Circle Hooks on Tip-ups

Has anyone else on here tried circle hooks on tip-ups? In-Fisherman mentioned it in an article, but only to say they hadn’t tried it, and hadn’t heard of anyone who had. A couple of my ice-fishing buddies in Winona and I have tried it the last couple winters, and after some trial and error we pronounced it a success.

Here is what we found: first, do not use wire leaders with circle hooks on tip-ups. The wire, even fine wire, is too stiff, and the hook will not turn and catch properly in the corner of the fish’s mouth. I use 50 lb. test nylon line, which holds up pretty well against Northern teeth–I haven’t had one bite it off yet. Plus, when circle hooks work properly, they catch in the corner of the fish’s mouth, and once the line is taut it will mostly stay out of the fish’s mouth as it is brought it in.

When a fish takes the bait, apply the old rule to let the fish run for a while and stop before setting the hook. Th nice thing about circle hooks is that they seldom hook a fish deep, so if the bait is swallowed the circle hook will slide out of the fish’s gullet before catching and hooking on the corner of the fish’s mouth.

The hardest part for us to figure out about using circle hooks on tip-ups was figuring out the proper way to get the hook set. We had used them on open water, so we knew not to set the hook by jerking the line as you would do with a j-hook. We tried picking the line up and very slowly bringing it in, but this resulted in a lot of missed fish, where we would feel the hook catch on the fish’s jaw, and then slide out. We eventually figured out that it was best to pick the line up and pull it in at a steady pace, as this put enough pressure on the hook to get it to set properly when it caught on the fish’s jaw.

We found that using circle hooks cut way down on deep-hooked fish, but it did not eliminate the problem completely. This is why I am sticking with them for tip-ups, as I release all of my largemouth, and a lot of my Northern. Once we figured out the proper way to rig and set circle hooks on tip-ups, we didn’t miss any more strikes than we did with j-hooks. I have not had a chance to try circle hooks on tip-ups for walleye, but I would think the same rules applied.

Vikefan…

First off..I’ve never used circles for tip ups…so please remember…I don’t know what I’m talking about.

However, I have used them exclusively for channel cats. My preferance is the 5/0 gammakatzu octopus circles.

Here’s a thought. Could you lock the tip up so no more line went out than what you have down? This way when they swam away they would hook themselves?

If I am reading this right, You just start your hand over hand for the hook set. I would like to try them with my smelt. I also release alot of my northerns and would like to get this technique to work for me. I do like to take a 32″ or better home once in a while.
Thanks for the info

Is this better then a quick strike rig? I always use them on my tip-ups for northern. When using these, as soon as you get to the flag, you set the hook. I have very few misses with this technique, and without waiting for the fish to stop and swallow, you will have very few deep hooks.

For those of you who don’t use quick strike rigs, here is a simple breakdown. The basic rig construction consists of a 24-inch length of uncoated bronze stranded wire, 20 to 50 lb. test, a heavy duty rear treble hook, and a smaller front treble or optional single front hook. The front hook should contain shrinkable tubing around the shank so it will slide on the wire making it adjustable. A strong black swivel should be attached on the opposite end of the whole rig. An optional small spinner blade should be added in front of the front hook making it legal for use in states where a multiple hook rig is illegal. The whole thing can be assembled by using either crimp-on sleeves or twisting the wire to make a good connection.

The quick strike info can be found Here

If anyone has used both, I would love to get your input as to which is better, easier to use, better hooksets, less deep hooks, etc.

I use a Kahle hook which is somewhere between a circle and J-hook. I have had good success with hooking in the mouth but do miss alot of fish. The Outdoor news had an article last year on the subject of quick strike rigs. Some anglers are in favor of mandatory use of quick strike rigs with tip ups. They claimed there are studies that show even with the use of circle hooks fish die do to delayed mortality. The action of the hook being pulled from the gullet can do damage. The only way to minimize damage to the gullet is to use quick strike rigs and immediatly set the hook when the flag goes up. Keep in mind that quick strike rigs are illegal in MN. It is considered multiple hooks. The way to get around this is by adding a small spinner in front of it. This way it is considered a lure similiar to a crankbait. This is one reason why the article was written. People would like to see this law changed. I would like to try quickstrike rigs this year. Does anybody know where to puchase them or do you have to make them?

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Vikefan…

First off..I’ve never used circles for tip ups…so please remember…I don’t know what I’m talking about.

However, I have used them exclusively for channel cats. My preferance is the 5/0 gammakatzu octopus circles.

Here’s a thought. Could you lock the tip up so no more line went out than what you have down? This way when they swam away they would hook themselves?

