Best Hooks

This probably has been asked a thousand times... but was fishing last weekend ,sea was flat calm (Not even a bit of fizz in it) had my usual set up - two hook rig with 3/0 top and 2/0 bottom (Mustad Bass hooks),sandeel attached.., anyway after about 40min got a few taps on the rod ..waited but nothing , retreived bait...clearly mauled with lower hook stripped clean.I knew conditions were poor for bass , so changed to 2/0 top and 1/0 bottom .... results were a flounder after about 20min and a small brill soon after.
My question is whether I should stick to this setup (2/0 top and 1/0 bottom) for universal fishing even though bass are primarly the target or am I wrong thinking that I need to have a 3/0 & 2/0 setup for bass as the difference was not huge anyway
In the past I've have had better success bass fishing with larger hooks and get a share barely hooked even on 2/0.

I use 1/0 kamasan b940's when targeting bass, never felt the need to up hook size.

Freshwater anglers land 10lb+ fish on size 16 hooks all the time

It all comes down to presentation of the bait and not going overboard with the size of the hook

Size 2/0 are a good all rounder.I prefer varivas big mouths , they don't rust as quick as kamasans and keep their sharpness for longer.flatties still manage to impale themselves on them !

Thats intresting... good point regards freshwater fishing ,true enough alot of salmon taken on small flies , once remeber my brother catching a 12lb salmon on a trout fly.
Maybe hook pattern is just as important as hook size , or am I idiomatically stuck in a mind set ????

i use size 2 aberdeens on most my rigs and have landed bass up to 65cm i find its all about havin good bait rather than the size of the hook.

Totally agree I use size2 kamasans for fishing for bass espeically with worm baits and have had a few big one's, Infact my biggest on a size 4, It will also give you a better chance of catching other species if its slow

The smallest hook iv had bass on was a size 2 while scratching for flounder , barely landed it and the hook came out so! but if im targeting big bass i use big Sakuma Manta extra 3/0 to 5/0 depending on what bait im using ie Mackeral fillet / squid/ razor or crab and for lug/rag i use the Sakuma stingers 1/0 or 2/0 another great hook

i usually use b940s size 2s on my rigs, ive had bass to 8lbs, huss to over 9lbs and rays to over 6lbs on them no probs. if im specificly targeting bass id go to a 1/0 or maybe a 2/0 depending on bait.
ive recently started using gamakatsu off set hooks in size 2 tho and find them sharper and stronger but a little bigger.

Have seen a Tope caught on a size 6 in Cork last year

ya you wont go wrong with size 2/0 aberdeen hooks,,,,,,,go alrounder as someone said,,,,,,i dont use anything now less than 2/0 to try and prevent catching smaller fish but them wee flats will get their big mouths around a 5/0

Thanks for the replies ... seems I'm way over gunned reading some of the smaller hook choices here.The only reservations I would have about going down to a size 4 or less, is that a fish could be very deeply hooked and also it may be hard remove.
Reading an English site on bass fishing tactics they suggested that the minimum should be a 1/0 all the way up to 5/0 ... which looks pretty much like a anchor (Only ever used those off Valentia for conger and tope from Tralee bay).
But my question was around hook size for general fishing , which to me is more tricky as its more to do with a universal solution for general fishing from the Irish coast. I would be still slow to drop bellow 1/0 and as I fish mainly with sandeel think anything less would be lost as many have said presentation being of major importance , suppose the best way is to vary the rig hooks size to cover all eventualities ... hoping the right fish goes fot the right hook .
I also like the worm hook type barbs as the tend to give the sandeel a bit more grip on the hook and always go for a stronger type build as I've bent too many with thornback over the years

With regards to hook removal a disgorger is a worthwhile investment. Also I seem to find fish being deeper hooked on larger hooks rather than smaller ones.

Totally agree I use size2 kamasans for fishing for Bass espeically with worm baits and have had a few big one's, Infact my biggest on a size 4, It will also give you a better chance of catching other species if its slow

I lost a cracker on a Kamasan size 2 and I was sick for a week, now I swear by owner cutting point in size 2 to 2\0 depending on bait used

Hook sizes and patterns should be determined by what type/size of bait you are using. What species you are targetting and the venue you are fishing will determine the type/size of bait used.

The brand of hook chosen is based on other factors.......personal experience, reputation, what the magazines recommend, confidence, cost etc.

Most, if not all of my bass and smooth hound fishing is done with big crab, rag or lug baits and I usually fish a pennel pulley rig with 2 x 5/0 sakuma manta extras. A smallish 5/0 hook, very sharp and strong and with a wide gape - so ideal for peeler crab and king rag baits or big balls of lug - it has worked for me the last 3 years so I feel no need to change. I've often used the same method fishing for ray but with fish baits and sometimes dropping the hook size down to 2/0's or 3/0's as sandeel, squid strips or mackerel strips can be mounted easily on slightly smaller hooks.

Thats not to say small hooks wont get you bigger fish, I've had ray, bass and hounds on clip down rigs with hooks from size 4 - 1.

And I've been told of large sting ray 30lb + being taken on size 1's and 2's.

The manufacturing of hooks will unfortunately mean that there will be the odd one in a batch that is weaker than usual and therefore its possible that good fish have been lost on all manner of hook types, sizes and brands.

Most of my rigs consist of size 2 or 1 aberdeen hooks, If im going for something with a fight ill use size 2/0 or bigger.
I still believe bait presentation is the best thing to catch, ill change to a 3/0 or 5/0 if using larger fragments of bait such as a mack fillet however its a matter of numbers over size.
We fish a lot of a close pier and the other guys normally use size 4, I thought this was a silly idea as Im aiming for something a little bigger however I changed 3 rigs to size 4 and within a week I managed not only to catch more fish but actually hit bigger fish again maybe bait presentation. I now set up using one rod with smaller hooks and the other a size or 2 bigger.

Generally Ill hit more of the smaller hooks but when the other rod goes Im always hoping for the bigger fish but this never seems to be the case.
Think its a matter of what bait, what fish and what you prefere to catch