double tempered, the Gardner Covert Dark Mugga is a curved-shank hook whose eye is turned in at 25 degrees, with a straight, keen point. It's sold in sizes 4 to 10, barbed or barbless.

That steep eye angle and sweeping shank flip the hook as the hooklink tightens, so it sets in the bottom lip without shrink tube. A thin matt plating finishes it, the barbed sizes carry a micro barb, and there are ten hooks to a packet.

Anyone who ties curved-shank rigs for snowmen, bottom baits and pop-ups should look at it. Next to the Gardner Talon Tip, it pricks faster, but its straight point is more exposed on gravel. Against the Atomic Grabba, it's the open-water pattern rather than a weed and snag hook.

To be fair, a straight point needs checking more often over rough ground. For simple, quick-turning bottom bait and pop-up rigs, though, I think it's a proven, dependable pattern.

Curved from eye to bend, the ESP Cryogen Curve Shanx pairs a keen point with a slippery PTFE Tufflon coating. You can buy it barbed or barbless from size 2 down to size 10.

The size 7 is the clever bit, as it fills the gap between sizes 6 and 8 for close bait matching. The shape holds steady across the whole range, so a rig behaves the same on every size, and there are ten hooks in a packet.

Pop-up anglers on hinged stiff, multi and spinner rigs will get the most from it. Compared with the Korda Kamakura Krank, it's the everyday option without the extra-fine point, and beside the Fox Edges Armapoint Curve Shank, it covers a much wider spread of sizes.

To be fair, nothing about it stands out as a bargain. For curve shank rigs with the hook matched closely to the bait, though, I think it's a dependable, well-rounded choice.

XC80 Vanadium steel, strong yet light, is the backbone of the Fox Edges Armapoint Curve Shank, which pairs an aggressive curved shank with a needle-sharp straight point and a dark, non-reflective coating.

The curve helps it flip and catch hold, which is why it suits bottom baits and wafters on hair, blow-back and D-rigs. Barbed sizes run from 2 to 8, including the in-between 5 and 7, and packs hold 10.

Clear spots in open water suit it, as that's where a bottom bait or wafter needs to flip fast. Next to the ESP Cryogen Curve Shanx, which covers sizes 2 to 10 barbed or barbless, it's the narrower choice for barbless waters, while the Thinking Anglers Curve Shank adds a PTFE coating and heavier wire for a little more money.

To be fair, the barbless version only comes in sizes 6 and 8. For bottom-bait and wafter rigs on waters that allow barbs, though, I think it's a sharp, dependable hook from a well-established range.

A 15-degree in-turned eye and a long, straight point give the Thinking Anglers Curve Shank its aggressive turn, and it's forged in extra-heavy-gauge, double-tempered high-carbon steel.

Micro-barbed and barbless versions share the same sizes 4, 5, 6 and 7, with 10 in a pack, and a slippery PTFE coating helps the hook slide home once the point has caught. Having a 5 and a 7 lets you tweak a presentation.

For me, it's the pick for barbless waters, and it covers hair, blow-back, KD, Slip-D, 360 and Ronnie rigs. The Fox Edges Armapoint Curve Shank is lighter in the wire but only barbless in sizes 6 and 8, while the Korda Basix Kurv Shank costs far less but has a plainer black nickel finish.

To be fair, there's no size 2 or 8 in the range, so very big and very small baits miss out. For anglers moving between barbed and barbless fisheries, though, I think it's a smart, strong choice.

Few budget hooks are this well thought out. The Korda Basix Kurv Shank pairs an aggressive in-turned eye with a curved shank in X gauge wire, finished in an unobtrusive black nickel.

It works straight from the packet on Spinner and IQ D-rigs, with no kicker or shrink tube, and the point is built to last for several fish. Barbed and barbless versions both come in sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8.

That makes it ideal for newer carp anglers, club waters and anyone who gets through a lot of hooks. The Thinking Anglers Curve Shank adds a PTFE coating and heavier wire for more money, while the Korda Choddy is a specialist chod and hinge hook rather than an all-rounder.

To be fair, the black nickel finish is plainer than a PTFE coating, and there's no beaked point. For anyone wanting a budget curve shank, though, I think it's the obvious choice.

The Korda Longshank Beaked takes the classic long shank shape and adds a beaked point and a 40-degree in-turned eye, both there to speed up the turn in the fish's mouth and improve the hold.

It's forged from a stepped-up wire gauge for extra strength and finished with a PTFE coating. You can choose micro-barbed or barbless in sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8, with ten hooks in each packet, and the beaked point is a little more protected over gravel than a straight one.

