Circle hooks

I posted about circle hooks over on FTR. I had a very good experience with these this weekend on Mille Lacs. Almost every hook up was in the corner of the mouth, and easy to remove. Thus, fish were returned to the water easily, and unharmed. Steelhead hooks were getting injested into the gut much easier.

Anybody have any input?

Tuck

Circle are absolutely the ticket when lindy rigging. I’ve tried them on slip bobbers but havn’t quite mastered that yet.

Tuck-

Glen told me that he was using circle hooks while bobber fishing and said he missed the first four fish. So it sounds like he didnt quite get it mastered either. He said he switched back to a gamagatzu and had no problem getting them in. I noticed the fish where inhaling the hooks pretty good also. But I would say all fish we released have survived. Which was 16 of 19.

Yeah, but you and I both know how the Big G sets the hook! He gets up from his chair in the “Wad”, grabs the rod, reels up slack, and the rod tip hits the front of the boat on the hookset! Constant upward pressure on the rod tip is all that is needed. It explains why he got more hookups when he went back to the old octopus hook. I can’t wait to try them on rigs. Mike, are you using them on both hooks on a crawler rig, or alone???

Tuck

Tuck,

I would be interested to hear your feedback on a spinner harness if you plan to tie some up with circle hooks?

I have only used them on rigs, but the whole concept of just reeling verses a big steady swing took a little getting used to at first, but I love the placement of the hook in the fishes mouth and my miss percentages has gone way down.

Speaking of hooksets, I have a friend that has one of the most wicked hooksets I have ever seen. Many times I have to get ready to catch him because he loses his balance after the big swing. Needless to say, my seat pedestals have been fatigued due to the shock of the swing!

I “Had” a partner like that! Aluminum shavings all over the floor from the pedistals and seat bases grinding!

I am wondering about the hook placement of a circle hook on a spinner/crawler harness. Would it make more sense to set it in the back or the front. I am planning to twist some up both ways, and see. I can see advantages to both approaches, but DATA needs to be collected!!!!That’s the fun part! I can see the advantage on a single hook snell for leeches and crawlers for say…the flats on Mille Lacs in the summer when you run 8-10 foot snells. I like the thought of the hook getting caught up in the corner of the mouth, prior to the hookset. Time will tell, but I like what I see so far. One of the things I failed to mention, all those huge teeth in these bigger walleyes make it harder for ANY hook to set.

Tuck

Tuck, Make some up and I’ll take them with me to Winni next week. Let me know when you’ll be tying them up and I’ll come over and help.

I use them on both hooks when using spinners, but it seems to be harder to keep the crawler from spinning.

Looking at the hook, I thought that might be the case. I might try some single hook rigs this weekend.

Thanks!

Tuck

I have been reading about circle hooks all winter and had my first chance to try them out this weekend on Mille Lacs. I don’t think that I will ever go back to normal hooks. It was nice to not be releaseing every other fish with a hook in their gut, not to mention the amout of time I saved by not having to re-tie my rig.