HINOTSU - CH-1 OCTOPUS CIRCLE HOOK NSB JAPAN 4782 FISHING HOOK

Hinotsu CH-1 Octopus Circle Hook NSB Japan 4782

The CH-1 is a circle hook, and a circle hook is not fished the way an ordinary hook is fished. Its point curves back in towards the shank instead of standing up parallel to it, so it cannot easily bury itself in whatever it is touching. Instead, as a fish takes the bait and swims off, the hook is dragged along until the shank catches on the corner of the jaw — only then does the point rotate in and lock. That single change produces the two things circle hooks are used for: a high hook-up rate on a bait a fish has genuinely eaten, and very few hooks swallowed down the throat, which matters enormously if you release fish. Here the heavy-duty forged body handles hard runs, the point is chemically sharpened and angled inward to resist shaking loose, and the solid ring eye gives a strong leader connection with free bait movement. A black-nickel finish resists saltwater corrosion.

Key Features

• Octopus-circle profile — sets in the jaw corner as tension is applied, without a strike
• Heavy-duty forged wire for large, powerful saltwater fish
• Reverse, inward-curving point that resists disengaging during a fight
• Chemically sharpened for fine, consistent penetration
• Solid ring eye for a secure leader connection and free bait movement
• Black-nickel (NSB) finish for corrosion and wear resistance
• Five sizes, #1/0 to #5/0, six hooks per pack
• Greatly reduces gut-hooking, so released fish survive far better

How To Rig It

• Do not strike. This is the whole point. When you feel a bite, leave the rod alone. Let the fish move off with the bait, then start winding steadily until the line comes tight and the rod loads. The hook sets itself. Lifting the rod the moment you feel a tap pulls the hook straight back out of the mouth — that is why anglers new to circle hooks report missing every fish. Wind, do not swing.
• Leave the point clear — Hook the bait through a small amount of flesh only: the nose or top of the back on a live bait, one end of a strip or squid. The point and gap must stay completely exposed. Buried inside a big bait, a circle hook cannot rotate and will not hook anything.
• Fish it on a tight-ish line — Bottom fishing, a drifted live bait and a running-sinker rig all suit it. Keep enough tension that the line comes up smoothly when the fish moves; a big belly of slack means the hook never gets the steady pull it needs to rotate.
• Rod holder fishing — Circle hooks are ideal in a rod holder. Set the drag light enough for a fish to take line but firm enough to load the hook, and it is often hooked before you reach the rod.
• Connection — Snell the leader to the shank or tie direct to the solid ring. A snell keeps the pull in line with the shank and improves rotation into the jaw corner.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Bottom-bait fishing for grouper (kerapu), red snapper (ikan merah), jenahak and mangrove jack; barramundi (siakap) on live bait around jetties and river mouths; stingray and shark from Malaysian and Indonesian boats.
• North America — Required or recommended in many billfish, shark and reef fisheries. Grouper, red snapper, amberjack, cobia and tarpon; striped bass and redfish on live and cut bait inshore.
• Japan & East Asia — Kurodai and madai on bait rigs, plus heavy bottom fishing for hata (grouper) and ara from boats.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Mulloway, snapper, coral trout and shark on Australian coasts, where circle hooks are widely used for catch-and-release; hamour and cobia in the Gulf; conger, tope and smoothhound on European wrecks and beaches.

Specifications

Model CH-1, series 4782. Made in Japan.

Recommended Pairing

• #1/0–#2/0 with small live baits and strip baits on 15–30 lb tackle for inshore and light bottom work
• #3/0–#5/0 with larger live baits, squid and cut bait on 30–80 lb tackle for reef, wreck and heavy bottom fishing
• Heavy fluorocarbon or mono leader snelled to the shank; add a short wire trace only where toothy species make it unavoidable
• A rod with a moderate, forgiving action helps — a fast stiff tip encourages the reflex strike that circle hooks punish