Circle Hook Size

[Hunter]

What size circle hooks do you use on your tip-up line for Lake Trout?  Generally under 10 lbs. in size.

[dabluz]

I wouldn't use circle hooks.  Circle hooks under a certain size do not work as well as large circle hooks and I doubt you use such large circle hooks for lake trout.  On another note, the size of the hook mostly depends on the size of the bait on how you want to hook the bait.  If you are going to use a bait like a frozen smelt, you would be much better off making a small harness of two or better yet, three size 6 hooks to hold your bait.  Expose the hook points for a good quick hookup.  You don't have to dig your hooks deep into the bait either because there are 3 hooks that are holding the bait.  If a small lake trout (we call them touladi here in Quebec) bites anywhere on the bait, he gets hooked and if it's a large lake trout, well there will be at least get hooked on one hook.  I use small, 3-hook harnesses for fishing brook trout when I use small smelt.  Even a 10 inch brookie gets hooked and the number of missed fish is close to zero.

[venom]

 dabluz I like the thaught of uesing the quick set rigs for trout but what do you do if you dont want them to inhale your bait and you want to put your catch back after you take a few photos running 3 smaller hooks like that on a tip up and if you dont catch it up in time the fish could swallow it wouldent you say? Wont circle hooks prevent that? I have seen some that you can put some nice size bait on.

[dabluz]

dabluz I like the thaught of uesing the quick set rigs for trout but what do you do if you dont want them to inhale your bait and you want to put your catch back after you take a few photos running 3 smaller hooks like that on a tip up and if you dont catch it up in time the fish could swallow it wouldent you say? Wont circle hooks prevent that? I have seen some that you can put some nice size bait on.

Trout in my region are as common as perch in other regions.  The limit is 20 brook trout.

When fishing with the smelt harness, it's certain that catch and release is not the main objective.  However, I do strike very quickly when I get a bite and surprisingly enough, most of the trout are in shape to be released so I do release the nice sized trout and keep the smaller ones.  I never use tip ups or tip downs for trout.....I only use the rod I have in my hands so I don't know how deeply a trout caught on a tip up can get hooked.

The use of minnows, dead or alive, is very limited in my region so the only time I use the smelt harness is when I fish the Saguenay River just across the road from my home.  Since I like to eat my trout fresh, I always quit fishing when I have enough for a meal.  Not many people know that you can use minnows in the Saguenay river (which is in a different zone from the rest of the region) so I don't talk about using smelt and those that do use smelt for bait, do not make use of a harness.....another secret that I do not share.  So for now, the brook trout in the Saguenay river are not in danger....lol.

I use size 6 Octopus hooks in my homemade smelt harnesses.

About 6 miles downstream from my home, the water in the Saguenay river gets very deep and in these deeper parts, it's salt water....with a layer of fresh water flowing over it.  During the winter we fish for cod, halibut, lingcod, ocean perch etc etc and many fishermen use large circle hooks and often leave their tip downs unattended for long periods of time.  Since there are tides in the Saguenay river, the fishermen add floats just above their rigs so that the rig stays vertical in the water without the need to adjust the length of line from the tip down. I have yet to use them because I rarely set up more than 3 lines with fishing rods and reels (we are allowed to use 5 lines) and so far my Siwash hooks are giving me excellent results.  I am always moving from one rod to another and when I get a bite, I am right there to strike the fish.  I miss very few fish.  I also use a 2-hook smelt harness for this type of fishing.

For some reason or another, I just can't seem to trust a hook that I can put in my pocket and pull it out without it catching somewhere in my pocket....lol.  If I ever do any trot line fishing for lingcod, well that would make a world of difference.....I would certainly use circle hooks.  In Lac St-Jean, there are a few who fish for freshwater lingcod on long lines with up to 100 hooks.  It's a lot of work to set up such a line through the ice.  You have to cut a series of holes and push the line with long wooden poles just under the ice from one hole to the next.  The rig stays there all winter.

[venom]

  I here you on fishing trout thats what I do here on the south shore of lake Superior we are allowed 3 lines only but when I'm out after lakers,splake, browns I am a one pole guy. Haveing to many problems running more than that at the water depths I'm fishing most of the time for lakers here in the islands I fish 100 to 300 ftow more than one line and you have problems. When I come up in the shallow banks around the islands fishing for browns and splake in 20 to 60 ftow I run one rod also. I have tip ups for the small inland lakes which I hardley fish because I like chaseing trout I've never used tip downs and never seen them untell this fourm and guys leaving them unattended for a long time I could see the problem there. Sounds like you have got a good bag limit on the trout there must have a good stocking program? 

[dabluz]

  I here you on fishing trout thats what I do here on the south shore of lake Superior we are allowed 3 lines only but when I'm out after lakers,splake, browns I am a one pole guy. Haveing to many problems running more than that at the water depths I'm fishing most of the time for lakers here in the islands I fish 100 to 300 ftow more than one line and you have problems. When I come up in the shallow banks around the islands fishing for browns and splake in 20 to 60 ftow I run one rod also. I have tip ups for the small inland lakes which I hardley fish because I like chaseing trout I've never used tip downs and never seen them untell this fourm and guys leaving them unattended for a long time I could see the problem there. Sounds like you have got a good bag limit on the trout there must have a good stocking program? 

No stocking program for brook trout in my region.  It's all native brook trout.  Most of the lakes have no other species of fish in them.  No minnows.....just brook trout.  This means no competition from other fish species.  This also means that the brook trout eat insects so the fly fishing is great all summer.  Yes, there is the occaisional salamander and maybe a few frogs but even frogs are rare.

However, in the Saguenay River, there are millions of smelt and small shrimp like animal like scuds etc.  However, no insects in the Saguenay river....the water is too salty for the insects.  The Saguenay river is the largest brook trout river in the world.

A few miles upstream from where I live, the salt water does not reach that area....even at high tide.  From there, upstream, we catch walleye, landlocked Atlantic salmon, pike, perch etc but rarely any brook trout.

[buddah]

I use size 6 circle hooks here on Sebago,the lake trout average 5-7 lbs and they work great.I'm also using 5-8" suckers.

[dabluz]

I use size 6 circle hooks here on Sebago,the lake trout average 5-7 lbs and they work great.I'm also using 5-8" suckers.

Wow....that's a pretty small hook for such a large bait and touladi "lake trout" that size.

Do you use only one hook or do you make a small short harness with 2 or 3 hooks?

[buddah]

Wow....that's a pretty small hook for such a large bait and touladi "lake trout" that size.

Do you use only one hook or do you make a small short harness with 2 or 3 hooks?

Just one hook,but you have to hook the sucker in the very thin part of the lip so there's plenty exposed.

[james]

sz 8 with a smelt.