Hooks
Submitted by Rodrat on Wed, 2018-08-29 16:08
Hello Fishos
When fishing floaters for Mackerel and other large pelagic species,
What size hook and brand do you use? Cheers tight lines.
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FISH FOR THE FUTURE 
sunshine
Posts: 2612
Date Joined: 03/03/09
3/0s on steel multistrand
A flight of three, have caught literally hundreds up to 35kg with photos. Many out of a small tinny and add to that sails and a Marlin all on floated mulies
sea-kem
Posts: 15008
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I use 6/0 Tarpons ganged
I use 6/0 Tarpons ganged
Love the West!
Ryan C
Posts: 1575
Date Joined: 08/07/10
Hooks
2x 5/0 tarpons with a 4/0 chemically sharpened tarpon on the bottom of the gang - you have to slip the 4/0 on before you close up the 2nd 5/0 regular one as the red chemically sharpened ones often snap at the eye as you open them with ganging pliers, they are much sharper though and work well as the bottom hook.
sea-kem
Posts: 15008
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Couple of good Macks caught
Couple of good Macks caught by my young blokes on floaters up north this year.
Love the West!
Dale
Posts: 7930
Date Joined: 13/09/05
The boys look happy with them Andy.
"Just because you are a Character, Doesn't mean you have Character."
Mr Wolf
sea-kem
Posts: 15008
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Yeah they had a ball
Yeah they had a ball catching them on light gear. The old boy is the gaff master though ;)
Love the West!
big john
Posts: 8751
Date Joined: 20/07/06
Tarpons
Tarpons are good for smaller mulies.
Personally I like 3 x 6/0 Kendal Kirbys for large mulies, scalies.
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Rodrat
Posts: 1672
Date Joined: 13/01/07
Thanks
So gangs are the go hey? I usually use a single 8/0 or 10/0
FISH FOR THE FUTURE
sea-kem
Posts: 15008
Date Joined: 30/11/09
I deffo go that if I had a
I deffo go that if I had a livey to put on, but you risk bringing the greycoats in with a distressed fish. The mackies we found were on a constant patrol everywhere we dropped the floaters.
Love the West!
davewillo
Posts: 2410
Date Joined: 08/09/16
Tarpons
I use 3 x 5/0 tarpons (give them a sharpen) on single strand wire around 80lb. Not as easy to use as multistrand but harder for the fish to spot.
PGFC member and lure tragic
ranmar850
Posts: 2702
Date Joined: 12/08/12
Mustad do an open eye
mustad do an open eye 5/0 to 7/0, with the eye angled. The angled eye means you have more chance of getting the bait to sit straight--if they are curved around, they just spin in the tide and retreive, ust won't catch fish. Hook size depends on size of bait, 5/0 for very small gar, but more likely 4 x 6/0 or 7/0. I have used 7/0 tarpons a bit, certainly stronger, but a bit more difficult to get the bait sitting straight, IMO. With a short bit of single strand wire.
All that said, while floaters were my go-to method of catching everything up north for a long time, I rarely do it any more-just too many big sharks. A pity, as it was the best way of catching the really big macks-all my 30 kg plus (up to 37kg) fish were taken on floating gar or mullet.