Who loves 'em and who hates 'em???
I was never a huge fan of circle hooks, but after a night of deep hooking several fish, I decided to give them another shot.
I took a little getting used to, but didn't take long to get the hang of them.
I found that when a fish picks up the bait, eel in my case, you slowly lower the rod tip to the water as the fish is running, then lift the rod tip upwards, slowly and I haven't missed yet. Every fish I have caught using this method has been hooked in the lip, making for an easy release.
What are your experiences with circle hooks?
BTW, I use 7/0 Gami's.

Dave

I love them for drifting eels, but like you say ya gotta get used to lowering the rod and lifting slowly to set the hook.

BOW TO THE COW!!!!! :cheers:

bOW TO THE COW GAMI 7/0 & 8/0's here

Gami 6/0 octopus circles is the way to go for me with eels. When im bait fishing which isnt often i go to a 5/0 for clams and herring on the north shore, i always outfish my buddy but he is busy text messaging his g/f. He hasnt figured out circle hooks yet, so i play surgon when he hooks deep.

I use circles for everything except jigs and plugs and believe that they cut down on dead stripers because 9 out of 10 are hooked in the corner of the mouth instead of the throat. But, it is the person holding the rod makes all the difference.

nice....especially for releasing fish.

Well, if that hit happens to be a fish 40lbs or up I want it hooked as deep as I can get it! lips rip especially on big fish, just my opinion....mustad 94150 6/0 for me all the way..............

Bill, actually I got my 40# and several mid 30's on circles.

I use them for dead sticking for Fluke and what not. I can't get the hang of using them when I hold the hand.

Do you find that you loose less eels do to useing circles,,you realy layin into casts....Don't think I can give up hook sets

you got lucky dave :happy:

No seriously, I just dont like them wierd way to fish for me , I like letting the fish run and setting up hard, also the hooks I use rust out in a couple days if I release fish I just cut the line close to the hook but, most times I can get it out. For me I want them hooked deep. Im old fasioned I guess but the circle hooks are not for me Just as braid is not for me, I will take mono anyday!

No hook rusts out in a couple of days! The fish are impaled through the throat and the point is some 3/4" deep from the shank. On top of that most of the fish anyone catches are undersized and have to be released. I don't often react this way, but anyone that believes that he has to deep hook every fish so his potential trophy won't get away is ignoring the science that a healthy percentage of deep hooked fish don't make it. Try sticking a 6/0 or 7/0 hook down your throat and impale yourself. You're a hell of a lot bigger than a bass. Bet you're off to the emegency room in a panic to get it suriclely removed rather than cutiing the line and waiting for the hook to rust out, waiting while you to slowly bleed to death. I've landed any number of 20 - 35# bass with circle hooks, virtually all hooked in the corner of the mouth. I keep bass to eat, but all fish that size get released by me. I don't need to drag a dead carcass down to the local bait and tackle to prove how good I am. I have a nice scrap book of pictures of fish that lived to spawn another day to show off. I beleive that circle hooks should be mandatory for bait fishermen. And yes, I fish bait. I have also 2 50s to my credit, both on artificials (one on a homemade swimming plug). One was killed, I was on a charter where they kept everything. The second was from the beach. We measured and weighed her, she bottomed out our 50 # Chattilon scale, and we released her.

No hook rusts out in a couple of days! The fish are impaled through the throat and the point is some 3/4" deep from the shank. On top of that most of the fish anyone catches are undersized and have to be released. I don't often react this way, but anyone that believes that he has to deep hook every fish so his potential trophy won't get away is ignoring the science that a healthy percentage of deep hooked fish don't make it. Try sticking a 6/0 or 7/0 hook down your throat and impale yourself. You're a hell of a lot bigger than a bass. Bet you're off to the emegency room in a panic to get it suriclely removed rather than cutiing the line and waiting for the hook to rust out, waiting while you to slowly bleed to death. I've landed any number of 20 - 35# bass with circle hooks, virtually all hooked in the corner of the mouth. I keep bass to eat, but all fish that size get released by me. I don't need to drag a dead carcass down to the local bait and tackle to prove how good I am. I have a nice scrap book of pictures of fish that lived to spawn another day to show off. I beleive that circle hooks should be mandatory for bait fishermen. And yes, I fish bait. I have also 2 50s to my credit, both on artificials (one on a homemade swimming plug). One was killed, I was on a charter where they kept everything. The second was from the beach. We measured and weighed her, she bottomed out our 50 # Chattilon scale, and we released her.

