Livebaiting with circle hooks

[Mark Crame]

****s. A 2lb jack hooked in the throat (easy to re move) and 4 dropped fish after a minute or so. Back to trebles.

 

Got some cracking chub though so a good day!

[bluerinse]

Hi On the power of this thread I have just ordered the following Items

 

FOX PREDATOR TRACE CRIMP COVERS

100 Size 8 ROLLING SWIVELS

FOX PREDATOR CARBO FLEX TRACE WIRE 40LB 15M

10 x 6/0 self-striking circle hooks

 

Total cost £18.03 inc postage

 

I will not get out until next week but will be giving these a go for Zander and Pike on the River Avon.

Any Tips on Striking? The Zander bites are always Light and I touch ledger a pasternosta rig, the pike rod will be float fished.

 

Cheers

[Houseplant]

As I said in a previous post, tighten up and keep the pressure on. Please let us know how you get on. Cheers, Andrew.

[Newt]

Any Tips on Striking?

 

Yes. DO NOT.

 

If you do a conventional strike with a circle hook you will almost always wind up with nothing. The design allows the inturned point to snag on any protrusion (like the boney lip ridge) and the shape of the hook has it follow the point so it takes a good hold. If you strike, the inturn whizzes past and out into the water resulting in no fish.

 

As suggested, when you have a bite, simply begin to wind down slowly. The hook should do the rest.

[Houseplant]

For Mark and Bluerinse:

 

Got out again today. Been having a good think about this business and trying lots of things. Success with the circle hooks again, but some learning points (for me at least!):

 

1. If the fish aren't really having it and only hanging on to the tail of the bait, then circle hooks are obviously going to be useless. I realised I'd hammered one swim on the first visit using circles and on the next couple of visits, I was getting takes, but not hooking up. Reverting to trebles got a few fish on the bank and I recognised the fish as those I'd caught a few days earlier. For such situations, I'll use trebles, but may tie-up a few 'stingers' that I can add to the circle hook trace for convieniance.

 

2. I would now limit my bait size to 4 inches. I bit the bullet and got some frozen roach from a mail order company of this size. It works!

 

3. If you'll still not hitting the fish, consider these things! (my first bait caught zander )

[Houseplant]

PS. This is directed at those who would like to make circle hooks work. If it all sounds like too much trouble and wouldn't suit your style of fishing, then I'm not about to disagree

[Mark Crame]

What a beautiful fish, well done! never had one myself. Tried a circle hook again today but no runs at all - no-one was getting into the pike either so I don't relate it to the pike.

[Houseplant]

Thanks Mark.