HAYABUSA - WORM HOOK FF203 MADE IN JAPAN

Hayabusa FF203 Worm Hook — N.S.S. Hook Perfection, Made In Japan

Hayabusa's own name for the FF203 is N·S·S HOOK PERFECTION, and they describe it in a single line: a swivel-equipped cover neko hook that removes line twist. It is the odd one out among Hayabusa's worm hooks, because it is not an offset hook at all: a shaped black nickel hook, an integrated loop worm stopper and a rolling swivel on one shank. The stopper holds the worm square across the shank so it cannot slide or spin off position, and the body of the bait then becomes the weed guard, letting the rig be dropped into grass, brush and branch tangles that an exposed point would hang up in. The swivel takes out the twist a rotating neko-rigged worm otherwise winds into the line over a long session. Produced with Japanese bass angler Kohtaro Kawamura, in six sizes from #2 to #4/0.

Key Features

• Rolling swivel built into the hook, cutting the line twist a neko rig generates
• Integrated loop stopper that grips the worm and stops it sliding out of position
• Cover neko design — the worm body itself shields the point in heavy cover
• Developed with Kohtaro Kawamura for black bass
• Six sizes, #2 to #4/0; made in Japan

How To Rig It

• Setting the worm — Fix the worm into the stopper so it sits at right angles to the shank, at about its balance point, then lay the point just under the skin of the body. A straight-tail or stick worm suits it best — the rig hangs tail-down and quivers in place.
• Fishing it in cover — Pitch it into the thickest part of a grass mat, brush pile or laydown and let it fall on a slack line. Shake it on the spot rather than dragging — the worm shivers where it lands and stays in the strike zone.
• Add a nail weight to control fall — Insert a nail sinker into the worm head to speed the drop and hold bottom contact; leave it out for a hovering fall over shallow cover.
• Setting the hook — Reel down until you feel weight, then sweep the rod through in one movement. The point has to clear the worm body first, so keep it sharp and use a rod with backbone.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Peacock bass and hampala barb (sebarau) in reservoir timber, giant snakehead (toman) and haruan shaken through weed edges, and barramundi (siakap) around fallen branches.
• North America — Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass on neko and wacky presentations in laydowns, docks and grass; also crappie around brush.
• Japan & East Asia — Black bass in reservoirs and rivers, the home fishery for the cover neko style this hook was built around.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Australian bass and saratoga in snags; perch, zander and chub on finesse worm rigs in European lakes, canals and rivers.

Specifications

Which Hayabusa worm hook? The FF203 is the only one of the four here that is not an offset hook — it is a rig, not a bare hook, which is why the packs hold three to five. For Texas rigs and weightless plastics choose an offset instead: the WRM951 for finesse and mid-size worms on standard wire, the FF311 T.N.S. Offset Heavy Duty for heavy wire and PE line, and the EB99881 Power Stage BM as the plain forged wide gap hook for #2/0 upwards.

Recommended Pairing

• #2–#1 with 3–5 inch straight-tail and stick worms on 6–10 lb fluorocarbon
• #1/0–#2/0 with 5–6 inch worms on 10–14 lb fluorocarbon, medium spinning or casting tackle
• #3/0–#4/0 with thicker 6–8 inch worms on 14–20 lb fluorocarbon or PE 1.5–2.5 with a leader in heavy cover
• 1/32–1/8 oz nail sinker in the worm head to tune fall speed