THE ANGLAR - PLAIN SHANK STAINLESS STEEL SS4006 HOOK PACK BAIT HOOK

The Anglar Plain Shank Stainless Steel SS4006 Hook Pack Bait Hook

Same pattern as the bronze 484, built in a different metal for a different job. "Plain shank" means the shank is smooth — no slice barbs cut into it as on a baitholder — so bait threads on and off freely, live bait takes less damage, and there is no cut notch to act as a weak point. The SS4006 pairs that long smooth shank with a forged body, a straight inline point, a sharp barb and a turned-down ringed eye, which sets the leader at an angle that helps the hook turn on the strike and makes it a natural choice for snelled bait traces. Six sizes, ten per pack.

Stainless or bronze? Stainless is the reason to pick this one: traces stay made up between trips, a packet lives in a boat tray all season, and baits soak overnight without the hook bleeding rust into the knot — where the bronze 484 is a plated carbon hook that corrodes if it goes back in the box damp. Two costs come with that. Stainless is generally a little softer than hardened carbon steel, so check the point after a hard bottom session and file it back. And it will not corrode away inside a fish, so if you are releasing, back the hook out rather than cutting the line short.

Key Features

• Plain (unbarbed) shank — easier baiting, less damage to live bait, no cut weak point
• Long shank: room for a long natural bait, and teeth kept away from the knot
• Stainless steel for strong corrosion and rust resistance in salt water
• Forged hook body, reinforced through bend and shank to resist opening under load
• Turned-down ringed eye aligned for snell-knot rigging, with a straight inline point and a rounded bend that spreads load
• Six sizes from #6 up to #6/0, ten pieces per pack

How To Rig It

• Snelled bait trace — What the turned-down eye is for. Whip the leader down the shank and out toward the point so the pull rotates the hook into the jaw. Make traces up in advance; stainless means they are still sound next trip.
• Running sinker bottom rig — Sinker sliding to a swivel, then 50–100 cm of leader: the standard rig for prawn, squid strip and cut fish over sand, mud and rubble.
• Live bait — Hook a prawn through the tail segment or a baitfish through the nose, bend left clear. The smooth shank does far less damage than a baitholder, so the bait swims longer.
• Paternoster and jetty rigs — Hooks on short droppers above the sinker to hold bait off the bottom in current, or under a sliding float along rock walls.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Small sizes for croaker (gelama), tilapia and pond catfish (keli); large sizes for barramundi (siakap), grouper (kerapu), snapper (merah), golden snapper (jenahak) and catfish (duri) off jetties, mangrove edges and reef. A boat-box staple because it survives the damp.
• North America — Panfish and perch in the small sizes; channel and blue catfish, carp, striped bass and redfish on cut and live bait from 3/0 up.
• Japan & East Asia — Bottom bait fishing from breakwaters and boats: bukkomi (ブッコミ) rigs for kurodai, ainame and anago, and dozuki dropper rigs for mixed reef fish.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Snapper, bream, flathead and mulloway on Australian estuary and bottom rigs; hamour and sheri in the Gulf; cod, ling and conger over European wrecks.

Specifications

Listed largest to smallest. Western numbering — #6 is the smallest, the number falls as the hook grows, and the /0 sizes are larger again. The range steps in gaps rather than every size, so pick the nearest to your bait. Finish: bright nickel throughout. The bronze 484 covers the same plain-shank pattern in nine finer-stepped sizes from #10 to 5/0, with a kirbed (offset) point and a straight ring eye — the option for fresh water and day sessions. This stainless version is the one for standing salt water and rigs that stay made up.

Recommended Pairing

• #6–#4: light bait rod, 1000–2500 reel, 6–12 lb line, prawn and strip baits
• #2–#3/0: general reef, jetty and estuary bottom fishing, 20–40 lb line with a 30–60 lb leader
• #5/0–#6/0: whole fish and squid baits on a heavy bottom or surf rod, 4000–6000 reel, 60–120 lb leader
• Snell with heavy mono for whole baits; add a short wire trace where mackerel, barracuda or shark feed