circle hooks on tipups

[jpicks]

Does anybody use circle hooks on their QR rigs for pike?  It would make sense because I know you're not even supposed to set the hook when using circle hooks.  Just keep reeling when you feel a bite.  This would mean that you wouldn't neccessarily have to wait for the pike to stop swimming and then yank the tipup line to set the hook.   You could just gradually give it some tension and continue pulling the fish in. 

Any comments?

[pooley]

the idea of a quickstrike rig, is hitting it on the first, or second run, not giving them time to swallow the hook. i would stick with trebles.

[jpicks]

That's the whole theory behing circle hooks though.  Even if the fish swallows the hook, it almost always slides easily back out and gets caught on the upper lip because of its shape.  We use them alot when drift fishing lindy rigs for walleye.  They walleye lightly takes the rig, and as it goes to spit it out, it gets caught on the upper lip. 

[pooley]

you said pike. they roll the bait in their mouths. different situation.

[jpicks]

good point.

[Skipper]

The problem is that the bait and the line gets all fouled in the pike's teeth and the hook does not rotate properly. I have beat this one to death, I thought it was going to be the next big thing. It just wont work properly. You will get marginal results with a huge hook in a small bait, but your hookup rate will suffer badly.

[pooley]

i agree skipper.

[kayslay]

what i use is a single #2 shinner hook with bout 2 feet flouro 60# always a nice hook set in the corner of the mouth.havent lost one yet.thats my set up for pike.

[Wiener]

circle hooks are made to hook when the bait moves in the fishes mouth.

That's not very likely when a pike has his teeth sunk into your shiner.


I tried em, and then cut them off and put them in with my catfishing stuff.

Stick with quick strike rigs for northerns.


Wiener

[ChillerThriller]

Tried them last year for a good 7 trips, one with a circle hook one with a quickstrike. caught 2 out of too many on the circles and only missed 2 out of many with the rigs. moral of the story, stow the circles.

[Nor Easter]

Circle hooks needs to go in the biggest gimmick thread.

Used them a many times open water AND ice and lost tons of nibbles and strikes. The opposite of a bait keeper, every time I set the hook and pulled them in, bait GONE! Now I won't touch them with a ten foot pole! 

[Skipper]

They kick serious butt for catfish. When you are in such heavy current that you need to keep the line tight, they are your best friend. You get a slow action rod with soft tip and stick it in a rod holder, when the tip starts kicking, FISH ON! It is the ultimate hook for inattentive fishing with beer involved. The fish hook themselves with no help from you.

[Wiener]

Circle hooks are not meant to be used when you "set" the hook.

They were originally used by setline people who were not attending their lines all the time.

Ever watch the Discovery Channel?  They have a show about the setline fishermen in the Atlantic.

They catch swordfish, Tuna and Sharks.  Catfisherman have used them for years when jug fishing, using Yo-Yos, setlines, or bank poles.

If you set the hook while using a circle hook, you are not going to catch the fish.  That may be why they don't work so well for ice fishing.

With a circle hook, you want to just start reeling. (no hook set)

That's why they work good for kids - They don't know anything about a hook set.


Wiener

[ctibbetts]

Question- does this apply to the "octopus circle" hooks?  Gamagatzu (sp?) has these.  These are all I've used for pike fishing the last three seasons.  While I grant that I haven't had many strikes, I haven't missed a fish.  Not making a case for these, as I really never gave it thought, just curious.

[Wiener]

Octopus style are different than true circle hooks.

I use the Octopus style hooks when fishing with spawn for trout.

They work good.


Wiener

[ctibbetts]

Thanks for the info.  I do know that the two types are different, but not everyone seems to.  Wanted to make sure I was on the same page.  For what it's worth, I use almost exclusively the octopus style hook on all my tip-ups in sizes from #10 to 5/0 depending on my bait.  Rarely miss a flag- of course I don't get that many flags...

[VDueslerIV]

I dont have much data to go on but i use circle hooks and my cousin uses regular eagle claw snells and we catch about the same amount of fish, so i guess its just personal preference..

[sunup]

Circle hooks are on all of my pike tip-ups. 5 flags yesterday;4 fish hooked in the corner of the jaw and one drop.  To each his own.

[pooley]

Circle hooks were designed to release fish and avoid gut or deep throat hook up.

someone got it right!

[WYIfish]

Circle hooks needs to go in the biggest gimmick thread.

Used them a many times open water AND ice and lost tons of nibbles and strikes. The opposite of a bait keeper, every time I set the hook and pulled them in, bait GONE! Now I won't touch them with a ten foot pole! 

Your right Nor Easter, I was all gun-ho and bought a box of 100 circle hooks.  After loosing a bunch of fish, I determined to go back to my eagle claws that I custom bend a little to the left and a little more open.   If not delicately turned around with finness, the circle hooks just slim  out nicely between the fishes lips cleanly and the fishies swim a way with dinner for free.

I imagine they work great on summer catfish, or for catching seagulls but not for trout and tip ups.