circular hooks

[Ben]

any1 had much experience with circular hooks, got some the other day to give ago
any advice on using them?

[Fishing Forum Admin]

They are very good but take some getting used to

Andyg is mister circle hook but he is fishing today and spoke to him not having much luck

Basically you do not strike but reel in to set the hook

Myself - I ve been giving them a go ( got give a load to test ) and would use them for small fish but not for boating and larger fish - just my feedback

They work very well for shore fishing

[JuanPablo]

yes i have heard good reports regarding an increased number of hook-ups, as opposed to missing bites. Their downside is being able to present a bait neatly on a circular hook - would be interesting to hear from andyg and see what he has to say - i have only ever used varivas which werent quite circular but were still a funny shape - cant honestly tell you from memory if i caught anything let alone whether my hook/miss ratio improved! Perhaps worth experimenting though and giving some patterns a go... can anyone recommend any good patterns?

[PlanktonBoy]

Bin em there cack.

[john-boy]

Slightly off-topic, I know - but where do you guys stand on striking and hook-ups generally?

Certainly, when I'm fishing the beach, I don't really bother with striking. Given the amount of stretch in the mono, the distance from rod-tip to terminal gear and the sharpness of chemically etched hooks, I don't really see the point, and do my best to avoid any "jolting" of any kind, as I suspect this is the best way to lose fish that you may otherwise coxe to the water's edge.

I guess the exception tends to be if I'm close the fish (like dropping down a pier wall etc) and the tide is slack, in which case I favour a draw-on then strike method.

Back on topic, I've used "almost" circular hooks when fishing with crabs for eels, I belive they may even be sold as "crab hooks", but in general I don't think you can beat a long-shank and narrow bend, the more chance of getting it actually through the fish's mouth, the better IMO.

CheerS,
JB.

[JuanPablo]

john depending on what sorta bite it is in my experience.
If Im fishing an estuary and get typical rattles from a flatfish I leave it - flatfish nearly always hook themselves and a hooked fish actually attracts more fish to the commossion (bless) so leaving it enables another fish to get hooked with a bit of luck! Unfortunately this method not only ensures more flounders but also provides mainly deep-hooked fish. For this reason I always use chemically-etched hooks so that if i do have to leave the hook in the fish the hook will dissolve - some say this takes up to 2wks but most agree the fish can normally still feed.
If on the other hand I get a slack line bite (whatever sorta fishing im doing) I will wind the slack and as soon as I feel weight I will strike. Sometimes its clear the fish has hooked itself - especially when using a pulley rig. The use of this rig nearly always causes the fish to hook itself.
The danger of slackliners is that the fish has clearly tripped the lead and is moving towards you - not always 'hooked' in my experience of missing them!
And any other sorta bite I leave develop - if the tip goes again I will sometimes give the mono a sharp tug with my hand (tug needs to be sharp to compensate for stretch in mono), if the tip rattles after this i will reel in. Sometimes the 'strike' caused by tugging the line seems to spook the fish but more often than not 2mins later its off again and you get a second chance! - THis method saves reeling in after every bite because when you strike by lifting the tip high you will also pull the grips out on the lead and have to wind in to reset em!
Just my experiences anyway, not even sure what the 'textbook' way of dealing with bites is but Ive hooked plenty of different species by sparking up a fag and watching as the fish hook themselves! - Tommy can vouch for that! lol

[fishypaul]

i agree with you john-boy.i've used these hooks like you when using crab,
but in my opinion bait presentation is far superior on a normal common or garden aberdeen,i havn't had any problems but its all about confidence i think,

[Ben]

well, i face the prob that sometimes i dont pay attention so there for dont see the bite and either miss the fish of deep hook it, or i jump on the rod whenever it moves, which im sure has cost me many a fish
i was thinking of doing a test next week with both circular hooks n that crab stuff

[andyg]

Yeah, I have opinions on circle hooks but I've not had a chance to post yet, and don't now so I'll let you know what I'm thinkin' on the subject shortly....

cheers

AG

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Yeah, I have opinions on circle hooks

Yes - would be good to have a review as I know you have put a lot of time into testing them so I for one would look forward to a review of the hooks by someone who has given them a good going over

500 words by monday please