THE ANGLAR - O'SHAUGNESSY HOOK BIG EYE RINGED 454/455 HOOK PACK

The Anglar O’Shaughnessy Hook Big Eye Ringed 454 / 455 Hook Pack

The O’Shaughnessy is the default saltwater bait shape: long shank, deep round bend, straight point in line with the eye. The long shank carries a long natural bait — a fish strip, a squid tube, a whole small baitfish — so it lies straight instead of spinning in current, keeps teeth away from the knot, and gives pliers something to grip at the boat. The 454 and 455 are the big-eye pair. The ringed eye is oversized relative to the wire, which sounds like a small thing until you are tying 80 lb mono in the dark: thick leader passes through, a bulky knot seats without being pinched against the ring, and a crimped or snelled connection has room to sit properly.

The two models are the same hook in two finishes, and that is the only choice between them. The 454 is bright nickel — a clean silver that disappears against a pale or reflective bait and adds a faint flash to the presentation. The 455 is black nickel — low glare, discreet against dark baits, structure and clear water where a bright hook is the one thing a wary fish looks at. Both carry a needle-cutting point for fast, deep penetration, a pronounced retaining barb, straight inline alignment that transfers the pull directly from eye to point, and the same eleven sizes at ten hooks a pack.

Both are also the range’s light and mid-weight option. Where the heavy 41-series stainless models start at #4 and climb to #9/0 and #10/0, this pair runs down to #10 — small enough for jetty, pier and freshwater bait fishing — and stops at #5/0. It is the everyday packet, not the wreck-fishing one.

Key Features

• Oversized ringed eye — takes thick mono, heavy fluorocarbon, snells and crimps without pinching the knot
• Two finishes: 454 bright nickel for flash and blending with pale bait, 455 black nickel for low glare
• Needle-cutting point for rapid, deep penetration
• Sharp retaining barb to hold through runs and head shakes
• Straight inline alignment for a direct pull from eye to point
• Classic long-shank O’Shaughnessy profile for a wide range of natural baits
• Eleven sizes, #10 through #5/0, ten hooks per pack in every size

How To Rig It

• Cut fish strip — Thread a long strip twice along the shank so it lies flat and streams in the current, with the bend and point left clear.
• Whole small baitfish — Point in through the mouth and out behind the head, or once through the shoulder for a bait that stays alive on a slow drift.
• Paternoster (apollo) rig — Two droppers above the sinker over reef, wreck and bridge structure. Wind down and lift into the fish rather than striking.
• Snelled leader — The reason for the big eye. Snell heavy mono to the ring so the pull comes off the shank in line, for slow-trolled and drifted whole baits.
• Small sizes on light gear — #6 to #10 on a running sinker with worm, prawn or squid strip for jetty and estuary panfish, where the long shank still keeps fingers clear of spines.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Grouper (kerapu), red snapper (ikan merah), golden snapper (jenahak) and barramundi (siakap) on the /0 sizes; croaker (gelama), catfish (duri) and jetty fish on #4 to #10.
• North America — Mangrove and red snapper, grouper, striped bass and bluefish on cut bait, plus channel and blue catfish in the river systems.
• Japan & East Asia — Bukkomi (ブッコミ) bottom baits from breakwaters for anago and kurodai, and lighter dozuki (胴突き) boat rigs for kasago and small hata.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Snapper, mulloway and estuary cod on Australian bottom rigs; hamour and sheri in the Gulf; cod, ling and conger over European wrecks and deep marks.

Specifications

Western numbering: #10 is the smallest and the number falls as the hook grows, then #1/0 rises to #5/0, the largest here. Finishes: 454 nickel, 455 black nickel.

The nine Anglar O’Shaughnessy hooks.

The 454 and 455 are the only pair in the family offered as one hook in two finishes, and the only ones that hold ten hooks per packet across every size — the rest taper as the sizes grow. For heavy wire go to the SS models; for a huge size span go to the 403; for a big eye on ordinary jetty, reef and estuary baits, these two.

Recommended Pairing

• #6–#10: light jetty, estuary and freshwater bait rigs, 8–20 lb line
• #4–#1: general reef and bottom fishing, 20–40 lb braid with a 30–50 lb leader
• #1/0–#5/0: whole and strip baits on heavier bottom gear, 40–60 lb braid, 60–100 lb leader — the sizes where the big eye earns its keep
• Snell heavy mono for trolled or drifted baits; add a wire trace where mackerel, barracuda or shark feed, and rinse and dry after every salt trip