# Suicide Hooks v Conventional hook



## grinner (May 15, 2008)

thought it might pay to try out the suicide hook as against a normal j shaped baitholder.

anchored up and berleyed up with pilchard heads and tails and used both hooks unweighted on 6 lb leader.just with a bite sized chunk of pilchard, about 15m behind the yak. was in about 5 ft of water on a slowly rising tide.









action was very good as i thought it probably would be now autumn has finally arrived.

caught about 15 bream and nearly as many undersize moses perch.

the results were definitely in favour of the little suicide hook probably at least 2 to 1. also got 3 moses perch and one bream deeply gut hooked on the normal hook.

hence i shall now be changing to the suicide hook for bait.

twice i had 2 on at once. i got a picture of the first double but when trying to reel in number 2 on the second double , the rod in the holder with fish attached went overboard followed by myself. managed to grab it before it dissappeared into the abyss and it is now sitting in a bucket of fresh water.

interestinly i tried several times with a bit of bread moulded onto the hook to see if this would hook up. totally untouched, so when berleying with pillies, fish with pillies.

all fish released, i took a photo of one moses in the water as i was surprised how red their fins are underwater and how the colour goes once you land them,

am predicting a good bream season

cheers pete


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

a few more


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## AJD (Jul 10, 2007)

Hi Pete -
I moved away from J hooks quite a while ago because of the gut hooking potential. Have moved passed suicides though to octopus or octopus circle. Heaps better in regards to hooking in the corner of the mouth and no strike required for hookset. Won't go back.


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## theclick (Jun 25, 2007)

AJD said:


> Hi Pete -
> I moved away from J hooks quite a while ago because of the gut hooking potential. Have moved passed suicides though to octopus or octopus circle. Heaps better in regards to hooking in the corner of the mouth and no strike required for hookset. Won't go back.


I'm with allan on this one. Circle hooks are by far the best I've used. No need to strike, almost always hooked in the mouth. Only difficulty is they are a bit harder to bait.


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## ELM (Jul 14, 2008)

I will third on the circle hooks in most scenarios, found some days when they are not hooking up though, if you go back to a suicide and hold and strike the rod with a bite then the success will increase.


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## Sellz (May 3, 2008)

Got to agree the octopus cycle hooks are great, or the Gamakatsu Shiner hooks http://www.gamakatsu.com/catalog/shiner.htm are worth a try.......use them alot!


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## paddles (Jan 6, 2008)

I have switched to the small gamakatsu circle hooks for trout. My landing rate has increased out of all expectation since I only bought a packet as a trial. I fish with the bail arm open and believe that the fish actually 'hook themselves' as they pick up the bait and swim away with it in their mouths. The hook appears to turn as the fish swims away and gets them just behind the bony part of their jaw every time. Also, I have noticed that I rarely get a fish that has swallowed the hook now and this makes it easier and quicker to unhook the fish as well. I have not tried them in the salt water though as I am still trying to increase my catch rate using plastics.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I go for the circle hooks also. Only gripe I have is that they don't seem to have enough room when hooking through the back of a largish livie. Hooking through the lip is usually better. Never tried them with dead bait such as prawns yet.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

Well there you go, I have never ever managed to catch anything on suicide hooks, in fact gave up trying years ago!


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

I've always used suicide hooks for normal bait fishing, since I was a kid. Except for using long shanked hooks for tilapia and whiting.


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

thanks very much for the feedback boys. it seems the circle hook might be the go.

paddles, interesting that you fish with the bail arm open, i was considering trying this and will give it a go.

cheers pete


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## Brock200 (Mar 5, 2009)

nice catches there pete! pity biggera didnt provide us with such luck! If theres a good bream season on the way as you predict ill be sending you some PM's to come out on a trip or 2, put the yak in this arve in raby bay to try my luck where i got that good sized squire, fish were just coming on bite when it was getting dark, got a few 20+ cm squire but head home despite a few big hits on the rod, think ive found a good little spot there to try my luck next weekend, catch up soon

Brock


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## yaktopia (Nov 30, 2008)

A bit off the topic but along the line of circle hooks, wide gap hooks are brilliant for flatties when using live podies. 95% of the fish are hooked in the upper lip and this means better release conditions (no gut hooking) as well as better landing rates on light leaders. If I see the hook hanging out of the mouth I have no worries with being bitten off on landing.


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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

Junglefisher said:


> I've always used suicide hooks for normal bait fishing, since I was a kid. Except for using long shanked hooks for whiting.


same here, always the best bait hook for bream, have tried circles thought too annoying trying to bait them


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## enyaw (Jan 21, 2008)

What a great change from the old lure debate, I'm so sick and tired of lures. I reckon it's the greatest commercial rip off ever made against the poor old fisher. Just look at lures, they look like bait, they smell like bait. Good old fishing- berley, bait, hooks= fish.


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## tomca (Dec 1, 2007)

when bait fishing, I tend to leave the rod in the holder. The circle hook gives better results because I am busy flicking lures to strike. I use suicide hooks shark fishing though.


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