The effect of hook and bait sizes on the catch efficiency and size composition of Spangled Emperor <i>Lethrinus nebulosus</i>, Orange‐spotted Grouper <i>Epinephelus coioides</i>, and Narrowbarred Mackerel <i>Scomberomorus commerson</i> was investigated in the recreational and semi‐subsistence handline fishery in the Persian Gulf. Based on expectations that increasing hook and bait sizes would decrease ...