It suits anglers who tie D-rigs, spinners and combi rigs with bottom baits, wafters or pop-ups, because a D works well on a longer shank. Next to the Nash Claw Long Shank, it's the more aggressive pattern, with a sharper eye angle and that beaked point.

To be fair, a long shank adds leverage, and some carp writers feel that makes hook pulls more likely than with a short wide gape. For anglers who like a long shank on a D or spinner rig, though, I think it's the Korda pattern to tie.

With its stepped, angled Claw bend and a 35-degree in-turned shank, the Nash Claw Long Shank is built to turn quickly and resist being ejected, and it's sold in packs of 10.

A Power Forge Bend focuses the tempering where stress is highest, and a slightly flattened profile adds strength and cuts rotation. Sizes run from 2 to 8, micro-barbed or barbless, in XC80 steel with a PTFE coating.

Slip D, Blowback, Fluoro D and Ronnie Claw rigs suit it, as the extra shank length plays an active part in each. Next to the Nash Twister X, it's the more specialised hook, but it adds a size 8 and a shank built to work in the rig.

To be fair, it's too specialised to be your only hook, and some anglers feel a long shank gives a fish more leverage. For long shank rigs on pressured waters, though, I think it's a clever, strong choice.

Stiff rigs are the Korda Choddy's whole reason for being. It's a wide gape hook with an out-turned eye, a beaked point and a dull, anti-glare finish, sold micro-barbed in packs of 10.

The out-turned eye lets it flip on a stiff chod link or a hinged boom, and the beak should resist moving once it's in. The finish matters too, as a chod hook sits up in plain view above the lake bed.

Chod anglers fishing over weed, silt and debris will want a pack, as will anyone fishing hinges over cleaner spots. Next to the Korda Basix Kurv Shank, it's far less versatile but made for stiff rigs, while the Nash Twister X is the heavier-wire square bend for big fish on extreme venues.

To be fair, it's the wrong hook for a hair-rigged bottom bait or a wafter. For chod and hinge anglers, though, I think it's the pattern to have in the box.

Square bend strength is the theme of the Nash Twister X, which puts the proven Twister pattern in the extra-strong Pinpoint X format, made from XC80 steel with a PTFE coating over a nickel sub-layer.

Wire gauge and eye size both step up through the sizes, so a size 2 is stouter than a 6, and the bigger eyes take thick, high-strength hooklinks easily. It comes micro-barbed in sizes 2, 4 and 6, with barbless versions too.

This is a hook for the biggest carp on demanding venues, where strength comes first. Next to the Korda Choddy, it's a heavy-duty hair-rig hook rather than a stiff-rig specialist, while the Nash Claw Long Shank gives you a longer, in-turned shank for Slip D and Ronnie rigs.

To be fair, the sizes stop at 6, so small wafters and pop-ups miss out. For big fish near snags and weed, though, I think it's a superb, confidence-giving hook to tie on.

The Korda Mixa was designed for surface fishing, with a short shank, a wide gape and a beaked offset point that take hold quickly when carp feed delicately on a floating bait.

It comes barbed or barbless in sizes 6, 8, 10 and 12, with ten hooks in each packet. The point is very sharp, which also makes the Mixa a useful pattern for chub and barbel baits as well as floaters.

It's also widely used on zig rigs, where a small, short-shanked hook sitting mid-water is less obvious to a wary carp. Next to the Fox Edges Armapoint Zig & Floater, it goes down to a size 12 and has a beaked offset point rather than a straight one.

To be fair, it's a specialist pattern, so it isn't the hook to bully fish out of snags. For floater and zig fishing on open water, though, I think it's the one to carry.

The Fox Edges Armapoint Zig & Floater is made for zig rigs and surface fishing, with a finer wire than Fox's other Edges hooks to suit those delicate presentations.

It's forged from XC80 vanadium steel, so it stays strong without extra weight, and it pairs a needle-sharp straight point with a slightly out-turned eye that suits mono hooklinks. A dark, non-reflective coating keeps it discreet, and it comes barbed in sizes 6, 8 and 10, ten to a packet.

It suits anglers fishing zigs through the layers or floaters on mono, and the shape also works on stiff bottom-bait rigs. Next to the Korda Mixa, it has a straight point and an out-turned eye rather than a beaked point, and it stops at a size 10 where the Mixa goes down to a 12.

To be fair, this listing is barbed, so check it suits your venue's rules. For zig and floater anglers who tie on mono, though, I think it's a well-made option.