Fishing on Sunday this weekend...we had an alright day...caught a 68# YFT, a white one, missed a couple of white ones and had the typical big one that got away...
The one that got away hit a Spreader bar (pink, 12" squid) with a green machine Stinger....Fished screamed off line for about 10 seconds at a pitch I've rarely heard from a Penn 50wide before he came unbuttoned. When we got the spreader bar back all the squid on the top row were turned INSIDE OUT....Never seen that before....
That was the end of the day so we put all our gear away..I was going over my gear today to rerig and what not and got to the Green Machine that was on the spreader...Chaffed really bad so I went to cut the Mustad 9/0 7766 hook off and rerig....The hook was dam near straightened at the bend and bent crooked.
I've had a 7766 hook bend on me when landing a big Blue fin, but not enough to come unbuttoned...So now I'm wondering if anybody else has had problems with Mustad 7766 straightening out or bending on big fish....drag is set at about 25 - 30 pounds at strike and we normally don't change the drag while fighting until the end game, where we back off...
any insight from out there would be appreciated...Bob
Last edited by bobdu11; 07-23-2009 at 02:55 PM.
Reason: Added Pictures
Blue Marlin. Flattened hook and inside out Squids! Damn what a story. Nice day.
The story got me excited...forgot to add...I think the hook was just right in the fishes mouth...just right for the fish...they can certainly exert enough pressure from there jaws to flatten a 7766. Not the hooks flaw...rather the Marlin's strength to be credited.
Holwachagot
Last edited by HOLWACHAGOT; 07-23-2009 at 02:49 PM.
big marlin or big fish and 25-30lbs a strike with a hard suicide hit is going to either pull, break, or straighten any hook! i am sure it was probably a big fish that turned hard and just ripped!
stick with the hooks.. i prefer 7691 on my bars! never had a real problem with them..
25-30lbs of drag at strike is way too much for a Penn 50, unless you've customized the drag. I'm surprised you haven't burned up your reel. That much drag may be too much for the hooks as well. With that much drag maybe switch to a 10/0 or 12/0 hook.
agree...I've actually got the drag set to 25 pounds at the button...probably running about 18# when I'm trolling at strike....have caught many many fish on these hooks with drag set as such....this is the 2nd time this year I've had one bend or straighten while fighting.....
Gonna back the drag down a bit and see what happens...tks..Bob
The 7766 is a tarpon hook and maybe a little light for bigger fish on heavy 50 pound tackle. I would guess with a drag of 25 lb at strike you are running 80 to 100 lb test line?
I don't agree with Vinny that any hook will bend or straighten on 25 to 30 lbs but I do agree that a 7691 class hook (southern & tuna style) shouldn't. Mind you, funny things happen out there. I think some instances of hooks opening may have happened when the hook was not fully buried and the fish thrashed the leader with its tail in the air, or got transiently bodywrapped and was able to apply the power of its body against a heavy leader.
yes, running 80# Ande High Vis with 130# Momoi Flurocarbon. You might be right about getting tail wrapped and applying pressure with his body agains the hook. Caught about a 350# Blue one a couple months ago with same hook. As we were getting to the end game a Tanker was bearing down on me so I had the Angler go past the button to get the fish to the boat. Got the release and hook was in fine shape...might have to try the 7691, they're a bit more expensive than the 7766 but it's worth it to feel comfortable. As I said, this hook 7766 also was bent during a fight with a Blue Fin (about 150#) but not as bad as we got the fish in the boat...so it's not the first time it's happened...
Author, writer, marine artist, charter captain, lure manufacturer, ind. consultant
I'm guessing, of course, but I'd say you probably had a very big wahoo on. Blue marlin can do it too, but big 'hoo are past masters at turning on the turbos and causing hollow squid teaser skirts to turn inside-out. That's no biggee...you just pop 'em back the right way and keep on fishing.
As far as that hook getting crushed is concerned, I doubt that a crush job could have caused the hook to open like it did. Hard-mouthed wahoo can be murder on hooks because the combination of those mouths and their speed can and do open hooks that haven't penetrated fully. See the picts below of a stainless model that got mangled by a medium sized WahooBar 'hoo in Hawaii. The other photo shows two things...first, one of the teaser skirts that this fish's speedy run turned inside-out, plus our solution to opened and pulled hooks - a circle hook. I have never, ever seen or even heard of a forged circle hook opening on any kind of fish, plus they very rarely pull and if they do, they take a piece of jaw with them.
All of us switched to circle hooks on our bars many years ago and we have never looked back since - not once. Most of our staff are present or former charter captains who have to and had to produce big catches for our clients. We'd be nuts to fish with hooks that didn't do a great job in that regard...and we're not nuts.
And please remember, I could care less what hook anybody wants to use on their bars and lures. I have no financial or other kind of stake in that whatsoever. I know that some folks get all sweaty and nervous when the subject of circle hooks in lures comes up and some poo-poo them, but I have to believe that either they haven't used them, or have used the wrong kind, or rigged or run them wrong and opine that they don't work. That's a shame, because the opposite is true and we know it.
I for one have grown tired of trying to encourage people to switch over to circle hooks on their lures, so please, do what you like. But if you do try, learn the in's and out's from those who have used them for many days and many years and do it right. Do that, and you too will never look back.
Finally, if I were going to use a J-hook again for wahoo, marlin, or any other kind of fishing, it would be a Hays Stainless model. They are the strongest, best stainless J's that I have ever used. We are a very large supplier of the Hays Hooks, so please check with us if you are looking for them.
Fred...
In your diagram the picture to the left shows a distinct curve in the circle hook. The picture to the right does not illustrate the same distinct curve. Is that a circle hook in the picture to the right at bottom? And is that the same hook on the JT SPECIAL?
When I recieved it I noticed it was differnet from any other I had seen. Thanks
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