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I use 4/0 or 3/0 circle hooks in red color on my tip-ups, but I am thinking about going down a size or two this winter–can’t stop expirementing…

Northern usually grab a baitfish crossways in their jaws and swim off with it before flipping the bait and swallowing it head-first, so I am not sure fixing the line on a tip-up would work like it would for cats. I use circle hooks for flathead, and they work very well, as flathead engulf live baits immediately. And when channel cat are really pounding baits, circle hooks work on them too, even with stinkbait worms.

In response to the other question, a steady hand over hand (not a hard hook-set) action when retrieving the line after a strike works best with circle hooks on tip-ups. We tried to bring line in too slow at first, which is why we missed some hook sets. I’m trying to think of a way to describe how fast is just right, but it is just something you have to see or try yourself.

I’ve used quick-strike rigs in the past, and I have about the same success rate in hook-ups. The difference for me is that when largemouth hit quickstrike rigs, they often swallow the bait immediately (unlike Northern), leading to deep-hooked fish. Circle hooks mostly eliminate this problem.

I am very skeptical of the claim that circle hooks can damage a fish’s gullet, because that is not how they work. (I realize you are not saying you believe this yourself.) The sharp tip on a circle hook curves inward, so it will not catch on the lining of a fish’s gullet. Only when the tip of a circle hook catches a hard edge like the corner of the fish’s mouth will the tip dig in. A fish’s gullet is mostly soft and smooth, so there is no edge for a circle hook to grab. A swallowed circle hook simply slides out of the fish’s gullet without causing any tissue damage at all.

I suspect the people claiming circle hooks cause fish mortality by ripping the gullet have never tried circle hooks, and don’t know how they actually work. I have personally seen more deep-hooked fish on quick-strike rigs than I have seen with circle hooks. If a fish swallows a quick-strike rig right away, the j-hooks set themselves deeply, regardless of how quick the angler gets there.

I made some of my quick strikes, but the ones I prefer have an English hook (One larger hook for fish, and a smaller hook for bait). I got these at Fleet Farm, and yes they do have the mandatory “spinner”. It is really just a small red piece of plastic to get around the law.

There was an old InFisherman video, I think InFisherman Ice Fishing it was called, that had a ton of information on quick striking for northern. Great to get you in the mood to icefish

I’ve used circle hooks on tip ups for walleyes for two years with no problems once I got the hang of “setting” the hook. My first pull is a long fast one – not jerk but a steady quick pull. This sets the hook nicely and after that you can play the fish better. Just make sure you get real circle hooks not the octopus circles. The octopus are OK but you need to use a normal jerk hookset and they will gut hook a lot easier than a true circle hook. In-Fisherman has an article will explains the difference.

The December In-Fisherman magazine has an article on quick strike rigs and how to make them. FYI

Do you guys use circles for Walleyes on Tip-ups as well or only for Northern/Bass?? I would like to try some, but would like some info such as size of hook based on size of bait, etc.

You have me intrigued now. I may have to get some circles on a few of my flags and see how they stack up.

I tried circles last year for a while and abandoned them for walleyes anyway. I fish shallow alot and was getting strikes where the fish would hit and then sit there 2 feet down. I wanted to be able to set a barb on those and didn’t miss very many and had zero fish injured. Pike is a fish of a different color and circles would be fine for any fish that runs. I don’t use circles for flatheads unless I am away from snags.

I have been using circle hooks for pike the last couple of years. I agree they are great for keeping the fish alive and very rarely do you hook a fish deep. I have been using 10lbs P-line as a leader with the circle hook and I have to retie once in awhile but have not had a pike bite me off yet. You are right about not being able to use wire, the circle hook just does not seem to work right and not catch. I have tried circle hooks for walleye with some success. The only problem I have is finding small enough circle hooks for walleye. I like using a #6 sized hook and finding a true circle hook in that size can be tough if not impossible to find. I also use quick strike rigs with tip-ups. Just my opinion and what I like but if I am using bigger bait like a sucker or chubs then I go to a quick strike rig or a jimmy rig ( a version of the quick strike lure). If I am using a smaller bait like shiners or smelt then I use the circle hooks. I like the 2/O size cirle hook by gamagatsu in red.

pikemania,

Check out the Catfish Connection link below. Look under Crappie Hooks. If I recall they have some 6 circles…also might want to check out the catfish hooks.

Good Luck

Circle hooks are the best for me!! Quick hook up and I have never had a bad hook set!! Like in the belly or anything. But I have not had good luck with them for Walleyes.