IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Tipups => Topic started by: jacksmelt71 on Dec 14, 2014, 05:01 PM
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after all the craze about circle hooks over the years, how many of you out there stuck with them. I'm considering changing so i don't wound as many fish.
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hard water soft water fresh water saltwater, for bait fishing , live or cut , i really like how they perform & a bonus , rarely is a fish mortally hooked
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I absolutely hate circle hooks. Useless IMO. If ya don't want to wound the fish, set the hook in time. Felt those dang things pull right through too many fish's mouths. I only use them when the law says. 🎣
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I still use them and have even more confidence in what they can do now that I know how to use them correctly.
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I only use them when fishing cut bait, generally for catfish. I do not find them to be much more self setting then any other hook though. I just think my hook up ratios slightly increase when fishing dead still bait.
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Circles are a great choice for almost everything that swims. I have success using them for bass, walleye and even pannies. However, my experiences using them for pike/muskies for over a dozen years has me returning to small, strong trebles and quick hooksets or quick strike rigs. I believe there is something about all those teeth, on the tongue and roof of the mouth that don't let the line get the right angle for the circle to work as designed very reliably. Had many fish hooked deeply or not at all and I've given up trying to make them work.
Again, I've been playing with circles for nearly 20 years for many species. I've got the "non-hookset" thing down, understand the value of a straight circle (not kirbed or offset) and use appropriate sizes, all factors in reliable circle hook use.
My bottom line: for fish that don't have the teeth that pike/muskies have I would not hesitate to use them.
Just my opinion based on my experiences, UMMV......
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Is there any way they could effectively be used through the ice, like on a jig? Seems counter intuitive?
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Not the way I see it Missoula. Use them all the time for halibut and cod in Alaska but not while jigging. Circles are designed for bait with the concept that just reeling down on the fish causes them to turn away from the pull thus hooking themselves around the mandible as the hook is drawn out. Very effective on bait. Jigging requires a reaction hook set and it will just pull the circle out of their mouth most of the time. Just my 10 years worth of experience with them, for what it's worth. They work for pike on a tip-up with dead bait, but quick strikes are better by far.
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Thank you sir. Kinda what I figured :)
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I'm with Bassin Assasin. I don't like then. I got a couple buddies that still use them,
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I use circles almost exclusively when fishing live/dead bait. They aren't for everyone.
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I use circle hooks exclusively and have an extremely high hookup rate, much higher then the people I watch horse J hooks out of the fishes mouth. When you know how to use them correctly they are awesome. Also, every catch is right in the corner of the mouth and for someone like me who practices c&r, that's important.
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Also, every catch is right in the corner of the mouth
Not true at all.
My experience after 3 years of careful experimentation: Worms and minnows for smallmouth (#6 non-offset octopus circle), herring for stripers (6/0 eagle claw circle sea L2004G), I got about 20% or 1/5 hooked deep with non-offset circle hooks.
Its less than 10% with offset octopus or J hooks.
However, using cutbait for cats I had no fish hooked deep...but only hooked fish on about 60% of takes, where as its over 90% with eagle claw L042 widegaps.
Im done with circle hooks.
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I was just saying that from a personal standpoint, not trying to generalize. I've been using circles for pike and bass for 3 or 4 years on the ice, 3/0 to 5/0 with large live/dead bait, and can't really remember ever gut hooking fish.
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When I fish using bait, I always use circle hooks.
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I have given up on small circle hooks. I have used them ( size 8/0) in the saltwater for years with great results. It's also the law here in Maine now. But, the little ones have resulted in many more gut hooks than traditional hooks.Instead, I have been hooking my bait parallel to the backbone. This really helps eliminate gut hooked fish as most of the hookups are in the roof of the mouth.
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I have given up on small circle hooks. I have used them ( size 8/0) in the saltwater for years with great results. It's also the law here in Maine now. But, the little ones have resulted in many more gut hooks than traditional hooks.Instead, I have been hooking my bait parallel to the backbone. This really helps eliminate gut hooked fish as most of the hookups are in the roof of the mouth.
