SANTEC - OCTOPUS HOOK RINGED 45711/45711B NICKEL/BLACK NICKEL HOOK PACK FISHING HOOK

Santec Octopus Hook Ringed 45711 / 45711B Nickel & Black Nickel Hook Pack

The octopus hook — sold as a beak hook in some markets, and listed by Santec against the MS4310N pattern — is the short-shank, wide-gape, inward-turned-point shape that does most of the bait fishing in Southeast Asia. The short shank buries inside a live prawn or a strip of cut fish so there is nothing awkward hanging out of the bait, and the point, curved in toward the shank, slides to the corner of the jaw as the fish turns away instead of pulling straight back out. Santec’s version is deliberately slim: premium high-carbon steel drawn to a finer gauge than a heavy bait hook of the same size, on the reasoning that thinner wire penetrates with less force and leaves a small live bait undisturbed. It is forged through the body so slimness does not cost strength, and the chemically sharpened Eagle Cutting point is set kirbed, offset from the shank. The eye is a 45° angled ring, which stands the hook up in a snell and keeps the pull square on a dropper rig.

Two finishes, one hook. The 45711 and the 45711B are the same hook in different plating, and the choice is about light. Nickel (45711) is the bright silver finish: it throws a flash in the water, which is often an advantage on a deep bottom rig, in stained estuary water or beside a pale strip bait where a little glint acts as an attractor — and it is far easier to find on a dark deck or in the bottom of a tackle tray. Black Nickel (45711B) is the low-reflection option: a dark plating that goes flat against the bait, which is what you want in clear shallow water, on bright days over sand, and for wary fish that inspect a bait before committing. Both are platings over the same high-carbon steel, so corrosion resistance comes from the coating either way — rinse and dry the packet after a salt session whichever you fish. One practical difference: nickel runs one size deeper, up to #8, where black nickel stops at #6.

Key Features

• Octopus (beak) profile — short shank, wide gape, inward-turned point for live and cut bait
• Two finishes on the same hook: 45711 bright nickel, 45711B black nickel
• Premium high-carbon steel with a special treatment coating
• Slimmer wire gauge for easier penetration and a less bulky bait presentation
• Forged construction so the slim profile still resists bending under load
• Chemically sharpened Eagle Cutting point with a pronounced retaining barb
• Kirbed (offset) point to catch inside the mouth as the fish turns
• 45° angled ringed eye for alignment in snelled and bait rigs
• Ten sizes in nickel (#8 to #5/0), nine in black nickel (#6 to #5/0)

How To Rig It

• Live prawn — One pass through the last tail segment, or under the head horn clear of the dark spot, so it keeps kicking. #1 to #2/0 suits most live prawn; the slim wire does less damage than a heavy-gauge hook.
• Cut fish and squid strip — Thread twice through the skin side and leave the bend clear. Match the hook to the bait rather than to the fish — a bait wider than the gape blocks the hookset.
• Apollo / paternoster rig — One or two hooks on short droppers above the sinker for reef edges, jetty pilings and boat bottom work. The 45° eye holds each hook standing off the trace. Lift steadily; do not strike.
• Running sinker — Sinker sliding above a swivel and 30–80 cm of leader, so a wary fish moves off with the bait before it feels lead. The ringed eye snells cleanly for this.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Grouper (kerapu) and snapper (merah) on reef and wreck, golden snapper (jenahak) on deeper marks, kaci (sweetlips) over rubble, barramundi (siakap) around mangrove and jetty pilings, and croaker (gelama) and catfish (duri) on estuary mud in the #8 to #1 sizes.
• North America — Mangrove and red snapper, grouper, striped bass, sheepshead, and channel and blue catfish on bait around bridges, jetties and Gulf bottom.
• Japan & East Asia — Dozuki (胴突き) boat dropper rigs for kasago, ainame and madai, and bukkomi (ブッコミ) bottom baits from breakwaters for kurodai and anago.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Snapper, emperor, bream and mulloway on Australian bottom rigs; hamour and sheri in the Gulf; cod, pollack and conger on European wrecks and rough ground.

Specifications

Material: premium high-carbon steel. Sizing runs #8 (smallest) up through #1, then #1/0 to #5/0 (largest). Black nickel SKUs carry a “B” suffix; the #8 is available in nickel only.

Recommended Pairing

• #8–#1: light jetty and bottom rods, 10–20 lb line, small live prawn and cut baits
• #1/0–#2/0: general estuary, reef-edge and boat bottom work, 20–40 lb braid with a 30–60 lb leader
• #3/0–#5/0: whole live baits and large cut baits, heavy bottom rod, 50–100 lb leader
• Black nickel for clear shallow water and bright days, nickel for deep, coloured or low-light water; add a short wire trace where mackerel, barracuda or cutlassfish are about