Live-Bait Rigs

You rig both J and circle hooks the same way when using them with any species of live bait. (For the past 10 years I've only used circle hooks when live-baiting for billfish, and my capture-to-bite ratio is higher on circle hooks than it ever was on J hooks.)
 
A very quick and easy rig to set up for live-baiting for blue or black marlin is to take a small but strong 1/0 or 2/0 J hook and tie it securely to the bend of the large hook on which you intend to actually catch your marlin. 
 
Pass a section of heavy waxed rigging floss through the eye of the smaller hook and wrap it two or three times around the shank of the big hook, cinching it down tightly. This keeps the little hook's eye tied strongly to the bend in the big hook's shank. 
 
When you catch your live bait of choice, hook it through the upper lip with the little hook. This positions the large hook on top of the bait's head. The bait won't live as long as it would if it were quickly and skillfully rigged with a bridle, but it will last longer than a bait that's been dropped and dribbled two or three times by a novice trying to rig it with a bridle!
 
The pros rig live baits using a loop of light line tied to the bend of the hook as a bridle. Using a bait needle with a split eye, they pull the loop through the eye sockets of the bait just under the nasal bones. Be careful not to actually penetrate the eyeball itself, since it will blind the bait and may make it die quicker. A baitfish that can see will let you know when a big predator homes in on it by frantically try to swim away from the approaching danger. The bait's erratic struggles telegraph up the line to the outrigger halyard or to the hand of the mate who is acting as the designated "outrigger." 
 
Pass your hook through each end of the loop that's sticking out the bait's eye sockets and spin it several times, twisting the two strands of the bridle. Now pass the point of the hook back under the bridle close to the bait's head. If you do this quickly, without dropping the bait on the deck, a healthy bait can last all day and will still be swimming vigorously when it's time to go home or move to a better-looking spot.