Bill Dance is a name that is synonymous with bass fishing, but one of his greatest passions is chasing down giant catfish. Bill teamed up with Gamakatsu to develop a weedless catfish hook that could be fished in the heaviest wood cover without getting snagged. Bill frequently targets trophy catfish in rivers, and he often wants his baits in and around snags, laydowns and trash piles where big catfish live. This hook allows anglers to deliver their baits into hard-to-reach places, while preventing snags. This hook is designed around Gamakatsu’s 221 Series Octopus Circle (Inline Point) Hook and is equipped with a custom weedguard. Gamakatsu tested many different wire weedguards that would allow the angler to be able to fish in the thickest, nastiest cover that big catfish live in, but still being able to hook them effectively. Once hooked, the circle design of this hook gives anglers the chance to safely release trophy catfish back into the water unharmed.
“I love fishing for monster catfish in big current in big rivers. I have used Gamakatsu hooks for years to catch these big cats, but I wanted a hook that could get down in those river trash piles without getting snagged. Those monsters love to live in heavy current often around logs and laydowns. We took a great hook and made it better by now being weedless without sacrificing any of the great fish catching features,” Bill Dance.
Gamakatsu Bead Hook
Bead fishing is one of the most popular techniques for salmon and steelhead. Threading soft beads onto lines to imitate salmon eggs is an extremely effective method to target both species. The Gamakatsu Staff set out to build a better hook that would improve hook-up ratios for this specific technique. Salmon and steelhead are strong and acrobatic fish with hard jaw plates, and properly hooking these fish can be a challenge for even the most skilled angler.
The Bead Hook is constructed out of Gamakatsu’s TGW (Tournament Grade Wire). The TGW wire is thinner, strong and sharper than standard wire. The smaller wire penetrates the hard jaw plate more easily, helping keep bigger salmon and steelhead pinned and on the line. The surface of each hook is coated with Gamakatsu’s Nano Alpha Coating that additionally improves hook penetration. The Nano Alpha Coating offers higher corrosion protection resistance giving anglers longer and better hook life. The Bead Hook has a longer shank with a wide hook gap. The longer shank results in a higher percentage of landed fish and is better at holding stronger fish that jump a lot. The Bead Hook is equipped with a needlepoint that generates better hook penetration compared to a beak point common on other styles. Now anglers have a hook that can tackle and land the biggest salmon & steelhead that swim in their waters.
Available in sizes #6-3/0.
Gamakatsu Grouper Hook
The Gamakatsu Grouper hook was designed to hold large baits or bait chunks when fishing for groupers or other large predators. This hook is built with an oversize eye to accommodate large lb test line choices including heavy mono, tuna cord or wire. The Grouper Hook is also excellent for large bait chunks used for tuna fishing. It has the strength to hold and handle the largest saltwater fish.
Available in sizes 10/0, 12/0 and 14/0.
Gamakatsu 620 HD
The Gamakatsu 620 HD is designed for the DIY (Do It Yourself) anglers that want to make and use their own assist hooks. These hooks offer anglers the ability to customize the length of the dropper lines and their hook configuration. The 620 HD hook is designed to target tuna, giving anglers a heavy-duty hook option with a greater capacity to easily handle larger fish. The surface of each 620 HD hook has a Hypershield coating that dramatically increases corrosion resistance allowing anglers to spend more time fishing and less time changing out rusty hooks.
Available in sizes 5/0-7/0.
Gamakatsu J60 Crab Pattern
The Gamakatsu J60 Crab Pattern Hook was designed with a 60-degree eye, wide gap for better hookups, and straight hook point for quick penetration. Those features make this the ideal hook for fly patterns that require the hook point to ride in the up position. Essentially making it the best choice for crab or shrimp patterns and perfect for redfish fly patterns.
Available in sizes 6 – 1/0.