This was one of my mistakes early in the experimentation phase, using hooks that were not appropriately sized. I found that the gap size made a huge difference in good hookups or not. Using a number size hook usually larger than a regular gap hook works much better than size for size. For example if I was usually comfortable using a #10 conventional hook I might have much better and more predictable results with a #8 or even #6 circle.
Just something I found and you may want to consider.
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I have been hooking my bait parallel to the backbone. This really helps eliminate gut hooked fish
Very cool. Makes sense too. Hooked perpendicular, its almost forcing the hookpoint to rotate, parallel and it can do its thing. I'm looking forward to trying this. Thank you!
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Another thing to consider with circles is that in addition to the hook shank being in-line/straight you want the eye to be in-line as well if you're tying to it otherwise it's best to snell to the hook shank. The direction of pull should be parallel to the hook shank and tying to an offset eye doesn't allow that.
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This was one of my mistakes early in the experimentation phase, using hooks that were not appropriately sized. I found that the gap size made a huge difference in good hookups or not. Using a number size hook usually larger than a regular gap hook works much better than size for size. For example if I was usually comfortable using a #10 conventional hook I might have much better and more predictable results with a #8 or even #6 circle.
Just something I found and you may want to consider.
Very good point. I did find that bigger is better. I up sized and it did work better. I still use circles on a few traps that I have rigged for larger fish. I tried to match the gap in the circle to the gap in a J hook. This will result in a circle that is several sizes larger than a J. With the small hooks #6 and smaller, I find hooking parallel to the spine, point toward head, gives me less gut hooked fish.
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I love circle hooks for summer time catfishing.sit back and let them load up the rod.last year started using them on my tipups for pike and have great percentage of hookups.i let them run then just apply pressure to the line with my fingers instead of the hookset and it catches them right in the corner of the mouth.putting the brakes on during their run.i use gama offset circles in 1/0 or 3/0.beats the trying to get a treble hook out of the throats of those toothy northerns.
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This was one of my mistakes early in the experimentation phase, using hooks that were not appropriately sized. I found that the gap size made a huge difference in good hookups or not. Using a number size hook usually larger than a regular gap hook works much better than size for size. For example if I was usually comfortable using a #10 conventional hook I might have much better and more predictable results with a #8 or even #6 circle.
Just something I found and you may want to consider.
i noticed that too!
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This was one of my mistakes early in the experimentation phase, using hooks that were not appropriately sized. I found that the gap size made a huge difference in good hookups or not. Using a number size hook usually larger than a regular gap hook works much better than size for size. For example if I was usually comfortable using a #10 conventional hook I might have much better and more predictable results with a #8 or even #6 circle.
Just something I found and you may want to consider.
That's the same thing I learned. I tried same size circle hooks as J-hooks and I needed to change the hook size.
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went out today and caught 2 splake on sz.4 circles. both the corner of the mouth. I'm convinced I'm on the right track!
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Nice work
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Anyone use circle hooks for walleye on tip ups if so how do they work??
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I still use them on my tip ups, and prolly won't be going back to quick strikes or trebs. I have caught too many undersize pike w/ blood running out both gills , and have caught just as many undersize pike hooked in the lip with circles. every now and then swallowed, but with hemos, still easier to unhook and release to grow
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I had a lot of success with circles for pike. Its nice not having to wait till they stop running. I just wait till the run slows down and then I just retrieve with no hook set. Works great, only occasionally will I missed fish. I had more pike drop my treble set ups because the line would get caught in weeds.
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I use them for bait fishing. Wider gaps are best. Another thing to consider when using them is to SNELL them. The snell knot allows more flex movement for the hook set.
Is there enough resistance on the circle hook when using tip ups? How do you reel down the slack?
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I'm a fan of using circles too. It took some experimentation last season but I figured them out. I like to have my traps spaced out so I can't always get there in time to set the hook with a traditional hook.
At first I wasn't setting the hook because I had read it wasn't necessary. Then I started setting the hook, not with much force, and was having a lot of luck.
