Are Circle hooks good to use?

[Big Philly]

I was wondering what people think about using cirlce hooks.And where can i buy them?

Thanks!

[JohnR]

Pretty much every saltwater tackle shop will have them and they are excellent when used with cut/chunked bait. When properly fished, the hook will catch the corner of the mouth and in many cases increase your hookups. The key to setting a circle hook is not to haul back like you typically would to set the hook. The circle hook will not catch deep in the gut of the fish (very important when releasing undersized fish) but will catch just the corner. When a fish takes the bait and starts to go, keep the rod tip low and pointed towards the fish. Reel in evenly and steady and circle hook, which is very sharp, will catch in the corner of the jaw. Then you're on. But if you use a had hookset, you can easily pull the hook out of the fishes mouth.

Circle hooks are (we've been debatring this a lot) not as effective with live baits like eels or macks in my opinion but are very good with cut and chunk baits...

[Patrick]

It's all of what you make of them. I have one friend who is new to fishing and does fine with them. It seems to me, a lot of the intermediate to advanced guys are having the trouble with them. The key is to not set the hook but rather, let the line draw tight. You figure guys who have been fishing for 10, 20 or more years are so stuck in the way of setting a J-hook, they forget they have a circle hook on. I have trouble with them a lot but when I do things properly, they work very well at keeping the hook out of the gut.

If I were you, I'd pick up a package of them, try them out. If you don't like them, you have a minimal loss. And if you do like them, next time you can buy a bulk package of them.

Remember, get ones without an offset. An offset circle hook will gut hook a fish.

[denis]

used one for the first time last night,keep loosing shad hooked on a fly to big fish,so keep a couple of fish and cut them up out goes the spinner with a chunk an circle hook,put the rod in the holder light drag,continue to catch shad,then down goes spinner,start to reelcatch.32"bass hooked in gut, next one out reg hook same way rod in holder light drag 27"bass hooked in mouth next three fish on reg hooks great fishing all fish released alive.
i think results very. my 2 cents

[Carl]

I have used circle hooks last year and so far this year, with eels, with success. I do believe that they work with eels. The thing to remember is NOT to set the hook. You have to wait generally 5-7 seconds, with your rod pointed at the fish and then smoothly raise your rod and start reeling and the fish generally hooks itself in the jaw. I use a Gamakatsu 5/0 circle. I don't have a lot of striper fishing experience with a hard hook set so basically the circle hook non-hook set doesn't have to replace any other habits. It still takes discipline not to set the hook. Instinct and excitement still set in and fish have been lost to hard hook sets. I also believe that since almost all the fish I catch, are going back in, a few missed fish due to circle hooks are well worth price of releasing fish that are almost always hooked in the jaw.

Carl

[ragfly]

Like Carl I like the GAMAs as well I use a 6/0 or 5/0 when they are finicky. I use it stricky chunking macks. All the fish I caught this season 99.8% of the fish are hooked in the corner of the mouth. The trick to it is keeping in contact with the bait at all time. I also use a braided line that has no stretch so you can feel the smallest touch. Anyways, I usually hold my rod up and when I d=feel the fish pick up the bait I drop my rod tip slowly, then gently lift it. Sometimes after i have them on I geive them a little tug just in case I am in the tough part of their mouth. Another tip is use fluorocarbon leader makes a big difference. Just ask The Chunker of Death. By the way has anyone heard from Bill lately?