Circle hooks, How and Why.

[Homie]

3)Is there any merit to a double circle hook rig?

Ok good, just checking, some guys use two hooks and that makes no sense.

 

[Tommo]

Hi Moolies; With small soft baits such as prawn, white mussel, chocka etc you can actually bait up much the same as on a normal hook. Just keep the point exposed. I find that with smaller circles when targeting edibles with these soft baits it works just fine when the bait is loaded onto the hook. The hanging off bait is more for larger, denser baits such as a whole fish, fish head, live bait, or a big fillet.
 
Hey Half Pint; First up I don't think it matters at all oif the hook points up from the nose or not, the hook will still pull into place on its way out.
 
Using two hooks makes no sense to me when using circles. I have seen it done, but I wouldn't do it. I agree the chance is there to gut hook fish really deep.
 
No need for two circle hooks, and one is just likely to interfere with the other.
 
Long liners have been using circle hooks for years. They have pretty much perfected a rig where fish catch themselves with nobody to strike on the other end. They just use one hook with a chunk of bait hooked on to it, very simple.
 
Best of luck with it all, once it is working for you your confidence in them will grow and you will find yourself seldom using J-hooks again.

[Half-Pint]

So you do have a purpose Homes thanks bru next time Ill try reading before posting

[Half-Pint]

Thanks Tommo! I'm happy to see I'm not completely crazy with my ideas

[Cage]

Im new to this site and have been struggling to get the circle hook thing right particularly for tigers. The initial pace of the hit often leaves you confused as to whether the fish has eaten or just has the bait in its mouth and is leaving the shoal to chow it properly...
 
tightening up on the intial run is often too early and by trying to wait too long  the fish wouldnt eat the whole bait most times and just lose interest.....
 
Any pointers?

[Moolies]

Thanks Tommo

I look forward to trying this out.

[Tommo]

Im new to this site and have been struggling to get the circle hook thing right particularly for tigers. The initial pace of the hit often leaves you confused as to whether the fish has eaten or just has the bait in its mouth and is leaving the shoal to chow it properly...
 
tightening up on the intial run is often too early and by trying to wait too long  the fish wouldnt eat the whole bait most times and just lose interest.....
 
Any pointers?

There is no magic formula, but if a tiger hasn't swallowed the bait within about ten seconds of picking it up, then the bait is clearly too big for the fish. Usually he picks it up and speeds off, slows down a bit while he eats and then speeds off again. It is better to err by leaving it too long, than by striking too soon. If the fish has swallowed the bait he would battle to then spit it out without getting hooked. The line drag in the water would be enough to pull the hook into place. The fish would usually jump then to try and throw the hook. If you tighten up you should still get him.

[FishStyx]

Thanks Tommo. Many of my mental meanderings have just been confirmed.


I am such a circle convert... a few years back, I spent a day out on the water with a mate down in the E.Cape. He was fishing with normal J hooks, I was fishing Circles of approximately the same size. He spent his day pulling up little peckers (I think he called them Jan Groot Oog... a total little pest) and all I caught was decent size bream, grunter and quite a good Cracker.

Since then, if I've ever had the urge to fish with bait, I have stuck with a circle. I'm wanting to start experimenting now with circles on artificials.

[swarley81]

I'm wanting to start experimenting now with circles on artificials.

Great article!  Thanks Tommo.  I'm also curious about the use of circle hooks with artificials and soft plastics.  Especially bass fishing.  Do you think rigging up a Fluke or artificial soft plastic bait on a circle hook will work?

[Tommo]

I have had mixed success with circles on artificials. I am not convinced that they are the way to go. Due to the fact that circles hook the fish on the way out, after being swallowed they are not ideal for lures. With lures you want a hook that will penetrate on impact, so you want an exposed point. I have done well with circles on flies, mainly because the fly is small and gets totally engulfed and also because it isn't bulky the material does not inhibit the hooks penetration. With a spoon or hard lure this is not the case. I do think that they would work well on a dropshot, and have tried them a bit on soft plastics with some success. It boils down to the fish gulping the whole lure in one go.

[Cage]

Thanks Tommo, this makes sense.... gonna try downsizing the bait as I suspect this is where Im going wrong..... thanks again

[adam]

That maybe the case, but the bait didn't come out. I don't know, I am gonna try saturday again and see what happens.
I have had an awful spell of bad luck for 2 months now, I think it is time that my luck turns.

then the fish was probably just hanging on to the bait and came off as soon as it tore the bait off the hook.


Try something like this:
Cable tie through both upper and lower jaw and pull tight so that hook kinda sits sideways.  Allows free movement for the hook while still remaining firmly stuck to bait.
Also works well through the eyes - how I rig live bait from time to time.

[adam]

just for your enjoyment:


Barble on a 10 - 12/0 VMC.  Tried as we might we couldn't get it back in there.  And there was quite a large mackerel head attached to it as well....

[dodger]

Great article Tommo,  I've been using circles for tigers for a while with some success. I just tie a sardine fillet on with the circle protruding from the bait, I'm not sure if that's the best set up, what would you recommend?

[Sailor]

Thanks. Great post Tommo.

[Capt. Hook]

Nice one Craig

[Cam Mundy]

My favourite circle for saily pitch baits in the Musandam
Owner Mutu Tournament
I find them a lot more forgiving on the hookset than full Circles and super strong and sharp.

[WJ]

That maybe the case, but the bait didn't come out. I don't know, I am gonna try saturday again and see what happens.
I have had an awful spell of bad luck for 2 months now, I think it is time that my luck turns.

then the fish was probably just hanging on to the bait and came off as soon as it tore the bait off the hook.


Try something like this:
Cable tie through both upper and lower jaw and pull tight so that hook kinda sits sideways.  Allows free movement for the hook while still remaining firmly stuck to bait.
Also works well through the eyes - how I rig live bait from time to time.

Thanks adam, will give a try tomorrow morning.

[Spotted Grunter]

Gread post Tommo 
 
Had a chat to a guy recently, who said that they use circle hooks for fly fishing but attach a hookless fly and then the circle is trailing behind the fly. The theory is that when a fish bites, you will hit as usual and the trailing circle will hook on the outside of the fish's mouth. He says that the surface area on the outside is greater than the scissor of the mouth, hence he uses this system.
 
He mentioned there is a video on youtube explaining this, will search for it later and upload the link.
 
Is there any merit in using this system for R&S?
For toothies maybe not such a good idea but for edibles will it work?
 
 

[LUPO]

Great post Tommo!

I too am a circle hook convert.  Two things that I took a while to learn ( 2 years of blanking. LOL ) but are vital for the circle hook to be set correctly.

One has to use a SNELL knot, as per your pics and
Do NOT strike, when I get my first thump, thump, I drop the tip about 10 / 15 deg and then when the next thump comes I lift the rod slowly to get a tight line and to date I have been vas more often than not.

my2c