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Well last season I used circles on all my tip ups. So far I've had the best luck w/ss. 2 light wire for salmon 1x for togue. The gap size seems to match the fish well. Had a few gut it but I think it's due to me waiting too long. Also online circles seem to. Work best with less gut hooks. Paired with the rubber band trick the fish hooks himself and you just have to bring him in. Thanks to Buddha for this tip! For shallow brookies I find conventional hooks work better due to the lines snagging on weeds and pulling the bait out of thier mouths .
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Also I'm using larger bait (jack smelts mostly) so to use smaller baits and keep from killing them you would need to down size accordingly. Make sure to use as wide a gap inline circle you can find if using smaller sizes. My 2 cents.
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i love circle hooks on my tipups, set the tension relatively tight and the fish will hook themselves. especially fishing for catfish and trout, both of which love to pick up the bait and swim away with it.
in fact, i caught my personal best rainbow trout on a tipup with a circle hook, and frankly i wouldn't have caught him if i hadn't been using circles.
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I use them for Musky in open water and Pike in hard water seasons. The key to ensure they don't gut hook fish is making sure they're pounded flat. No offset, no odd bends. Flat.
You gotta be patient when using them, they aren't for everybody.
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I have been playing around with my tip up rigs for this upcoming season. Has anybody tried using circle hooks for walleye? If so what size do you normally go with?
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I have been playing around with my tip up rigs for this upcoming season. Has anybody tried using circle hooks for walleye? If so what size do you normally go with?
i use sz 2 owner mutu light inline circles for salmon. i would think that size would work for walleye. most the salmon we get are 14 -24in. with the chance of some bigger.
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I use them ALL the time the hook sets are easier, and I am able to release small fish, instead of trying to get trebles out of them, while blood is pouring out of their gills
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I've used them a lot with walleyes on tip ups. #2 size was best for fathead size bait. 1/0 was OK too but #4 did not have enough gap. I took awhile to get used to the hook set process. There are still a few fish that get deep hooked but the large percentage are hooked in the corner of the mouth. Hooking percentage for me was less than trebles.
I am back to using trebles. I set my tipups close and get to them quick so hooking mortality is very low. I would use circles if I had a long time period between the take and set.
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That's all I use. Owner mutu light hooks in red color have been my go to for all my ice fishing. :tipup:
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I use circle books just about every time I'm using bait. The key with circle hooks is to not set the hook! Just pick up the line and start a slow and steady retrieve till you feel tension, then just hold on or slowly pull as the hook slides into the corner of the mouth. The sizing of circle hooks needs to be based on the size of the targets mouth. What ever size hook you usually use, go up a size or two. I usually hook shinners just behind the dorsal fin, as they usually get swallowed head first, and the hook usually pulls through the bait and is free to do its work.
As for using them for jigs and lures, I don't think they would be as effective as the reaction strikes and jigging strokes will more than likely just pull the hook out of the mouth.
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I use them open water live bait and hard water on tipups and dead sticks. Rubber band trick+ octopus circle hooks= auto hook set. I set the rubber band about three to five feet into the spool so the fish can run a little before the rubber band puts tension on the fish. Other thing I like about them is that a fish has a harder time throwing the hook if they get slack. And if you have kids, they like to just reel when they get a bite, so they are perfect for little ones.
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I use Circle hooks on Trout and Pike with great success. Single hook in front of baits dorsal for pike and make sure you run line thru eyelet from hook side. Do Not jerk of course.
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A couple of things to think about with circle hooks. The first is always snell knot them that alone probably would double your hook up ratio. Second is don’t set the hook just pull the fish in. Third is the fish has to be moving away from you this is why I prefer not to use a circle while walleye fishing as in my experience walleye tend to chew on the bait and not really run hard away with it.
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Gamagatsu wide-gap finesse on my tip-ups for pike.
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I still use them, and feel it was one of those good crazes. We catch quite a few shorts in this lake we fish , and some just a few inches over. I have learned to love pike as table fare, but cleaning a just legal fish is like surgery, and so much easier with a fish 28 or up. also, many of the shorts we caught on quick strike rigs, would have blood pouring out of their gills , so we believed even if you cut the leader, they were turtle food and would not survive