RIGGING WITH J-HOOKS

RIGGING WITH J-HOOKS

When fishing for meat fish, a number of captains still prefer J-hooks. The method is similar to that used with the circle hook, but instead of wrapping the wire to the bend of the hook, wrap it to the eye or just behind it. Work the point of the Jhook into the body cavity behind one of the gill plates and as far back in the bait as you can. Pass the point through the fish’s belly, taking care to keep it centered, then slide the shank of the hook into the body cavity by pushing it back. Now you can run the wire up through the fish’s jaw and out the top of its head, wrapping back around the gill plates and through the eye socket, then forward and down the fish’s bill. Some people skip passing the wire through and jump right.

into the wrapping process, going through the eye socket first, then behind the gills and down the bill. To make this bait swim, simply add a small lead to the leader, positioning it just in front of the eye and wrapping it tightly beneath the chin as you finish your wraps.

SPLIT-BILL BALLYHOO 
The split-bill ballyhoo — a minor variation of the rig described above — swims better than any other rigging style. Wire in your J-hook to make a swimmer with a small lead wired beneath the chin. Once the bait is rigged, finish it off by carefully splitting the ballyhoo’s bill right down the middle from the tip back about 1⁄8 inch toward its head. Some expert mates do this with their fingernails, but I use the tip of a fillet knife. Then you wedge the leader into the split in the bill, entering from the bottom and coming out the top. This rig gives the ballyhoo a downward slant that forces it to dig downward as it’s pulled behind the boat, creating a terrific swimming action. It’s almost like pulling a lipped diving plug, and it’s a motion that many fish find irresistible.