Circle Hooks.

[geffaz]

ok curcle hooks

 

u say they stop deep hooking and ar self hooking!

im fishing a sea match in a few weeks for the first time, and ive been advised to keep my hooks small as in 2s and mabye 4s , thers lots of whiting about and my concern is deep hooking yousing thes sizes!

1 lots of damaged fish and 2 to a lesser extent wasting time un hooking and heaven forbide chopping the trace and having to re rig!

would curcles be the way forward for me!

[Newt]

u say they stop deep hooking and ar self hooking!

 

would curcles be the way forward for me!

 

I say they mostly stop deep hooking due to their shape. The point is curved slightly inward and they will drag right over a larger surface (rock, log, fish's gut) but turn in and take a nice hold over a smaller surface (twig, fish's lip). Not 100% but several species I frequently target are horrible for deep hooking. More of that than a decent lip hold with most hooks. Using circles, I have seen that change so that I maybe deep hook 1 in 50 now rather than 1 in 4-5 as I did in the past.

 

Self hooking - the same effect of the hook shape that prevents most deep hooking also leads to self hooking in many cases provided you never 'strike' but just wind down when you feel a fish. If trolling you should not need to do anything except begin to play your fish. Obviously not going to be 100% since if the hook point is away from the lip it can't dig in but they are more effective for me than other patterns except trebles which I do not enjoy using.

 

I'd say they are probably the way forward for you and are certainly worth giving a decent trial.

 

Circles were originally developed by sea anglers. Due to their shape, you can normally do fine with a lighter wire (so sharper and easier to get a hook-up) than you normally use in a J hook. They do not tend to bend under pressure since the pressure is mostly against a nice smooth curve. Since you can get them from a fine-wire #8 all the way up to a very hefty 12/0 Gamakatsu and Mustad to 14/0, you aren't limited for choices.

[big_cod]

Autumn these hooks have been used by the longliners here for about 10years they swear by them ,the trouble is when you are trying to shake a fish off you cant get the hook to release the fish.

Autumn i can get them at sea reels they do a tin one or you can get the mustard one which is far better hook i was getting them by the thousand for the lingline lads they wont use nothing else the haddock hooks are a thing of the past if you want some give me a ring and i will make a phone call.

[Ian Burrett]

Hi Autumn

 

They certainly work for some species. The latest method for sailfish is to let the fish swallow it for 30 seconds when the fish turns the hooks is pulled from the stomach and hooks the fish in the scissors

 

As bid cod said Tuna longliners have been using them for years, so they must be the best for them also.

But I have tried them on Pollack and Tope and found no advantage on either hook up rate or foul hooking.

 

I would think they would work well on cod with a grip lead because the hook would set against the pull of the gripper. They claim you never strike but allow the fish to set the hook

[big_cod]

Ian the lads use them for the cod longlines which they will be starting shortly.

I have tryed them myself but some how i cant get away with them but they do seem to be very affective when the longlines first used them they had a hell of a job getting the cod off the hooks but they soon found out that they wont loosing any fish when light hooked apart from when sammy the seal was taking them.

[Guest CJS2]

According to mike at UK Hooks, the secret to fishing Circle hooks is a short snood, 9"!!! I use short snoods when boat casting for cod, down to 18", however 9" or less says Mike for fish like cod Hard to change a habit of 20 years, but I'm going to try the very short snood on one rod and see. Circle hooks have not worked for me on 3ft snoods, but the advise is 9" so I wont knock it till I'v tried it.

 

You are talking about striking a fish, from day one, (85), I was always taught never to strike, the bow and stretch in the line simply buffers it out. Wind down on the fish, feel the weight and a steady upward pull will set the hook.

 

Some one did say to me the other day, long liners notice a better cach rate closer to the anchored end on a line, perhas there is somthing in the short snood, tight line, hard on the bottom theory.

Edited November 18, 2005 by CJS2

[Guest CJS2]

This could be the last trip I get for a while, (see, 'trouble at mill'). Hope not, but priorities have to be set.

 

Had some circe hooks, arrive from UK Hooks today, they look very interesting, best desribed as semi circles. Have a sample pack of 'VMC Vanadium Worm hooks' not even a true semi circle hook but aparently work in a very similar fashon. I have some very small ones in the sample pack ear marked for sole, self striking, small, we have a fair few soles around the felixstowe area, but not enough to make them worth fishing for exclusivly, letting a rod get on with it may be the answer?

 

Also have some 4/0 'VMC Octopus perma steel'. Now they are the sexiest hook I'v seen for a long time. The idea in mind is that I gut hooked to many of the fish I caught on Sunday last and I want to reduce this tendancy. Do my bit for conservation. The Octopus also feel light, cetainly lighter than an equivalent Viking. Probly wont matter for cod but in the summer, might give a better presentation?

 

 

 

Are they sexy or what?

[n4lly]

This....4/0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caught this....

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest CJS2]

This....4/0

 

Caught this....

 

Thats good n4lly, so all those Octopus 4/0's I have will catch monsters, watch out you COD!!!

 

[geffaz]

I say they mostly stop deep hooking due to their shape. The point is curved slightly inward and they will drag right over a larger surface (rock, log, fish's gut) but turn in and take a nice hold over a smaller surface (twig, fish's lip). Not 100% but several species I frequently target are horrible for deep hooking. More of that than a decent lip hold with most hooks. Using circles, I have seen that change so that I maybe deep hook 1 in 50 now rather than 1 in 4-5 as I did in the past.

 

Self hooking - the same effect of the hook shape that prevents most deep hooking also leads to self hooking in many cases provided you never 'strike' but just wind down when you feel a fish. If trolling you should not need to do anything except begin to play your fish. Obviously not going to be 100% since if the hook point is away from the lip it can't dig in but they are more effective for me than other patterns except trebles which I do not enjoy using.

 

I'd say they are probably the way forward for you and are certainly worth giving a decent trial.

 

Circles were originally developed by sea anglers. Due to their shape, you can normally do fine with a lighter wire (so sharper and easier to get a hook-up) than you normally use in a J hook. They do not tend to bend under pressure since the pressure is mostly against a nice smooth curve. Since you can get them from a fine-wire #8 all the way up to a very hefty 12/0 Gamakatsu and Mustad to 14/0, you aren't limited for choices.

thanks mate i appreciate that, well done