Preston Innovations MCM-B Barbless Hooks

Preston Innovations MCM-B Barbless Hooks

When you are in the middle of a high-speed commercial bagging session, losing a fish at the net or bumping one on the strike can instantly destroy your rhythm and cost you a frame position. The Preston Innovations MCM-B Barbless Hooks provide the ultimate mechanical solution to fish loss. “MCM” stands for Magic Circle Match, representing a highly specialized, swept circle-style hook geometry that completely revolutionizes hook holds on intense commercial match circuits.

Unlike traditional wide-gape patterns that rely on a sharp, direct upward strike to puncture flesh, the unique circle design of the MCM-B is engineered for absolute self-hooking efficiency. When a carp or F1 takes your bait and moves off, the hook is designed to slide smoothly to the corner of the mouth or the center of the bottom lip before pivoting and driving home. Once embedded, the aggressively in-turned point acts as a mechanical lock, making it virtually impossible for hard-fighting fish to throw the hook during intense, rapid head-shaking battles.

At Gerry’s Fishing, we know that clear-water commercial fisheries require an extra level of finesse. Preston has treated the MCM-B with a premium, low-friction PTFE coating. This completely wipes out the bright underwater glare common to traditional shiny hooks, offering a highly covert presentation that won’t spook big, suspicious fish feeding over your bait spots.

Technical Specifications

Key Features & Construction

• Advanced Swept Circle Geometry: Specifically curved to maximize fish retention. The point hooks inward toward the eye, ensuring that once the hook penetrates the flesh, it creates a deeply secure mechanical anchor point that dramatically minimizes pulled hooks.

• Stealth PTFE Anti-Glare Coating: Every hook is thermally encapsulated in a smooth, matte-gray PTFE layer. This low-friction finish allows the hook point to glide effortlessly into a fish’s mouth on the take, while removing all metallic reflections in clear water.

• Forged Medium Wire Gauge Strength: Engineered to offer the perfect structural compromise. It is light enough to keep delicate expander pellets or corn behaving naturally in the water, yet possesses the raw, forged strength needed to land double-figure carp under heavy pole elastic tension.

• Neat Precision Eyed Design: Features a completely smooth, burr-free eyelet. This provides the ultimate foundation for tying advanced knotless knots for hair rigs, bait bands, and bayonets, as well as direct monofilament or fluorocarbon hooklength ties.

Where to Use: Recommended Scenarios

• High-Velocity Commercial F1 Pole Lines: The absolute premier choice for target-fishing F1s down the track or tight to island margins. F1s are notorious for soft mouths and erratic head-shaking, which easily throws standard hooks—the MCM-B’s circle profile completely counters this behavior.

• Method and Hybrid Feeder Bolt Traps: Perfect when paired with short 10cm hooklengths on flat-bed feeders. Because the fish automatically hook themselves against the weight of the feeder, the circle geometry pivots instantly into the perfect hooking axis the second the line pulls tight.

• Straight Lead “Bomb and Pellet” Work: An exceptional pattern when targeting cruising fish on hot summer days or finicky feeders in late winter. A single banded hard pellet or mini wafter presented on an MCM-B ensures a clean, positive hook-up on a classic, rod-bending wrap.

The Gerry’s Fishing Verdict

The Preston Innovations MCM-B is a absolute masterclass in technical hook design. Many match anglers are hesitant to switch to circle patterns, but the catch results speak for themselves. By curbing the point inward, Preston has completely solved the problem of fish bumping off on the drop or dropping off right at the net landing stage. It is sharp, incredibly stealthy, and gives you total mechanical peace of mind during a frantic bagging session. It is a mandatory asset for the modern commercial match box.

Gerry’s Pro Tip: Because the MCM-B is a circle-style hook pattern, you must modify your striking mechanics to let the hook perform its magic. When you see a positive bite on the pole or a wrap on the quivertip, do not execute a violent, sweeping strike. A sharp strike can actually pull a circle hook clean out of the fish’s mouth before it has time to rotate. Instead, simply lift your pole firmly or wind into the fish steadily on the reel. This continuous, smooth tension is exactly what forces the swept point to slide to the corner of the mouth, pivot, and lock itself home flawlessly every single time!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is a circle design better for preventing fish loss?

Traditional wide-gape hooks can sometimes hook fish superficially in thin tissue or the soft outer skin of the mouth, which easily tears under heavy pressure. Because a circle hook can only rotate and grab when it hits a solid mechanical stop, it almost always embeds itself deeply into the tough, fleshy corner of the mouth or the solid center of the bottom lip. This ensures a highly secure hold that will not tear or pull loose during a long battle.

Can I use this hook for direct baiting, or is it strictly for hair rigs?

While the eyed design and circle geometry make it an elite choice for hair rigging hard pellets, wafters, and meat via a knotless knot, it can absolutely be used for direct baiting. It works exceptionally well when hooking substantial, firm baits directly onto the wire—such as grains of sweetcorn, large dead maggots, or cubes of luncheon meat.

What size hook should I choose for standard 4mm and 6mm hard pellets?

For fine-finesse tactics with 4mm pellets or mini wafters, a Size 18 or 16 MCM-B is the ultimate choice, keeping the terminal rig light and highly inconspicuous. When stepping up to 6mm hard pellets, substantial corn grains, or larger 6mm to 8mm Band’Ums, a stouter Size 14 or 12 provides the necessary gape clearance to ensure an clean, unhindered hook hold.