Author Topic: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?  (Read 12641 times)

Offline jacksmelt71

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #30 on: Oct 10, 2015, 06:54 AM »
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 .

Offline jacksmelt71

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #31 on: Oct 10, 2015, 07:00 AM »
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.

Offline panfishman13

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #32 on: Oct 12, 2015, 10:52 AM »
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.

Offline 52isntbigenough

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #33 on: Oct 23, 2015, 12:39 PM »
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.

Offline transmontanus

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #34 on: Oct 23, 2015, 01:24 PM »
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?

Offline jacksmelt71

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #35 on: Oct 27, 2015, 08:17 AM »
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.

Offline Martian

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #36 on: Jan 02, 2016, 02:58 PM »
 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

Offline Traxion

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #37 on: Jan 03, 2016, 01:13 PM »
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. 

Offline Tripper

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #38 on: Jan 09, 2016, 08:26 AM »
That's all I use. Owner mutu light hooks in red color have been my go to for all my ice fishing. :tipup:

Offline Seamonkey84

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #39 on: Jan 24, 2016, 11:21 PM »
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.

Offline afwrestler1986

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #40 on: Jan 26, 2016, 06:56 AM »
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.
[Img]http://i63.tinypic.com/ei5njr.png[img]

Offline fishall30

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #41 on: Mar 07, 2019, 06:17 PM »
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.

Offline mvanhank222

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #42 on: Mar 07, 2019, 10:23 PM »
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.

Offline Iceassin

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #43 on: Mar 08, 2019, 03:36 AM »
Gamagatsu wide-gap finesse on my tip-ups for pike.
"Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice."
 


Offline Martian

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Re: how many of you still icefish circle hooks?
« Reply #44 on: Mar 08, 2019, 08:49 AM »
 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

 



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