Going full circle

[Rockfish9]

Originally Posted by JLH

I don’t have any issues with hooking fish on them they do cut down a little on hooking fish deep which I like a lot. My issue is that I’ve dropped a number of good sized fish on them toward the very end of the fight, I don’t seem to have any issues with fish up to around 30-35 pounds but I’ve lost at least half a dozen fish that were very likely larger than that on them after getting them in close and I just can’t seem to figure out why. Possibly the small barb combined with fish changing angles and rolling when they get in close has been enough for the hook to pop free. I know guys (mostly boat or kayak) who use circles exclusively and land some very big fish on them but I’ve been very frustrated every time I’ve tried to switch over to them.

were the hooks in line circles or offset... there is a huge difference between the two...those were my findings ( your results) using the offset.. thus my returning ( for close to 20 years) to "J" hooks.. every fish I have caught has been hooked solidly in or near the jaw hinge... some requiring the aid of a pair of pliars to remove it... what I had noticed with the off set, they often times were in the soft membrane by the hinge.. leading to a huge button hole...

Tattoo Bob...LMAO.. yes the cursed eel doughnut!

Granda pa Greg.... with cut bait, I use the bait runner... when a fish takes the bait I turn the handle and commence the fight...

When fishing eels... I keep the rod tip high.. when the initial strike is felt , I drop the rod... when the line comes tight, I raise the rod to the fighting position under steady pressure and reel...

I added 23 more fish to the tally last night all neatly buttoned in the side of the mouth..no dropped fish ...no missed fish... including this pork chop and a few of her fat sisters..

[JLH]

Originally Posted by Rockfish9

were the hooks in line circles or offset... there is a huge difference between the two...those were my findings ( your results) using the offset.. thus my returning ( for close to 20 years) to "J" hooks.. every fish I have caught has been hooked solidly in or near the jaw hinge... some requiring the aid of a pair of pliars to remove it... what I had noticed with the off set, they often times were in the soft membrane by the hinge.. leading to a huge button hole...

Last time I gave circles a serious try I was using he owner SSW circle hooks which are inline hooks and used them with bunker chunks. A good number of fish I caught were hooked in the corner of the mouth but some on the upper lip and some in the softer tissue inside the mouth. It could be that the size of the chunk is preventing the hook from consistently sliding into place like it would on an eel or a smaller piece of cut bait. I try to leave as much of the hook exposed as possible while not casting off too many pieces of bunker and used large 9/0 hooks thinking they would have a better chance to catching. I haven't been fishing much bait this season but if I do maybe I'll give them another shot.

[Grampa Greg]

Originally Posted by Rockfish9

Granda pa Greg....
When fishing eels... I keep the rod tip high.. when the initial strike is felt , I drop the rod... when the line comes tight, I raise the rod to the fighting position under steady pressure and reel...

I added 23 more fish to the tally last night all neatly buttoned in the side of the mouth..no dropped fish ...no missed fish... including this pork chop and a few of her fat sisters..

Thanks for the advise!
Hmmm that's pretty much what I do as well. The only thing I was told I was doing wrong was that I should Snell my hooks and not attach the hooks directly to a clip. Apparently the swinging circle hook won't catch as consistently and will come unbuttoned. I snelled a few hooks last night and will try them but if I continue dropping fish like I have done in the past I may just give up on them all together. (I really don't want to do that.)

GG