Go to hook

[FinRazr]

What is your go to hook for day in day out meat fishing and why.Mine is the Mustad 7691dt. I like the tuna style closed end they just seem to hold better for me.I've considered trying stainless but some of the stories scare me and of course I fear change.I also only use hooks with welded eyes(dont know why just makes me feel better).For 90% of what I do 8/0's are the go to size except for the full size ilander horse if we use it.

[fish4bills]

Day in and day out...i'd have to say Mustad 7691S would be my "go to" while acknowledging there are several other great hooks with specific uses.

Mustad 7731's and Hays Hooks are also in my tackle drawer and on certain rigs.

Don't be afraid of the stainless hooks not having a welded eye. Simply apply a few drops of Zap a Gap or super glue on the gap at the eye. This will keep mono from pinching in the gap and breaking and will also keep wire from pulling through. Only takes a few minutes and provides extra precaution for those freak occurences.

[Jared D]

Depends what I am fishing for and how. I def like the 7691 for lure trolling. I use both galv and ss. I also like 7732 for some of my stiff rigs, and needle eyes for ballyhoo.

Circles are used for shark fishing almost exclusively! We catch enormous tiger sharks on 16/0 circles.

My question would be, has anyone found any success using circle hooks w ballyhoo fishing for wahoo? I imagine they hit a bait to fast (and halve em more than not) enough to incorporate it in your standard rigging?

[BTH284]

Witches and naked smaller mediums 7/0 and 8/0 7692 DT.
Ilanders, jags, planer baits, Jr ilanders, chuggers w/ mediums 7691 DT 9/0. I like the last part of the long point on this closed throat hook.

BIG stuff 11/0 and 12/0 7731 DT

Naked dinks 7/0 Matzuo black chrome (throw away hook)

[z71offshore]

trolling ballyhoo:
7732 what the captain prefers
(7791 what i prefer.)
edit: usually all stainless
so you can guess which hook is usually used!
but i have a mixture of both rigged up. i feel like the tuna hook keeps em' hooked up a little better because of the closed end bend, but to each his own.

another boat I fish on uses jobu hook exclusively, and I feel we lost a lot of fish on those hooks this summer because they are tough to sharpen/or did not get sharpened enough. not a huge fan of the jobu's.

[Gut Wrench]

trolling ballyhoo:
another boat I fish on uses jobu hook exclusively, and I feel we lost a lot of fish on those hooks this summer because they are tough to sharpen/or did not get sharpened enough. not a huge fan of the jobu's.

that may change...

[hotrodmarlin]

7691

Never Stainless

Love Jobu's

[FinRazr]

I have to admit those Hay's hooks look good but at $7-$9 a piece I'm hesitant to try them I might like them.

[fish4bills]

I have to admit those Hay's hooks look good but at $7-$9 a piece I'm hesitant to try them I might like them.

I'm only using the Hays for my marlin lures. Love them!

[Water Damage]

i have used the 7731AD (i think) this year - it is the needle eye. I just like the way it sits. I typically will only use welded eyes regarless of the style we pick. I agree that the tuna bend style may hold a bit better but we honestly have not much problem losing fish this year due to hook pulling - or at least no more than I ever have had in the past using other hooks

used plenty of the 7691 and still have some and will use them again - just switched to the needle eye for some reason this year.

never stainless for me