[frugalfisherman]

When there are bergals around (which is almost always) I use a 4/0 octopus hook for ling. Actually that's what I use when they are not around. You don't need any Gammy Gotyas. Unless it's a 12 inch bergal he can't get his mouth around a 4/0 but an 8 inch ling has no problem. Wrap the bait as tight as you can on the hook and resist the temptation to swing at bergal pecks. If using braid you will feel the ling tug. No need to swing like a wildman the ling basically hook themselves. Putting a piece of bergall under the clam helps also. Yesterday I was using a 2 hook slider tog type rig. Both hooks in bait. That seemed to keep bait theft to a minimum and allowed time for the ling to come around. Caught my cod on that. My pink octopus 3 foot up didn't do squat. Gulp is like eating at McDonalds. You have to try it every six months to remember it sucks.