HINOTSU - JK-3 KANTUKI MARUSEIGO NSB 4798 FISHING HOOK PACK

Hinotsu JK-3 Kantuki Maruseigo NSB 4798 Fishing Hook Pack

The JK-3 is the sea bass member of Hinotsu's JK series. Kantuki is the Japanese angler's name for the bony hinge at the corner of a fish's jaw, and a JK hook is cut so a fish taking the bait and turning away walks the hook into that corner on its own, where the point bites bone rather than membrane. The 4798 applies it to the maruseigo bend — seigo being a young Japanese sea bass, maru the wide rounded bend — so: long shank, round bend, wide working gap, and a kirbed point offset from the shank so a fish taking broadside meets the point instead of the shank. Forged body, chemically sharpened Eagle Cutting point, brazed ringed eye, black nickel. Sixteen sizes.

Long shank, and why it matters. The JK-4 Kantuki Iseama runs the same jaw-corner geometry on a short shank with an inline point, and it is the better hook for a compact bait a fish inhales whole. The JK-3 is for baits that stretch out and fish that chew. A live prawn, a whole worm or a strip of cut fish lies straight along the long shank instead of balling around the bend, and the extra steel keeps a rasping mouth and a gill plate off your knot. Kirbed point plus long shank is a deliberate pair — a straight long-shank hook can slide out of the side of a mouth, and the offset is what stops it.

Key Features

• Kantuki geometry — shaped to find the hard jaw corner as the fish turns
• Maruseigo profile: long shank, rounded bend, wide working gap
• Kirbed (offset) point for engagement when a fish takes side-on
• Chemically sharpened Eagle Cutting point with angled cutting edges
• Forged body and a pronounced barb — resists bending, and holds through head shakes
• Brazed ringed eye for knots, leaders and snelled bait rigs
• Black-nickel (NSB) finish for corrosion and wear resistance

How To Rig It

• Let it load, then wind — Do not strike at the first knock. Give the fish a moment to turn, then lift into the weight and keep winding. Steady pressure is what rotates the hook into the jaw corner.
• Snell it — The long shank is made for a snell. Whip the leader down the shank and out through the ring so the pull comes in line with the shank and the point turns in cleanly. A plain knot to the ring works and is quicker to tie in the dark.
• Long and live baits — Pin a live prawn through the last tail segment or a baitfish through the nose so it swims; thread a worm or cut strip straight up the shank so it streams. Leave the point and gap clear.
• Running sinker or paternoster — A running ball sinker to a swivel with 60–100 cm of leader for estuary and surf, or a two-dropper paternoster over inshore reef and sand.
• Sizing — Japanese gō numbering, so the number rises as the hook grows. #6–#10 for whiting, bream and croaker; #11–#15 for sea bass, jacks and mid-size snapper; #16–#22 for whole live baits and big bottom fish.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Barramundi (siakap) and mangrove jack on live prawn around mangrove edges and jetty lights; croaker (gelama), whiting and catfish (duri) in the small sizes; snapper (merah) and grouper (kerapu) on strip and squid in the large.
• North America — Striped bass, redfish and black drum on live and cut bait around jetties, bridges and surf; channel and blue catfish inland.
• Japan & East Asia — The hook's own fish: suzuki and seigo from river mouths and surf, plus anago, kisu and flatfish on surf-casting (nagezuri) and bottom rigs.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Mulloway, flathead and bream from beaches and estuaries; sheri and hamour in the Gulf; bass, cod and smoothhound on European beach rigs.

Specifications

Model JK-3, series 4798. Black-nickel finish and brazed ringed eye throughout.

Recommended Pairing

• #6–#10: light estuary, jetty and surf rigs, 8–20 lb line, worm, prawn and small strip baits
• #11–#15: sea bass, jack and snapper work, 20–40 lb braid with a 30–60 lb fluorocarbon leader
• #16–#22: whole live and cut baits on bottom and boat rigs, 50 lb braid and up, 80–120 lb leader
• Snelled leader for the cleanest hooking angle; add a short wire trace only where tenggiri or barracuda make it unavoidable