hooks for tarpon?

[martinw]

Ive caught Tarpon in The Gambia, I used Owner ssw 8/0 for big live baits when we were after the big girls in the river and 3/0 circles for the smaller coastal fish.
what are other people using?

[PanamaJack]

Hi Martin
Similarly I used circles for years now - they're particularly effective for Tarpon. But, when using dead or livebaits, I use them all the time for Marlin through to Roosterfish.

Way back, in the early 80s, when our members first fished Gabon they used circles on big Rapalas - the trebles were removed and a circle was attached with light copper wire to the attachment ring. OK you lost a lure each time you hooked up, but the rewards were definitely there. The hook would usually pentrate and come out through the jaw.

The best fish they recorded was one of 214lbs, but they hooked and lost monsters estimated at way over 300.

Prior to using circles we used to, particularly on the Florida Keys, use 'J's straight out of the box. One particular, very successful guide we fished with was insistent that an unsharpened hook would 'skate' around a Tarpon's 'cinderblock' of a mouth until it found a good purchase between a couple of the mouth plates. He was adamant that a sharpened hook would often immediately 'nick' and then, after a series of jumps, just be thrown. Not to be argued with, Bob (RT) Trossett had at that time 'racked' up over 100 IGFA Line and Tippet class records for his clients!
Dave