Hook size for rigging squid

[miamiangler1]

I got some Owner hooks Jobu big game in 9/0 . like to know if anyone has used the 8/0`s for rigging smaller squids ...also like to know how long do i leave the tag end if I make a pin rig ...


might as well add this in the same thread ... what do you think of the Diawa.. tournament 50Wide ?

[Captain Ollie]

I won't go any bigger than a 9/0 and going as small as a 7/0 won't hurt either.
There is a definite tendency among people to oversize hooks, no matter what they are fishing for. If I'm ever in doubt as to hook size I will always go for the smaller hook. Swordfish really don't have as big a mouth as you would expect them to, and the smaller hooks will definitely improve your hookup ratio.
On another note if you happen to be worried about where the hook may end up inside the fish.....hooked deeper than the mouth......I think the fishes survivability may be better than most think. I have cleaned numerous fish that actually had remains of hooks and leaders that the fishes tissue had grown around. In the body, mouth, gills, as well as internally. I have had several that had obviously been gut hooked, evidenced by a length of leader that led into the stomach, but the hook and crimp were gone. I can only assume that they must have been dissolved by stomach acid.

Of course, deciding what to do with the hook on a fish destined for release is a judgement call. If the hook is visible on the outside perimeter of the mouth we always remove it. I carry special tools designed by Aquatic Release Conservation designed specifically for this purpose. If the hook is not visible, yet still inside the mouth, we make an effort to remove it unless that effort looks likely to damage the gills in any way. If the hook is any deeper than the mouth or hooked in the gills we cut the leader as short as possible. Less trauma may give the fish a much better chance of survivability, rather than risking further damaging delicate tissues by trying to yank on and pull out a hook. Judging by some of the wounds I have seen over the years these fish have a tremendous ability to recover from some serious injuries.

[miamiangler1]

Thanks Captain Ollie , I was thinking of using a 8/0 ... I think the same if the hook is deep cut the line close to the fish ... it is better then trying to do surgry on the fish and stress it more ...

[Relentless33]

Ollie,

Do you have any opinion on what the cause of a fish with what looks like a puncture wound would be? It looks like a dent in the fish's side and we have had numerous fish this way including two fish with two dents each.






Also, is this fish's skin an example of what they call "traveler lines" on a fish?

[Nightfighter]

10/0's, 11/0's or bigger, nothing smaller. IMO

[Colonel Klink]

Relentless,
Those marks are more than probably cookie cutter shark wounds that are healing. I'm in a rush to get to the airport, so more on them later.And yes to the second question, those are what we refer to as traveler lines. The grooves get deeper and more noticable after swordfish have burned fat reserves while on the move,or so the theory goes.

[Captain Ollie]

What Klink said.

[Uncle Buck]

The very first sword I cought had that same indentation in its side. I thought maybe it was laying on a weight on the deck. Hmmm... I'll have to rethink that theory.

[Tunachaser]

12/0 Mustad

[Nightfighter]

Originally Posted by Tunachaser

12/0 Mustad

Yup, those are perfect, with an offset.

[Tunachaser]

Originally Posted by Nightfighter

Yup, those are perfect, with an offset.

I learned that trick from a guy at the first 'Swording 101' a year or so ago

[Boboe]

I've caught AJ's with cookie cutter shark holes in the stomach. One of them's guts had perfectly filled the hole and the skin was just barely beginning to grow back over. The fish was plenty strong on the line.

[Nick C]

Match the size hook to the size of the squid!