Live Bait Hook Guide for SoCal Charters: What to Bring When You Don't Know What's in the Tank

For a Southern California charter, carry Owner size 4 and size 2 fly liners for anchovies, a size 2 ring fly liner for sardines, small ring Mutu circle hooks in size 4 and size 2 for tuna, Owner Aki Twist 5/0 and 7/0 for squid, and Gorilla Lights from size 1 to 3/0 for bottom fishing. Back it with torpedo sinkers heavy enough for the depth you're fishing, 1/8 to 1/2 oz sliders, and 25 lb fluorocarbon as your primary leader.

You don't get to pick the bait

Here's the situation every Southern California angler runs into this time of year. You book the trip. You pack the night before. You get down to the landing at 4am, walk up the boat, look in the tank — and it's not what you planned for.

Sometimes it's beautiful sardines. Sometimes it's a tank full of anchovies. Sometimes you're making squid that night at the island. Sometimes it's big mackerel and nothing else. The crew doesn't know until they know, and neither do you.

That unpredictability is the whole argument for carrying an assortment rather than a favorite. The angler with one hook size is fishing whatever bait happens to match it. The angler with a full box is fishing whatever's in the tank — and on a SoCal boat right now, with islands, paddies, and offshore all in play, that's the difference between a slow day and a full fish sack.

This is the hook selection that covers it.

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Quick reference: hook by bait

What's in the tank	Hook	Notes
Anchovy	Owner size 4 (size 2 for bigger chovies)	Small and light — let the bait swim
Sardine	Size 2 ring fly liner	Shoulder or butt hook, both work
Tuna (fly lining)	Small ring Mutu circle, size 4 or 2	Pair with 25 lb fluoro
Squid	Owner Aki Twist 5/0 and 7/0	Two sizes cover small and jumbo
Bottom fishing	Gorilla Light, size 1 to 3/0	Cod, whitefish, sheephead

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Anchovies: go small and let them swim

We've had a lot of anchovies around this season, and chovies are unforgiving of a hook that's too heavy. Too much iron and the bait won't swim right, won't get away from the boat, and won't get bit.

An Owner size 4 is the workhorse here. If you're seeing bigger chovies in the tank, step up to a size 2. Both sizes live in the same box and cover the full range of chovy you're likely to see.

The point of a small hook on a small bait isn't finesse for its own sake. It's that a chovy with a light hook swims away from the boat under its own power, and a bait that swims is a bait that gets eaten.

Shop Owner Flyliner Live Bait Hooks →

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Sardines: the size 2 ring fly liner earns its spot

When there are nice sardines in the tank, everybody on the boat is grateful — and the size 2 ring fly liner is the hook we'd reach for first.

Hook it in the shoulder or hook it in the butt. Either works. What matters is that the bait gets away from the boat and swims naturally. That's what triggers the bite, whether you're on a kelp paddy working yellowtail and dorado or up on the islands with calicos and yellows swimming under you.

This is one of the few hooks that genuinely covers a wide range of what a SoCal boat runs into. If you carry one fly liner size, carry this one. If you carry two, add the anchovy sizes above.

Shop Owner Ringed Flyliner Hooks →

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Tuna: circle hooks and 25 lb fluoro

Bluefin and yellowfin change the equation. When you're fly lining for tuna, a small ring Mutu circle hook in size 4 or size 2 has been the setup that produces — and it's been producing for several seasons now, not just this one.

The pairing that matters: small ring Mutu plus 25 lb Blue Label fluorocarbon. That combination is the SoCal fly lining standard for a reason. The fluoro disappears, the small circle lets the bait swim, and the circle hook geometry does the work in the corner of the mouth when the fish eats and turns.

If you're getting on a boat with any offshore component this season, this is not the setup to leave home.

Shop Owner Ringed Mutu Circle Hooks → and Seaguar Blue Label Fluorocarbon →

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Squid: Aki Twist in two sizes

Squid nights change your whole box. If you're dropper looping up on the islands or fishing squid on a slider, you want Owner Aki Twist hooks — and you want two sizes, not one.

Carry a 5/0 and a 7/0. Small squid and jumbo squid both show up, sometimes on the same night, and a hook sized for one is wrong for the other. Two sizes cover it.

For dropper loop work, keep a couple of torpedo sinkers in the box, sized to the depth and current you're fishing. That's what gets the squid down to where the yellows are sitting.

Shop Owner Aki Twist Bait Hooks →

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Sliders: the piece most anglers underrate

Sliders — 1/8 to 1/2 oz — do more work than they get credit for.

