livebait hook position

[boodo]

hey lads, i do a bit of live baiting when ever offshore and i was just wanting some info on hook position is it better to i have had heaps of sucess with the single hook through the mouth of a yakka or slimey for kingeys but on a recent trip i landed i cobia this way and missed 2 others because of the livey being nailed just behind the head. Any help on this would be great.

boodo

[jackson_4300]

Well i cant really say ive had the hook through the mouth. I have always put the hook through the back, just above he spine. plenty of succes this way whenever the bait is taken. only ever missed 2 fish, one fairly large hammerhead which spat the hook but later on in the night cameback for another yakka which got a hook-up and a marlin. The marlin grabbed the bait which was under a ballooon and raced back towards the the boat which gave us a pretty good view of the fish but also spat the hook. Both of those lost hook-ups were at the gold coast too.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

how do you know you missed cobia ?

As for the hook most big un-razor gang fish swallow baits head first - you need a hook near the head that'll fold back as swallowed then present on the strike. Make sure the hook is only in lightly, has an adequate gape, has the kirby in the right direction to present the point & hit the run not the bump. Cobes has a big mouth, you strike with the bait in the mouth you may well pull it clear.

chris

[Fishin_Dan]

Live baits I hook through the nostrils... Keeps them alive alot better than through the mouth. The guy who taught me to fish all those years ago used to put the hook up through the bottom jaw, and out the top of the top jaw. Used to get us a crap load of kingies at the time... But they did used to die after a while... I think its cause they can't get water through their gills as easy. Through the gills negates this.

[Burley_Boy]

has the kirby in the right direction to present the point & hit the run not the bump.
chris

Please explain for simple people like myself Chris.

[Jolly]

depending on the species used as a livie and what you are fishing for you can use a double setup, one through the nostrils or through the mouth (bottom to top) and another hook either through the back (near the spine or just through the skin nearer the tail) it does reduce the movement of the bait but if the fishing is hot then it can make for many more hookups than just a head mounted hook gives, i have lost heaps of fish in estuary situations without such a rig but offshore might be different, anyway thats my thoughts :)

[Az]

nostrells here, i find they last longer here, i guess if they're leaving the heads you could switch and try it through the back above their spine, thats where I used to do it but found they didn't last as long

[wayne_cook]

b-b lay a hook along ur palm say a 6/0 .the point is sitting either up or down.
If the point is up & u drag it along ur palm it wont stick in.
Now imagine it in a bait fish If hooked in the back u want the point sticking up away from bait,so when u strike the point hits the target.

Jackson pretty impressive only ever missing 2 fish.I need someone like u on my next spotty trip.I still average about 1 in 4 encounters.

For jews I hook under tail(boat fishing)
Other species depends on current less current further back imo