Which tuna hooks for fly lining bait?

[mrwilson99]

For small stuff, I use either Mustad and Blacktail hooks, for the bigger stuff I stick to Owner (ringed, non-ringed, mutu, super mutu).

[Petah]

I like the Mustad 94140 and ring them myself.

Peter

[sciaenops]

For bft w/live sardine, I like Mutu circles #1,2 & 4 (5163-xxx). Make sure to bring a few lighter wire circles in smaller sizes (#1 Gama, mutu hybrid) for weak bait/finicky fish. Handful of bigger (2/0-6/0) circles & owner gorillas for bigger baits. 6-10 oz torpedoes & 1-4 oz eggs. Good luck!

[Zazzara]

I see nobody mentioned the classic Mustad 9174 O'shaugnessy

The black nickel finish of the 9174NP-BN
is hard to beat in terms of sharpness, strength, and value 

[MarkT]

I see nobody mentioned the classic Mustad 9174 O'shaugnessy

The black nickel finish of the 9174NP-BN
is hard to beat in terms of sharpness, strength, and value 

With that out turned point they tend to stick in places of a BFT that you don't want... and then they chew you off. A circle hook in the corner is best... and safest.  I quite using 9174's years ago.

[pjstevko]

I'm gonna order some 1/0 - 4/0 ringed Charlie Brown hooks and double the order for the 2/0 size

[Petah]

9174!!!!!!  Oh, the days of pinhead anchovies!!!!

Peter

[Jim Fujitani]

The last time I fished Isla Guadalupe, I pulled out a Mustad 7691 (that I had ringed myself) on the last afternoon, about a 7/0.  It was a slow pick afternoon.  I impaled a poor live sardine with it.  So much for matching the hook to the bait.  The deckhands laughed when they saw what I was doing.  

I cast my poor live bait out, flylined.  And 'lo and behold', I got bit.  I didn't have to worry about breaking that hook!  

My last Guadalupe YFT boated was about a 70 pounder, on a slow pick afternoon bite, on a NOS (it had the Mustad name on the shank of the hook) Mustad 7691.

7691 might be good for a bridled mackerel.

[pjstevko]

My Charlie Brown hook order came the other day while I was at Yosemite on a fire assignment so I was excited to get home and check them out....

Here's what a $150 worth of Charlie Brown made in Japan tuna hooks looks like...

[johndtuttle]

Listen to Mark T.

He's got more LR experience than pretty much anyone on this board.

[pjstevko]

They're bigger than I thought they'd be....and bigger than the Gamakatsu ringed live bait hooks I like....So i now i'm not sure which ones to use.....

[pjstevko]

Can a mod please rotate the pic? Thanks

[Swami805]

I think they measure the distance from the point to the shaft to determine size so circle hooks are usually bigger overall than regular live bait hooks. At least that holds up most of the time

[MarkT]

They look about right.  Measure from the point of the hook to the shank. Circle hooks will be overall larger than the equivalent J hook even from the same mfg.

[johndtuttle]

Leave the j-hooks, imo. Once you get the hang of circles your hook up ratio goes way up AND you land more fish that you hook.