Get hooked on double

Mindil Beach is a very popular beach in Darwin.

Barramundi for Hiro Nakamura column

Mindil Beach is a very popular beach in Darwin.

I was there in the morning as the tide was coming in.

The water current wasn’t strong and the sea surface was slightly wavy.

I went to the rocks.

Normally, I don’t fish at the incoming tide at these rocks.

First, I used the top-water lure and it was taken by a 60-65cm barracuda.

But I lost the first fish.

Second, I used the shiny hard-body lure and it was nearly taken by a big trevally.

I cast some lures across the same rock many a time.

Finally, I caught a 51cm urban saltwater barramundi using a Bomber Long 15A in Fire Tiger colour, retro-rigged with double hooks.

The conditions were not perfect for barramundi fishing.

I probably caught the one barramundi there!

The double hook has many advantages.

It is rarely caught on obstacles.

The double hook can easily be detached without pliers because it doesn’t need a split ring between hook and lure.

Lures look better with double hooks than with treble hooks to compare with an actual fish.

The rear double hook moves so smoothly as it swims around in the sea water it looks like a tail fin. The front double hook looks like pectoral fins.

As a bonus, double hooks are also much nicer to fish with than treble hooks.

They cause less damage for catch and release.