No More Trebles

[Peter M]

do you think they will work when wobbling dead baits? Do you have to wait until the fish moves off with the bait? i like to work a dead bait like a using a lure and wondered if circle hooks would work in these circumstances.

[Andy Macfarlane]

Do you reckon you'll ever convince the noddy, novice, I-know-everything-so-I-don't-want-your-assistance angler who fails to understand the concept of how circles work, who refuse to make their own traces and the manufacturers of snap-tackles? I don't think you will any time soon.

I'm interested in the use of circles for smaller baits (I'll stick to trebles for bigger baits in the meantime) so I'll watch your results with interest.

Another thing that has just come to mind. What about the pike that take a bait under a float or the pike that picks up a bait and doesn't move off enough to set the circle? Circles are generally no-strike hooks. Momentum generally sets a circle. How is that going to work?

I'm not picking. These questions need answering I think and I'm sure more will come.

Edited September 22, 2008 by Andy Macfarlane

[Leon Roskilly]

do you think they will work when wobbling dead baits? Do you have to wait until the fish moves off with the bait? i like to work a dead bait like a using a lure and wondered if circle hooks would work in these circumstances.

 

 

Although I did try wobbling and twitching, on this session my takes all came from static float-fished baits.

 

I can't see why they wouldn't work though.

 

All that has to happen is for the hook to be in the pike's mouth, then gently slide out to engage with the rim of the mouth (most likely the scissors, but if the fish is moving directly away from you, or has taken under your rod tip, with the wire trace sliding towards the top of the mouth, it will engage where it starts to swivel around the 'edge').

 

We shall see

Edited September 22, 2008 by Leon Roskilly

[Leon Roskilly]

Do you reckon you'll ever convince the noddy, novice, I-know-everything-so-I-don't-want-your-assistance angler who fails to understand the concept of how circles work, who refuse to make their own traces and the manufacturers of snap-tackles? I don't think you will any time soon.

I'm interested in the use of circles for smaller baits (I'll stick to trebles for bigger baits in the meantime) so I'll watch your results with interest.

 

No probably not everyone, at least not right away.

 

But if they work well they will catch on as more people get to hear about them and try them.

 

Another thing that has just come to mind. What about the pike that take a bait under a float or the pike that picks up a bait and doesn't move off enough to set the circle? Circles are generally no-strike hooks. Momentum generally sets a circle. How is that going to work?

 

If there is any indication of a take, then all you have to do is to gently wind down until the hook engages (without the need to strike, or 'lean into' the take, that will risk the hook not engaging on exit).

 

It doesn't need the assistance of the pike, although if the pike moves off it will engage the hook itself.

 

If there is no indication (and this does happen when a pike decides to munch it's meal in situ, either not moving the float, or activating the bite alarm), the hook gets taken deep down.

 

If that hook is a treble, the pike is likely to be in trouble, unless the angler is experienced at retrieving trebles that are deep down and out of sight (this has happened to me more than once or twice).

 

However, if the hook is a circle, when the pike eventually moves off, or the angler decides to reel in to check his bait, then the circle will much more likely travel up the gullet and engage, mostly on the rim of the mouth, but as I experienced it can still be at the back of the throat.

 

And even if it does somehow engage in the gullet, and is not removed, by it's nature it will carry far less risk than a treble hook left down there.

 

I'm not picking. These questions need answering I think and I'm sure more will come.

 

 

And that's why there has to be a lot of experimentation, rather than simply accepting circles on faith, only to find problems emerging later, and why it would be great to see others trying it for themselves and reporting problems encountered here, as well as confirming positive reports.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I'll give them a miss for the bigger baits and bigger pike until I'm convinced of their value but if anywhere needs a break from the noddy-crew with their poor indication and endless gut-hooking it's my local ressie. I've not had anything over 13lbs from there and sprats or at least smaller baits are ideal. Which pattern would you suggest Leon?

 

Oh yea, there's another thread you might be interested in. It demonstrates that not everyone is adverse to using their head with regards to singles. I'm sure your input (and others) would be valuable. I'll give you the link below. Please feel free to add your thoughts with regards to singles Leon. It's a new site, which has been very friendly so far.

 

Click HERE for Pike Angler Forum's "Single Hook Rig" thread

[Andy Macfarlane]

Um....the pictures from that thread have been removed but I've sent the thread starter an E-mail asking him to put them back for you too see. Hopefully they'll be back soon. The hooking arrangement he posted was very interesting.

[Newt]

Several more comments from a long-time circle hook fan.

 

Large baits - I use them successfully with lives to over 2 lbs as well as deads and cut baits. As long as the point of the hook stands proud outside the bait, they do fine. Depending on exactly how large your 'large' is, you might want to go with 6/0 to 10/0 hooks to make sure a decent amount of the point stands clear of the bait.

 

Moving bait - I use circles with several styles of soft plastic presentations where the lure is moving most of the time. As long as I can remember to wind down rather than strike, circles do fine.

 

Mouth damage - less with circles than with most of the other patterns I tried over the years. The hook stays where it initially started with almost no chance of it moving around (the shape works against the hook getting loose) but is easy to remove by 'rolling' it out of the lip. This usually needs forceps to do properly but is very easy to do when using the right tool.

 

Perch with worms - best hook I've found for safely catching bluegills and perch. While the perch where I live don't get large, their mouth is very similar to our black bass and they do very nicely with those as well.

 

If you do decide to give circles a try, be prepared to miss fish until you get a feel for using this hook pattern. Once you have a feel for it your hook-up rate will be close to what it is with trebles but it may take a dozen fish before you start having good success. Most anglers who dislike circles simply did not try them long enough.

[Andy Macfarlane]

I got an E-mail from the chap who started the singles thread on the Pike Angler forum and he informed me that he had trouble with the picture hosting site but he's added links to the pictures.

 

Picture 1

 

Picture 2

 

Picture 3

 

Picture 4

Edited September 22, 2008 by Andy Macfarlane

[Neil G]

Do you reckon you'll ever convince the noddy, novice, I-know-everything-so-I-don't-want-your-assistance angler who fails to understand the concept of how circles work, who refuse to make their own traces and the manufacturers of snap-tackles? I don't think you will any time soon.

I'm interested in the use of circles for smaller baits (I'll stick to trebles for bigger baits in the meantime) so I'll watch your results with interest.

Another thing that has just come to mind. What about the pike that take a bait under a float or the pike that picks up a bait and doesn't move off enough to set the circle? Circles are generally no-strike hooks. Momentum generally sets a circle. How is that going to work?

I'm not picking. These questions need answering I think and I'm sure more will come.

 

Agree, great for small liveys under a float but probably not effective for anything bigger or deads

[Andrew Burgess]

. Ask Andy Burgess how the #8 worked for the 6-7 lb cat he caught when the lads were visiting. We weren\'t expecting any fish that size and #8 is good for bluegills but a frisky kitty decided a cricket looked like a perfect snack.

 

i can confirm this