hooks ?
 

what type of hook do you prefer to use while yellowtail fishing and white sea bass fishing on the yak ? and what size do you recomend for the local macs ? i have currently been using the 1/0 j hook and done okay with it but i really havent hooked into anything that is that big yet. any info helps. thanks

I use 2/0- 4/0 ringed owner flyliners for macks

I use 2/0- 4/0 ringed owner flyliners for macks

I was wondering about ringed hooks. Do ringed hooks give a more natural swiming action than non-ringed hooks. Or what is the advantages of ringed hooks?

btw, I use 1/0 to 2/0 Circle hooks, depending on the size of the mack being used. It seems that I have lost some live bait on J-hooks because live bait somehow finds their way out of J-hooks, not frequently but I have lost bait that way before. Circle hooks seems to keep the bait on.

Ringed hooks give the bait a more natural presentation. They also help when you hook a fish by reducing the amount of leverage a fish can put on the hook. I started using circle hooks for the first time this past offshore season for better hookups on the hard mouths of dorado. Worked great for putting the hook in the corner of the mouth on both dorado and yellowtail so now I use them on the kayak. I would recommend using a slightly larger circle hook size than you would on a j hook. This is especially true for white seabass. I still use a 2/0 ringed mutu circle for yellowtail.

thanks for all your info. i have tried using circle hooks in the past but i had a difficult time threading the mac on the hook. is this common or was i just not doing something right ?

That's why I like to use a bigger circle hook than I would J hook. The larger the circle hook the bigger the gap between the point and the shank. For bigger macs you should use a bigger circle. It's a good idea to carry circles from 1/0 to 5/0 so you can match it to the bait. Also, using too small of a circle on a big bait may result in the hook embedding in the mac and the loss of a fish.

thanks for all your help guys, hopefully it will help me to catch more fish now.

I've had good success using Owner light wire super mutus in 2/0-4/0. I skip the ring part and just tie a baldy or perfection loop knot. That way the hook swings freely in a loop. I've pretty much gotten away from J hooks on the yak. I don't want to have a big hook set on the yak. Just put the reel in gear and let the fish do the work. Macs can be a pain to get on a hook some times. I used to hook them across the nose like a sardine but after most of them ended up with the hook turned around and burried in their eye or head I changed hooking methods. I now hook all macks, dines, and smelt up through the top of the mouth so the hook goes in the mouth and out the top of the nose. The bait can still respire and I have found the hook gets reversed much less often. Mike