They're obvious for squid, letting you fly line a squid out away from the boat with the current instead of fighting it. But they're just as useful with sardines and mackerel. A slider gets your bait deeper and off the surface, which matters two ways: it fishes a different part of the water column, and it keeps the birds off your bait when they're picking.

Depending on conditions, the right slider weight is the difference between your bait going out and your bait sitting under the boat. Keep a range.

Shop Egg Sinkers →

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Bottom fishing: don't get caught without a J-hook

Plenty of SoCal trips include a rock fishing or shallow water stop — cod, whitefish, sheephead. It's easy to pack an entire box of fly lining gear and then have nothing to fish the bottom with.

Keep Gorilla Lights from size 1 to 3/0 in the box. Simple J-hooks, nothing exotic, and they'll fill sacks on the bottom stops that a fly liner won't touch.

Shop Owner Gorilla Light Hooks →

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Fluorocarbon: 25 lb is the workhorse, but carry heavier

Every hook above works better on fluorocarbon, and 25 lb is the primary. Paired with a small circle or small J-hook, a 25 lb fly line setup will take you from island calicos to fly lined bluefin without changing anything but the hook.

But don't stop there. Carry 40 lb and 50 lb as well. There are days when the fish are eating the heavy line, and when that happens there's no reason to fish light. Heavier leader means fewer break-offs, faster fights, and more fish in the sack. Feed them what they'll eat.

The mistake is showing up with only one spool. Leader is cheap relative to a trip — carry the range.

Shop Seaguar Blue Label Fluorocarbon Leader →

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Building your charter bait box

If you're starting from nothing, here's the box that covers a SoCal charter regardless of what's in the tank:

Hooks

• Owner fly liner, size 4 and size 2
• Owner ringed fly liner, size 2
• Small ring Mutu circle, size 4 and size 2
• Owner Aki Twist, 5/0 and 7/0
• Gorilla Light, size 1 through 3/0

Weight

• Torpedo sinkers, sized to your depth and current
• Sliders, 1/8 oz through 1/2 oz

Leader

• 25 lb fluorocarbon (primary)
• 40 lb and 50 lb fluorocarbon

That's the whole list. It fits in a small box, it covers every bait scenario a Southern California boat is likely to hand you, and it means you're never the guy asking a stranger for a hook at 4am.

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Everything in this guide, in one place →
Shop the Charter Bait Box

Frequently asked questions

What hooks do I need for a Southern California charter?
Carry an assortment covering all common bait types: small fly liners (Owner size 4 and 2) for anchovies, a size 2 ring fly liner for sardines, small ring Mutu circle hooks in size 4 and 2 for tuna, Owner Aki Twist 5/0 and 7/0 for squid, and Gorilla Lights size 1 to 3/0 for bottom fishing.

What size hook for fly lining sardines?
A size 2 ring fly liner is the standard choice. Hook the sardine in the shoulder or the butt — both let the bait swim away from the boat naturally.

What hook do I use for anchovies?
Go small. An Owner size 4 is the primary, stepping up to a size 2 for larger anchovies. Small, light hooks let a chovy swim properly, which is what gets it bitten.

What hook for fly lining bluefin tuna?
A small ring Mutu circle hook in size 4 or size 2, paired with 25 lb fluorocarbon leader. Circle hooks set in the corner of the mouth as the fish turns, which improves hookup and landing rates on tuna.

What size hook for squid?
Owner Aki Twist in 5/0 and 7/0. Carrying both sizes covers small squid and jumbo squid, since you won't know which you're making until you're out there.

What pound fluorocarbon should I use for fly lining in SoCal?
25 lb fluorocarbon is the primary for most fly lining, from island calicos to offshore bluefin. Carry 40 lb and 50 lb as well — when the fish are eating heavier line, heavier leader lands more fish.

Why do I need multiple hook sizes on a charter?
Because you don't control what's in the bait tank. Sardines, anchovies, squid, and mackerel all show up in Southern California waters, often unpredictably. An assortment means you fish whatever the boat has rather than being limited to what matches your one hook.

What sinkers do I need for dropper loop fishing squid?
Torpedo sinkers are the standard for island dropper loop work — pick the weight that gets you down in the depth and current you're fishing. Add 1/8 to 1/2 oz sliders for fly lining squid, sardines, or mackerel below the surface.

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Get set up before your next trip

We carry the hooks, sinkers and leader you'll need for a SoCal charter at our Santa Clarita store and online at tackleexpress.com. If you're not sure what your trip calls for, call us at 661-251-8700 or come in and talk to us — we fish these boats, and we'll help you build the box that fits the trip you booked.

Tight lines. We'll see you on the water.