DECOY - JS-5 CASTIN' SINGLE HOOK MADE IN JAPAN

Decoy JS-5 Castin' Single Hook — Made In Japan

The JS-5 Castin' Single is a single hook made for one job: topwater plugs in the big casting game. Pencils and poppers worked for nearshore tuna and hiramasa put loads through a hook that little else in lure fishing matches, and more and more fisheries now require single hooks only, either by regulation or by boat rule. The JS-5 answers both at once — it complies where trebles are banned, and it is built to survive the fight that follows.

Two details separate it from a converted jigging hook. The eye is in-line (vertical), matching the orientation of a plug's own split-ring eyes so the hook hangs correctly under the lure instead of cocking sideways. And it is soldered closed — wide enough for a heavy split ring, streamlined enough not to foul. That matters: an open or wire-formed eye usually forces two rings in series, and every extra ring is another point of power loss and another missed hook-set. Here you go straight from the lure ring to the hook. The bend is reformed for casting rather than vertical work, to penetrate and then hold a hard blue-water jaw. Tin plating with Aqua Block treatment.

The JS-1 Jigging Single Sergeant'N' is the other heavy single in the range, and a different tool. The JS-1 is an assist hook: its eye is back-shifted and wide so an assist cord pulls from behind the shank and rotates the point in. It is tied to cord for vertical jigging. The JS-5 mounts directly to the lure. Use the JS-1 when you are dropping metal, the JS-5 when you are casting.

Key Features

• Single hook designed only for topwater plugs — pencils and poppers
• Meets single-hook-only regulations and boat rules
• In-line (vertical) eye matching standard lure eye orientation
• Soldered closed eye, wide enough for heavy split rings and streamlined against fouling
• No double-ring setup needed, removing a source of power loss and missed sets
• Bend reformed for casting, to penetrate and hold hard jaws
• Tin plating with Aqua Block corrosion treatment; made in Japan by Katsuichi

How To Rig It

• One ring, no adapters — Run a single heavy-class split ring from the plug's eye straight to the hook. Adding a second ring is what this eye exists to avoid.
• Front and rear on a pencil — Two singles keep a pencil's walking action alive better than two trebles and reduce the mess when a fish rolls into the leader.
• Set hard, then keep winding — With one thick point, drive the hook with a low sweep and stay on the reel; the hold comes from constant pressure, not from a barb.
• Size to the plug — #3/0 for smaller pencils and lighter casting outfits, #5/0 as the general choice, #6/0 for large poppers and heavy tackle.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Giant trevally (gerepoh), Spanish mackerel (tenggiri), queenfish (talang) and dogtooth tuna on poppers and stickbaits over reef edges and current lines.
• North America — Striped bass and bluefish on the northeast coast, roosterfish and tuna on Pacific casting trips.
• Japan & East Asia — The home use: the nearshore casting game for hiramasa and tuna, plus buri and large seabass on surface plugs.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Kingfish off Australia; giant trevally and queenfish off Oman; bluefin tuna casting in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Specifications

Model JS-5 Castin' Single, made in Japan by Katsuichi (Decoy).

Recommended Pairing

• Popping or stickbait rod rated roughly 60–180 g with a 6000–14000 size spinning reel
• PE 4.0–8.0 braid to a 80–170 lb fluorocarbon or nylon leader
• Extra-strong split rings only — heavy-class rings are the weak link at #5/0 and above
• Check points after every fish; a rolled point on a single hook costs the next bite