[fishing bum wannabe]

I used circle hooks with softbaits last year and found them remarkably effective. The reason I tried them was that the fish were inhaling the 9" Sluggos into their gills, resulting in damage, bleeding and I am sure some mortality. Circle hooks eliminated the deep hooking, and seemed, contrary to popular thought, to hook on the set.

I have found circle hooks to be an opportunity to limit fish mortality, which should be a major consideration to any catch and release fisherman. I see a lot of fly fishermen using them now. Try them out. I wouldn't be surprised if they work well. I know they work as well as any other hook when using unweighted soft baits.

I won't use anything else when using bait. Over the years I have deep hooked uncounted numbers of fish, and had stopped using bait. With circle hooks I have been able to use bait again and practice catch and release, or release the shorts.