Where is your science cheif? lets see some data, the hooks rust out period, I have never seen a bass bleed when hooked in the throat, if I leave my hook on the line overnight you can already see alot of rust on it and thats after I rinse my gear with fresh water. Oh yes and I am glad you have so many trophys, Good for you but, I have the right to

1) Keep two fish anytime I please

2) haul them to as many tackle shops as I please

3) And fish with any hooks I please...Got it :kewl:


Your post sounds like a borderline peta statement. And a 50lb bass is not a prime spawning fish , they are past there prime.


Work to hard for big fish, I chose to take them with me .

Was that chatillion scale calibrated? how do you know for sure :happy:

How do you know the fish made it after a long exhousting battle?

Oh and yes, you most likely are a true "sportsman" and only fish with light tackle and dont realize that the longer the fight the more enzymes build up in the fish due to stress and you guessed it...They die...... So I am happy that you know for 100% certainty that your fish live better than mine...


I have been doing this to long to be told how to fish so go blow smoke someplace else :kewl:

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& turns the fish inside out when he sets the hook. I love setting the hook hard and having the tail slap the water on a big fish. No circles for me, in fact I don't count to 5 or bow to the fish or anything else. When I feel the hit I set the hook, any fish of size has sucked that eel in like a vacuum and I get very few fish gut hooked or missed fish.

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& turns the fish inside out when he sets the hook. I love setting the hook hard and having the tail slap the water on a big fish. No circles for me, in fact I don't count to 5 or bow to the fish or anything else. When I feel the hit I set the hook, any fish of size has sucked that eel in like a vacuum and I get very few fish gut hooked or missed fish.

A man after my own heart!

I was going to stay home tonight but after jeffs comment " I love to see the tail slap" I may just have to go and gut hook some large tonight!! :kewl:

just drop the rod and set the friggen hook
i use 94150 and i use circle hooks i went circle as i could rip them out of the back of a herring real easy.
I set hard both on circles and the mustad 150"s
with the circles you need a lighter drag so they dont pull
with the 150s always sharpen them I still have boxes of them and for 100 of them the price is right

"The deep hooking mortality rate for striped bass caught with conventional bait hooks in this study was 53.1%." This is the result from a rather extensive and scientific study done by the Fisheries Service of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. That is the science. If you want to study it further go to http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/fishingreport/crsb.html. I know this study isn't going to come to the conclusion that #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& wants so he must believe that the folks at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources must be PETA supporters. The fact is deep hooking kills released fish unnecessarilly. If you aren't going to be able to take it home to eat, use a method that gives it a better than 50% chance to survive. It's the deliberate deep hooking that I object to. Everything else #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& spouts is just a smokescreen to justify his lack of understanding of what he is doing to the resource. I could care less if #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& kills a large fish. It would be nice to do it in a method that allows him to select those few large fish that he wants to keep and successfully release those he would like to catch in the future. Bassmaster and JeffH have the right idea. Set the hook when the fish hits, set it hard. You get the same result without having to kill fish that will be released

By the way a 50# bass, unlike #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, is not over the hill, but exactly the genepool that we need blaying eggs in order to get more 50# bass. But that is another study #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& will attribute to PETA propaganda.

