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Have heard that light gauge hooks are best to use when trolling baits for Spanish mackeral. Can anyone tell me exactly what they are called, and if you can get them for ganging? Thanks
Reggy
If you are asking "what is a light guage hook" - it is any hook that is relatively thin - ie the diameter of the metal that it is made from is thin. I gang tru-turn hooks with swivels. 4/0 tru-turns are relatively light guage and are suitable for smaller mackerel (spots, schoolies ,sharkies) I also use 6/0's for barries (spaniards). these would not be called light guage hooks.
kendall-Kirby is the other style of hook that is commonly used for ganging. You should probably have a chat to your local tackle shop (which translates: Tony has got into answering this question without really knowing the exact answer to the question)
On the use of light gauge stuff for Spaniards you ought to see what the US Kingfish Tournament pros use over there. Perko leant me a video of it once. They are using brass trebles like you would have on a Bass lure to catch them up to 60lb I guess and worth $100s of thousands of dollar. All about presenting the most natural looking thing with the least amount of visible terminal tackle.
Smithy - thanks for the heads-up re Gamakatsu ganging hooks. Damn fine range of hooks, IMO; can't wait to check these out.
Reggy, might be worth your while, also. Gamas are pretty good hooks, to make a large understatement. (IMHO!)
Cheers!
Those SKA videos are great Lots of good tips. No gangs just trebbles in nose and stinger in rear on fine guage single strand wire and flash Spro swivels, trolling with downriggers, kite fishing at anchor - all fantastic stuff
Watchin those big Contenders, Sailfish, Regulators and Donzis blastin off with tripple Verados and Yammies is a spectacle too. Must be why the prize money is awesome
Gamakatsu SL-12S Saltwater Fly Big Game Hooks are a fine gauge hook excellent for live baiting and in trolling lures when using light to medium tackle.
Very sharp straight out of the packet.
There are a million hooks that will do the same job. All good points mentioned above. Thin hooks, light guage can penetrate a fish's mouth a lot easier when using lighter line classes or drag setting and can also allow a bait extra movement which helps with presentation. But don't be fooled by having to buy a name brand hook that costs ten dollars for a pack of 4 or something ridiculous. I'm not having a go at anyone's comments, but I am drawing to one's attention not to get caught up in the 'expense department'!
Regards,
Johnny M
-just remember, the best of fisherman can catch a fish on the simplest of tools. Analyse the problems at hand and find a more favourable solution. Think Think Think
All about presenting the most natural looking thing with the least amount of visible terminal tackle.
They were Smithy's words,,,,,,,,,,and very well put.
Spanish mackerel are a sensational fish, sharp eyed, fast swimmers, and are very high on the list of priorities for many inshore/offshore anglers. Spanish often frequent areas of high visibility water and fishing pressure from years of commercial and recreational fishing can often dictate the results of many anglers catches. Spanish are smart fish, and will often shy away from lures, trolled baits if they are uncertain of its authenticity.
Light guage hooks offer two advantages- one is that they are a fine hook and are therefore less visible to spanish, and secondly they are much easier to penetrate into a fish's mouth than a heavier guaged hook. Light guaged hooks won't catch you any more fish than heavier hooks if many other areas pertaining to mackerel fishing aren't understood. eg,,,,you won't kill an elephant with a kikk butt gun if you can't shoot straight.
You can have the finest and dearest light guage hooks on the market and run too light of a drag, rig baits incorrectly etc and you won't even hook a scale.
Fine hooks penetrate easier, but only if given adequate drag to help this happen. Many spanish seem hooked, but after their first 100 metre run on say 10 kg line, they simply slow down, stop, shake their big heads side to side, and the hooks that were just 'tangled' in their mouth will fall free because not enough drag has been used to 'set the hooks'!
Drag settings are very important, probably more important than hook selection.
Heavy line and light guage hooks may not mix. Heavy wire lines for example are pointless unless a good strong hook is used.
Disguising or hiding hooks inside baits or along side baits is an art form in itself, along with the fine art of bait rigging to make baits look as natural as possible and for the presentation to be suitable enough to trick even the keenest eyed and shy spanish. They are not always silly!
Wire traces need not be heavy, fine wire will get more bites! A damaged bait, or an off-centred trolled bait that swims all tacky usually either won't get bitten, or takes a long time to get chewed.
Great bait rigging, heavy / firm drags, sleek rigged troll baits on heavy hooks will catch more spanish than a bait poorly rigged and presented on fine guaged hooks with light drag etc etc etc.
Their is more to spanish mac fishing than fine guaged hooks. Apply the right principles with almost any hooks and you will catch fish,,,,,,,,,use good hooks and poor techniques and 'moo cow steaks it is for dinner'!
I hope this explains myself a bit better than my brief words a short while back.
Mustad salt water Ref:34007 O'shnessy stainless steal as for size depends on bait size these are a very strong fine hook. You have to open the eye to gang but, being stainless, hooks last a lot longer. the only thing I change on my rigs often is the wire leader & swivels. Not happy but when I loose a rig. But thats the price I pay. A pack of 25 size 5/0 retail for about $23 price goes up with the size of hook.
Getting back to your original question maybe they meant for liveys. Light gauge makes it easier for them to swim, not hindered by dragging a big hook around.
Lots of good tips. No gangs just trebbles in nose and stinger in rear on fine guage single strand wire and flash Spro swivels, trolling with downriggers, kite fishing at anchor - all fantastic stuff
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