Ive been useing Circle hooks when trolling eels and have had some good luck,but Ive been a liitle inconsistant in seting the hook ,I asked my buddy who has been fishing for ever , but doesnt troll at all , he said try not to set the hook to hard you will pull it out . let it kinda tighten up slow and wrap around the jaw. which makes sense alot of big fish Ive caught has been when they have ran for a good distance before I got to the pole. any suggestions or should I try another hook all together???

That is A great question! I troll or drift with 4/0 or 5/0 gammi circles with eels.I was missing alot by setting the hook to quick. 2 weeks ago I got a nice bass I let her take it while I gradually tighting the drag she pretty much set the hook herself and then when I NEW i had it i set the hook hard. Miistake not 7/ or 8/0 yhat would be way to big.

i've heard.. just start reeling them in and let it catch.

last night how ever, i was chunking and two got gutted pretty bad. so we switched to circles. i did not have a bait runner, so that idea went out the window with a lose bail. i set the hook as normal and only lost two fish. of course i only caught one and a skate. so it's not much to go on.

but yeah the way they are shaped is pretty much to slip up the throat and latch onto the lips. so just give the line some tension, and once you feel the fish start fighting/the slack runs out. give a good hook set to make sure.

my question: with trolling this sound to be a lot easier.. is it?

count to 5 after the initial strike, then gradually tighten the line....thats it.

yep.. you dont set circle hooks... you drop fish but its better for em...

since i can't catch squat this year... im avoiding circle hooks like the plauge :)

I dont know of many who do use circle hooks on eels. 5, 6, or 7/0 straight eel hooks is the only thing I have ever used and never dropped hardly any. Let the eel go with it on free spool, there is no other feeling like it, and after forty or fifty feet pull back steadily with conviction, but dont yank the hook out by setting real hard.

I like to reel slow until i feel resistance then i cross its eyes