GAMAKATSU - KAMAKIRI JIGGING HOOK PACK MADE IN JAPAN

Gamakatsu Kamakiri Jigging Hook Pack (Made In Japan)

Kamakiri is Japanese for praying mantis, and the hook earns the name: a short shank with a wide gap, so the point sits close to the eye and rotates into the fish almost as soon as the cord comes tight. That geometry is the point of the design. In jigging the strike often arrives on the fall or as a soft weight at depth, and a long-shank hook has to travel before it bites; the Kamakiri engages early, on both an upward stroke and a falling take. Gamakatsu controls the wire strength to limit flex, so power is not lost bending the hook instead of driving the point, and the bend is specially pressed at its weak point to spread pressure and reduce tearing during a long fight. Supplied as bare hooks in a nickel finish, four sizes.

Key Features

• Short shank for faster rotation and quicker engagement
• Wide-gap profile with clearance for solid penetration
• Engages on both upward jigging strokes and falling strikes
• Optimised power construction minimises flex and energy loss on the hook-set
• Weak-point press on the bend spreads load and reduces tearing of the fish's mouth
• Identified by Gamakatsu as a strong match for slow-style metal jigs, especially with a softer assist cord
• Micro-barbed point — penetration plus retention
• Nickel finish; four sizes for different jig weights and target species

How To Rig It

• What buying a matched pack saves you — Every hook in the pack is the same size, temper and finish, so assist rigs built from one pack behave identically — no odd hook that opens first, no mismatched pair on a twin assist where one point sets and the other levers. Six to eight hooks per pack is a full session's worth of front assists tied in one sitting, rather than sorting singles out of a box mid-trip.
• Twin assist, front eye — Bind two hooks to a solid ring with PE assist cord, points facing outward, cord short enough that the points stay in the upper third of the jig. This is the standard slow-pitch and technical-jigging setup.
• Soft cord for slow-style jigs — Gamakatsu matches this hook to slow-moving jigs with a softer assist cord, which lets the hooks flare and flutter with the jig instead of pinning to the body — how slow-pitch jigs draw the take on the fall.
• Do not over-strike — The short shank does the work. Wind down until the rod loads, then lift. Snatching into a deep-water bite only pulls the point through a soft hold.
• Rear assist for short-biting fish — When fish nip the tail of the jig, add a single hook on a short cord at the rear ring, short enough that it cannot wrap the leader.

Target Species By Region

• Southeast Asia — Grouper (kerapu), red snapper (ikan merah), Spanish mackerel (tenggiri), giant trevally (gerepoh) and amberjack on reef and wreck jigging grounds.
• North America — Amberjack, grouper and cobia on Gulf and Atlantic wrecks, plus yellowtail and lingcod on Pacific structure.
• Japan & East Asia — Its home water: slow pitch and technical jigging for buri, hiramasa, madai, kanpachi and ne-zakana such as kasago and ara.
• Australia, Middle East & Europe — Yellowtail kingfish, samson fish and snapper on Australian reefs; cobia and hamour in the Gulf; amberjack, dentex and pollack on European marks.

Specifications

Supplied as bare hooks for building assist rigs; assist cord and rings are not included.

Recommended Pairing

• #2/0–#3/0 with 80–150 g slow-pitch and light jigs, PE 1.5–2.5 and a 40–50 lb leader
• #4/0–#5/0 with 150–300 g jigs, PE 3–5 and a 60–100 lb leader on a medium-heavy jigging rod
• Softer PE assist cord for slow-style jigs; stiffer cord where tangles are a problem
• Welded solid rings and heavy-class split rings matched to leader class