# Croaker Hooks



## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

What size hooks do you guys use for Croaker fishing? I use a Hi/Lo rig with one 4/0 J hook with a peice of shrimp on it and one size 2 J bait holder hook with a peice of blood worm on it. I have been successful with this setup. What are you using for croaker now??


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## reddog1 (May 3, 2003)

OB,
I have switched to a 2/0 circle hook for croaker and spot and such smaller fish and I will never look back. I lose very few fish with circle hooks and I have never had a fish swallow the hook. They are great


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## TopSnipe (Apr 24, 2002)

I vary the size of my hooks depending on the bite. Mainly #2s up to 4/0s, all circle hooks, either Owner or Eagle Claw. If I'm getting skunked on the bigger hooks, I downsize, change baits, etc.


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## Wrong Way (May 29, 2003)

I use the High-Low rig with circle hooks from Gamakatsu 2/0-4/0 and Eagle Claw 2/0-3/0. I bait them with shrimp, squid and bloodworms. Depending on the size of the fish, your best bet is going smaller than 4/0. You can always catch the big one on a small hook but can't catch the small ones on the bigger hooks in case the bite is slow.


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## Anthony (Jul 3, 2002)

I just used circle hooks for croaker last friday with great success. I think that they were either 2/0 or 3/0 but don't remember. I had a lot of hook-ups with only a few falling off the hook and none gut hooked.
-Anthony


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

I use 3/0 circle hooks(eagle claw) did very well two weekends ago on croakers 16, just one of them swallowed it but the rest were liped hooked. I used shrimp on the bottom hook(hi/low) of one and bloods on the bottom of the other the top hooks used squid and crab claw(peeler).


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## catman (May 28, 2001)

I use a 2/0 circle for blood worms and a 3/0 circle for shrimp with the 3/0 on the bottom of a hi/lo rig. I don't use any "J" hooks anymore.

Catman.


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

catman do you use 5/0 circle for Rock or is a 4/0 just as good. When I met FisherSteve this year at SPSP,he was using a 3/0 circle hook for croaker and was catching 30" Rock on the same hook,what gives. ?


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## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

*No Hook Set*

Am I the only one who likes giving a good Hook Set?  I am going to force myself to try some of the circle hooks in my tackle box the next time I go out. Do you guys really use the same size hooks for Croaker and Rock?


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## TRIGGERFISH (May 21, 2001)

I just started using them last year,they 'er a little hard getten use to the first time you use them,you always want to set the hook but don't just lift your rod tip up and reel in,sometimes when you reel in it doesn't feel like you have anything on,if so reel a little faster because the fish has picked up your bait and is coming toward you(pick up the slack). That's what happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I use 3/0 circle hooks for croaker and have great sucess and when I fish the Outter Banks in Oct. I use 5/0 circles on a fish finder rig for Rock/Drum. Don't get me wrong,I love to set the hook,when I fish freash water for Trout I'll be doing that in Sept. in southern Va.(51/2' rod with 6#test) I'll be down there for four days with a couple guys from work. We rented the lodge that sits on one of the two streams that we're going to fish. But as I say try them(circle hooks) it's fun. TRIGGER


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