circle hooks and drifting

[lazy hooker]

just thinking about summer evenings drifting after spikey fish..................sorry back on track and the reason for posting.

Has anyone on here used circle hooks whilst drifting sandeel or live prawns for bass or any other species. Just wondering if they improve the hook up rate and especially the returnable rate as most fish will be reputedly be hooked in the scissors.

 

john

[Newt]

Hi John.

 

My experience with circle hooks as been

- they usually do not improve the hook up rate

- fish I hook do stay hooked

- anything other than a nice lip hook is rare and species where I formerly killed 1 in 5 from accidental deep hooking are now down to fewer than 1 in 50.

 

I am a huge fan of circle hooks for any species with a bony mouth. I don't like them for fish with a sucker mouth.

[musket]

LH,

I too like these hooks but they take a bit of getting used to.

Do not strike when you get a bite as that seems to pull the hook away,instead just keep a firm pressure on and the fish should hook itself.

When I first started using these I actually lost more fish than usual and resorted back to aberdeens(on sandeel) but another few trips and I tried again and every fish was hooked in the mouth.Also the technique for hooking eels onto these hooks takes a while.

Stick with it,

Jon

[lazy hooker]

cheers for the advice guys

will sit on my hands whilst drifting for bass and strike at every touch when conger fishing (just so i don't hook them!!!)

can also see a better hooking rate with bream too.

 

cheers john

[paintfly]

LH,

I too like these hooks but they take a bit of getting used to.

Do not strike when you get a bite as that seems to pull the hook away,instead just keep a firm pressure on and the fish should hook itself.

When I first started using these I actually lost more fish than usual and resorted back to aberdeens(on sandeel) but another few trips and I tried again and every fish was hooked in the mouth.Also the technique for hooking eels onto these hooks takes a while.

Stick with it,

Jon

Hi Jon, I must be at the same stage you were at then. I always try and use them on one rod, as I hope they will eventually prove to be the right choice. Initially, I was very pleased when I had a whole day catching wrasse, with all of them being lip hooked and safely returned. Since then, I've had a few bad results with both wrasse and doggies swallowing them deep, which has made me unsure of the whole no-strike technique. Been using them on 2 boom paternosters with ragworm (1/0's - haven't found any smaller in the tackle shops I use ) and I've made up some pennel rigs for big squid baits too, which are either 2/0 or 3/0. (Not sure about whether you have to set the hook differently for these - I read somewhere that the entire hook needs to be clear of a big bait for them to work effectively, but that just feels wrong) Also used them on a float set up, which was the most consistently successful method.

 

My strike sensitivity and timing is a bit iffy at the best of times, which was part of the attraction, so I've been wondering if I should switch to braid. I'll keep persevering, but if anyone's got any more advice, I'm listening.

[wakelure]

Hi Jon, I must be at the same stage you were at then. I always try and use them on one rod, as I hope they will eventually prove to be the right choice. Initially, I was very pleased when I had a whole day catching wrasse, with all of them being lip hooked and safely returned. Since then, I've had a few bad results with both wrasse and doggies swallowing them deep, which has made me unsure of the whole no-strike technique. Been using them on 2 boom paternosters with ragworm (1/0's - haven't found any smaller in the tackle shops I use ) and I've made up some pennel rigs for big squid baits too, which are either 2/0 or 3/0. (Not sure about whether you have to set the hook differently for these - I read somewhere that the entire hook needs to be clear of a big bait for them to work effectively, but that just feels wrong) Also used them on a float set up, which was the most consistently successful method.

 

My strike sensitivity and timing is a bit iffy at the best of times, which was part of the attraction, so I've been wondering if I should switch to braid. I'll keep persevering, but if anyone's got any more advice, I'm listening.

can anyone advise me on what type of hook to use ,for use with sand eel , and joey mackerel.

thanks

[Simon Everett]

Kevin - and all. When Jon says don't strike he doesn't mean "don't do anything and wait for the fish to hook itself" - instead don't strike, but just take the pressur eup gently. Even wind ever so slowly at the bite - not initial knock. Then as the fish dives it will pull the hook in to the side of its mouth.

 

Circle hooks were designed for professional longliners for swordfish and the like - 50 years ago. Those fish were and still are very valuable - longliners still use them. If they didn't work they couldn't afford to keep losing fish like that. They keep the line static and the fish hooks itself against a heavy weight - by reeling very slowly, you are just increasing the tension a little and it will hook. However, they aren't the easiest things to get back out again - but fish stay on if you crush the barb down you won't lose many as a result. Just keep pressure on - the hook has to be turned a long way round before it can be shed.

[paintfly]

Kevin - and all. When Jon says don't strike he doesn't mean "don't do anything and wait for the fish to hook itself" - instead don't strike, but just take the pressur eup gently. Even wind ever so slowly at the bite - not initial knock. Then as the fish dives it will pull the hook in to the side of its mouth.

 

Circle hooks were designed for professional longliners for swordfish and the like - 50 years ago. Those fish were and still are very valuable - longliners still use them. If they didn't work they couldn't afford to keep losing fish like that. They keep the line static and the fish hooks itself against a heavy weight - by reeling very slowly, you are just increasing the tension a little and it will hook. However, they aren't the easiest things to get back out again - but fish stay on if you crush the barb down you won't lose many as a result. Just keep pressure on - the hook has to be turned a long way round before it can be shed.

 

OK, thanks Simon . Any thoughts on the attaching the bait question; is it just the same as Aberdeens?

[lazy hooker]

cheers simon for clarifying the mechanics for me...i'll still metaphorically sit on my hands so that i don't get the knee jerk reaction to strike but know and have heard about just applying the pressure by starting to retrieve.

 

paintfly

don't know about using big baits, again this is down to assumptions and lack of experience of using circles (which i will overcome). i would have thought that large baits whipped on or masking the hooks may sheild or alter the method of hooking......but then again they are using them for rays, smoothhound and tope so my theory is 99% wrong!!!!

 

wierd things circles, it seems you have to forget everything you know or your instincts want to do until you get the get hang of them.....

 

 

john