The bite happens on the lift, you feel a solid thump, you strike - and the jig comes back with a clean paint job and no fish. If you slow pitch around SA structure, you’ll know that feeling. Nine times out of ten it’s not your rod or reel. It’s the business end - specifically how your assist hooks are matched to the jig and how they sit in the water.

Assist hooks for slow pitch aren’t just “a hook on a bit of cord”. They’re a system: hook style, cord length, tie method, solid ring and split ring size, plus whether you run top-only or a top-and-bottom combo. Get that system right and you stick fish that only mouth the jig. Get it wrong and you’ll donate jigs to reef, foul-hook your leader, or watch fish tap and drop.

What assist hooks actually do in slow pitch

Slow pitch jigs are designed to flutter and stall. A lot of the time fish eat them during that moment of hesitation, not when the jig is ripping upwards. That means the hook needs to be positioned where the fish is likely to bite - near the jig’s head area as it flutters, and sometimes near the tail when they swipe.

Assist hooks also reduce leverage compared with a fixed treble hanging off the tail. With the hook on cord, a fish has less ability to throw it on head shakes. That’s the theory, and in practice it’s why slow pitch anglers run assists even when they’re chasing hard-pulling reef species.

There is a trade-off though: cord can tangle, and poorly matched assists can foul on the leader or wrap around the jig on the drop. So you’re always balancing hooking power against clean presentation.

Choosing assist hooks for slow pitch: the key variables

Hook pattern and wire gauge

For slow pitch, you want a strong, sharp hook that penetrates with minimal pressure. Most anglers lean towards short shank, wide gape, chemically sharpened patterns. The wire gauge matters more than people think: too light and you’ll open hooks on bigger fish or heavy drag; too heavy and you’ll reduce penetration on tentative bites.

If you’re fishing lighter braid and modest drag for snapper or smaller reefies, a finer gauge hook can be a good thing. If you’re fishing heavy PE and locking up around gnarly bottom, step up to a heavier gauge and accept you may need a firmer lift to set it.

Hook size relative to jig weight

There’s no universal chart because jig shapes vary, but the principle is simple: the hook needs to sit proud and find purchase, without overpowering the jig’s action.

Oversized hooks can kill the flutter and increase tangles. Undersized hooks can miss bites or pin fish too shallow. As a rough starting point, match smaller hook sizes to 20-60 g jigs, medium sizes to 80-150 g, and larger hooks as you push into 200-300 g territory - then adjust based on the profile of the jig and the size of the mouths you’re targeting.

Assist cord length (this is where most people go wrong)

Cord length controls where the hook rides. Too long and it wraps around the jig on the drop or snags the leader. Too short and it hugs the jig head and doesn’t find the corner of the jaw.

A practical benchmark: when the hook is laid alongside the jig, you generally want the hook point to reach somewhere around the top third of the jig body, not halfway down. For long, slim jigs you can go a touch longer. For short, centre-weighted jigs, go shorter.

If you’re getting regular “tap-tap” bites with no hook-up, slightly longer top assists can help. If you’re constantly untangling, shorten them first before changing anything else.

Single, twin, or double assists

Twin assists at the top (two hooks on one cord, or two cords) are popular because they present multiple points without needing a bottom hook. They can improve hook-ups on short strikes and they tend to hold well.

Singles are cleaner in current and can tangle less, especially on fast drops. They also suit smaller jigs where twin hooks look like a chandelier.

Double rigs (top and bottom assists) can be deadly when fish are swiping at the tail, but they increase snag potential and can cause more fouling - especially if your bottom assist is too long or your jig has a wide, fluttery profile.

Top-only vs top-and-bottom: what suits SA fishing?

Around Adelaide and the Yorke Peninsula, a lot of slow pitch is done near structure where you’re trying to stay just off the bottom without hanging up every drop. In that scenario, top-only assists are often the best starting point because they reduce the number of hook points near reef.

If you’re fishing more open ground or sand edges where snags are less of a concern, adding a shorter bottom assist can help on fish that nip the tail. Just keep the bottom assist short - think “tail coverage” rather than “long trailing hook”.

When you’re specifically getting tail-biters - you’ll see scratches and chew marks down the back end of the jig - that’s the time to consider a bottom assist or a slightly longer top assist. If you’re getting bitten off by pickers, sometimes removing the bottom hook is actually the fix.

Solid rings, split rings, and the connection that won’t fail

Assist hooks should be tied to a solid ring, not directly to a split ring. The solid ring takes the load and keeps the cord from being abraded by the split ring gap.

Your split ring then connects the solid ring to the jig. Use a split ring that’s strong enough for the drag you’re running, but not so heavy it makes changing jigs a chore. If you’re constantly bending split ring pliers or you can’t open the ring cleanly, you’ve gone too heavy for the application.

Also check the fit. If the split ring is tiny and the solid ring is bulky, everything binds up and the jig won’t move freely. A clean, free-hanging connection helps the jig do what it was designed to do.

Rigging tips that save you time on the water

If you want more hook-ups without constant tangles, focus on the simple stuff that stays consistent.

Keep your top assist points facing outwards, not tucked against the jig. Some anglers add a tiny bit of shrink tubing to control angle, but even without that, a well-made assist should sit naturally.

On very fast drops in strong current, the assist can helicopter and wrap. In those conditions, shortening the cord and choosing a slimmer jig often solves it quicker than changing hook patterns.

When you’re fishing toothy species, pay attention to cord durability. Standard assist cord is tough, but repeated abrasion can fluff it up. If the cord looks furry or flattened, replace it. It’s cheap insurance compared to losing a good fish.

Matching assists to target species (realistic expectations)

A hook that’s perfect for squidgy-mouthed fish can be wrong for brick-jawed reef bruisers.

For snapper and similar feeders that often inhale or mouth the jig, sharper and slightly finer hooks can shine. You’re relying on penetration with limited pressure.

For kingfish, amberjack style fish, and anything that hits hard and runs, you want strength first. That usually means heavier gauge hooks and robust rings, because you’ll find the weak point quickly.

For mixed bags - the reality for a lot of SA trips - go with a medium gauge, twin top assists, and adjust cord length to suit your jig. That setup covers a lot of water without overcomplicating things.

Common problems and quick fixes

If you’re getting bites but no hook-ups, don’t instantly blame the jig. Check whether the hook points are actually exposed. If they’re lying flat along the jig body, go up a size or change to a wider gape.

If you’re snagging more than everyone else, reduce hook points near the tail and shorten your assists. Also consider that slow pitch is meant to be controlled - if you’re dropping straight into reef at full speed with slack line, you’re inviting tangles and bottom hook-ups.

If you’re hooking fish but they’re coming off mid-fight, check sharpness first, then consider whether the hook is too small (shallow penetration) or too big (poor penetration). Also look at drag - assist hooks hold well, but if you’re running high drag on light wire, you can tear the hook out.

Stocking up without guessing

Having a couple of proven assist options in the tackle box beats carrying a dozen random packs. Most anglers do well with two or three hook sizes that match their most-used jig weights, plus both a shorter and slightly longer cord version.

If you want to build out a proper slow pitch terminal kit in one go - hooks, rings, split rings, leader and the right tools - you can grab everything through Reel ’N’ Deal Tackle and save yourself the runaround between stores.

Fishing time is limited. The goal is to spend less of it re-rigging and more of it dropping jigs into likely water with confidence that when the bite comes, you’ll actually stay connected.

The next time you tie on a slow pitch jig, take ten seconds to lay the assist alongside it and check where that hook point sits - that tiny check is often the difference between “they’re here” and a fish on the deck.