Another F'in pissing match.
This is wy I love starting posts... :eek:

#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& turns the fish inside out when he sets the hook. I love setting the hook hard and having the tail slap the water on a big fish. No circles for me, in fact I don't count to 5 or bow to the fish or anything else. When I feel the hit I set the hook, any fish of size has sucked that eel in like a vacuum and I get very few fish gut hooked or missed fish.
:uhuh:

:bgi: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:


Isnt this great!! fishingbumwannabe..You need to soul search and maybe stop bass fishing.You are 100% right I have no idea what the studies say I am totaly ignorant as to the sceinetific BS. The truth is I dont care thats right, I dont care. When I hook a monster the last thing on my mind is " oh my, the poor fish" gut hookem I say, weigh them after :laugha: :laugha:

By the way I am not over the hill yet that comes in november I can still catch however and will continue to......... "Set the hook ands turn em inside out"


PS. Thank you Dave, I to love a good pissing match on the net, however its always from the guys who spend to much time reading and not enough fishing

Before you release that next 50 make sure you hug it first and give it a warm kiss, it will thank you for ripping its lips out instead of sticking it in the throat.....


There is a BIG Difference between "guthooking" and throat hooking, they are not one in the same...I have never gut hooked a bass with a live eel only the start of the throat......As for the study you list I cant read so I will skip it :bc:

Cross there eyeballs when you set the hook!!

:bgi: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:


Isnt this great!! fishingbumwannabe..You need to soul search and maybe stop bass fishing.You are 100% right I have no idea what the studies say I am totaly ignorant as to the sceinetific BS. The truth is I dont care thats right, I dont care. When I hook a monster the last thing on my mind is " oh my, the poor fish" gut hookem I say, weigh them after :laugha: :laugha:

By the way I am not over the hill yet that comes in november I can still catch however and will continue to......... "Set the hook ands turn em inside out"


PS. Thank you Dave, I to love a good pissing match on the net, however its always from the guys who spend to much time reading and not enough fishing

Before you release that next 50 make sure you hug it first and give it a warm kiss, it will thank you for ripping its lips out instead of sticking it in the throat.....


There is a BIG Difference between "guthooking" and throat hooking, they are not one in the same...I have never gut hooked a bass with a live eel only the start of the throat......As for the study you list I cant read so I will skip it :bc:

Cross there eyeballs when you set the hook!!

Bill, get you're A$$ over here and clean the soda off my monitor..LMAO! :laugha:

jeffh hit the nail on the head.i fish eels95% of the time you dont need to let them run.

Since i am poaching most of the time and keep fish that are 9 inches, i enjoy guthooking. Why?? well all the weight of those hooks adds up at the market :hihi:

Since i am poaching most of the time and keep fish that are 9 inches, i enjoy guthooking. Why?? well all the weight of those hooks adds up at the market :hihi:



LMAO :laugha:

I certainly like to help entertain everyone. And I'm glad to see as many people using circle hooks as do. As for #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&, don't let the facts get in the way of the truth, at least your version. Ignorance is bliss. Fishaholic 18, sorry about the soda on your screen.

. Fishaholic 18, sorry about the soda on your screen.
That's OK, it's all in FUN...I hope. :rotf3:

:jump:

Yes all in fun however I still like to cross there eyeballs when I hookem down in the ahole.ouch!!!!!!!!! :eyes: <~~~~~~~what there eyes look like at landing :bl:

http://www.fishing.sh/htmfiles/hookreports/tyingvssnelling.html

circles suck...give a 5/0 9174 bronze mustad any day...very few hooked deep and when that happen's the fish are big enough to fit your arm down inside to pluck out the hook...5 count and hang the beast.

i like the 8/0 gamigatsu octopus circles, snelled on, for big live baits like herring and macks, pollack etc... they fit arround my thumb and thats about the size lip on a 50 pounder.

for eels i like the 4/0 daichi j hooks, snelled on.
the eels they'll suck right in and you can hit them hard right away.

the big live baits take a second to catch, turn head first, then swallow.

most important thing with the circles is DO NOT SET THE HOOK just come tight on the line and raise the rod up.