# Circle hook, hook sets??



## Guest (Jul 30, 2010)

I have read from some that while using circle hooks, they will either raise the rod tip or do some type of "sweep" with the rod once the fish loads up the rod. Has anyone tried this??

Also, I have heard that snelling your hooks will increase your hook ups, when using circle hooks. The idea is that the line will pull on the whole hook rather then just the eye of the hook. Any info on this??

I am in the process of trying out circles for cats. I didn't have the best luck last weekend but am not going to give it up yet. Want to do whatever I can to increase my odds.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

just reel .... dont pull....... it made to catch in the coner of the mouth


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

i love circle hooks for channels but not flathead, some guys use them for both. when i do go channel fishin and use circle hooks i wait till the fish loads up and sweep the pole slowly from left to rite, you rarely miss a fish with them, The reason i dont like circle hooks for flathead is because flathead have a very wide jaw bone and i think you miss alot of fish because of that. most times you catch fish with a circle hook is in the bottom lip or side of the jaw. my girlfreind caught a flathead by herself with a 8/0 circle hook fishing for flathead with a live shad hooked in the eyes. so they do work for flathead but not near my top choice of flathead hooks. Alot of river men use em because they use cutbait alot for flathead on rivers.
Flathead caught with circle hook.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

> Want to do whatever I can to increase my odds.


Trap
I hope mean improve your odds of catching fish. My experience is that circle hooks excell when used in current conditions. The line is tight from current and rods are locked into rod holders in gear. In this instance most fish hook themselves before you ever get the rod out of the rodholder.

I am not so convinced about circle hooks in non current areas. Flathead are usually determined to hold on after engulfing a bait, but for a circle hook to work the fish must take out any slack and stretch from your line to position the eye outside their mouth where it turns into the fish and hooks it.
Not only can the tension pull the bait out completely (especially if you set the hook) but some savy flathead may actually sense a problem and release the bait (highly unlikely but possible)

So the answer is that if you fish in current and lock reels in gear in rod holders, the circle hooks will possibly work better for you.

If you plan on setting hooks at all conventional or even wide gap (Kahle) hooks may be better.



> Also, I have heard that snelling your hooks will increase your hook ups, when using circle hooks. The idea is that the line will pull on the whole hook rather then just the eye of the hook. Any info on this??


The engineering of circle hooks is in the point. It cannot get into flesh until the hooks eye clears the fishes mouth. Some circle hooks have offset eyes to help engage the point. Snelling a hook will increase the breaking strength of your connection and be stronger than a knot but not necessarily increase hook ups.
Mike and I both snelled Kahle hooks with offset eyes. I routed the main line to enhance the turn of the offset eye and Mike snelled inside the offset and made it react like a straight eyed Kahle. I would guess our hook up rate was close to 100%. Other factors determined how many we finally landed.

Finally if you are determined to use circle hooks in non current areas you should do as firstflight recommends and just reel. Any setting action may move the hook too quickly through the target area and cause the hook point to miss the small area when it can set into flesh.


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## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

Biggest thing with circle hooks is don't get in a hurry, I mainly river fish on the Ohio river been using circles a lot of years when people go with me I drive them crazy cause I don't move till that rod is down and the drag is pulling, I have caught a bunch of Flatheads and all caught on 8/0 circles, on the river those fish don't get in any hurry till that hook pops in has always been a slow take down, once that hook pops in they bolt and the hook has done it's job, I snell mine I feel more comfortable with that set-up, there are times that they will miss the mouth don't happen very often, we mainly fish with cut bait,Shad and Skipjack but I will use live also if anchored down.

A couple of weeks ago we were drifting down near Gallipolis,Ohio Lynn had a Blue come up saw it right on the screen look at the bait then drilled the rod down in the holder, she had a huge Skipjack body on the fish never took the bait in his mouth but grabbed it from underneath kept the rod down and was pulling drag the whole time, Lynn finally got the rod out of the holder and he racked the pole down two more times and the line went limp, that don't happen to often but it will happen, I still like circle hooks some people just hate them.

There are also times where I slowly sweep the rod back and will feel the hook pop in I have also seen people just reel like crazy till the rod loads up.

Just try to be patient with them some like them some hate them

Doc


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2010)

Thanks guys. I am going to keep using them for the rest of this season along with regular hooks, and see which works better for me.


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## catmando (Aug 21, 2006)

I use circle hooks on everything and the trick is to use the right size hook for your bait and to wait then slowly start to reel in when you feel the fish on.


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## gregtina (May 30, 2010)

were trying them on a smaller scale for channels.......will post our results


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