Yyour hook size is generally determined by the size of your bait, But

What are your favourite hooks and size for chasing specific species.

I generally use the Mustard Big Reds for large baits but have begun to try some circle hooks..

What about bream and flatties etc, what is your preffered hook for these fish.

mainly use mustard in 2/0 French, i have tried the circle hooks but don't like them much guess i am just old fashion.

Nothing to do with size of bait & everything to do with size of tagetted fish

Often I use say a 3/0 or 2/0 single hook on a full pilly & wouldn't call that matching hook to bait

true true...

how would you rig a size 2 hook on a single pilly though..

What do you think of this method Jumps..

http://www.fishnet.com.au/library/knotsrig...orbaitfish.html

(dont mind the link to another forum, Its an extract from Geoff Wilsons Book)

No different to how I would pin jusy a pilly tail.

My reasoning is simple if the fish has a big enough gob then it will swallow the lot

I use a whole pilly when Ihave pests such as trevelly under the boat when targetting snapper find trevelly wont target a whole pilly so I can get the bait past them down to the reds.

Plus a whole pilly also detours alot of other rubbish fish & if the whole pilly is to big for smaller reds they'll keep coming back for it till one gets nailed they're a school fish so the race is on to see which of them gets a feed

Intereresting way to secure a pilly, Rum. Do you have to re-rig when you get baited? Seems like you would have a knot or two with that method. I just use a couple of half hitches around the tail, after placing the hook.

the hook is just stitched around the backbone, to stop the it falling off the hook. Pretty simple...
Keeps it all neat too, No loose line floating around.

Squid Rigging, Double Hook
http://www.fishnet.com.au/library/knotsrig...rsnap_mull.html

Pretty universal Rig
http://www.fishnet.com.au/library/knotsrig...silvertrev.html

Seem like a very good book, going to try and pick myself up a copy while in syd.

Hook size you say.

Let us start with the smallest one I have and work my way up. Nah that is not it. Let us start with the biggest one that I have and work my way down. Nah that is still not it. Lets us start with the middle one and work my way...work my way...up....down....ammmm....up.....no down.

Ok. How about I let the fish decide.

Drummer very small hook - small mouth
Luderick small hook - small mouth
Bream medium hook
Leatherjacket long shank small hook - small mouth
Tarwhine medium hook
Trevally medium hook
Sweep medium hook
Snapper large hook


Everyone will have their own interpretation of small, medium and large hooks. You do have the juggle a little to see what is out there. I fish off the rocks and if I am not catching anything but getting bites and bitten off. It become necessary to swap to different methods.

My recent trip to Newcastle the fish were at my feet. I started with a size 2 (I was targeting Bream) nothing stayed on the bait. I went down to size 4 and started catching fish. They were little but I knew what they were. The other person fishing was using a long shank and they caught tailor by using a float.

Velly interesting observations, and Christos your hook methods are similar to mine I also use long shanks on Flathead,

I have a preference for YOUVELLA chemically sharpened Hooks which I changed to about 10 years ago, they are well made and last well, my preference for freshwater fishing is Kirby or Baitholder 1 to 2/0 Youvella Kirby hooks are double strength and you cant bend them with pliers which makes them exceptional for Cod without going to 6/0 hooks, For Yellowbelly or Bass I use Kirby Or Baitholders (which is French hooks with barbs) in sizes 1 or 1/0 whilst baiting live shrimp sideways through the middle allowing them to swim and torment the fish, we all have different preferences but we will use what works well for us, and tend to stick with our own methods.

I like gamakuztu(spelling) octupus hooks...
find these are very sharp and very strong...
normalley use 3-4/0 for flatties, 2-3/0 for bream