Circle hooks

[Jessox80]

I had been fishing with a tandem treble/florocarbon leader rig for the past few years but recently switched to circle hooks with good results. I haven't had any of the 'drag and drop's since the switch, perhaps because the trebles' many points are no longer getting caught in vegetation. I can also let the fish take the bait longer without fears of gut-hooking. All hook sets since the switch have been textbook, corner-of-the-mouth hook-ups, leaving much healthier fish.  I tie one circle hook in a fixed position at the end of the line and leave one free on the line so I can adjust it according to bait size. Now all I need is more free time I can spend on the ice!!!

[hankthecrank]

Could we see some pics of this set up?

[deadbait dave]

circle hooks   good luck, but no thanks!

[Skipper]

I have had some bad results with circles. Hooking percentige goes in the toilet.

And yes I know how to use them. I use them for catfish all summer long.

[Jessox80]

I really let the pike run with my bait when I fish (because there is a large hard-spined forage base where I fish the pike almost always drag a bait slowly for 10-20 feet before turning it and eating it head first). I have learned to do this after pulling countless baits out of pike's mouths early in my ice fishing career, despite using tandem treble rigs, and I'm still confused how the pike are holding these baits in a way that avoids the hook. The circles let the fish run until I'm sure they are on without any gut-hooking, but I will say that the circles should be VERY sharp.  If you are a fisherman who prefers setting the hook quickly, circles are not for you.

[GRIZZZ]

For Pike - L144SSG Stainless Lazer Kahle hooks..... exceptionally good hook, for me

[Skipper]

You have to have a big awful huge circle to do the job, that is the problem. I was clear up to an 8/0 to fish a 10'' sucker, but the hook was so hefty it screwed with the bait. I got the circle hook routine figured out good enough to get my hook up percentage above 70%, but that still stinks. The trick I found was to let the fish run, and when it is moving right along I added tension with my fingers. When the line was snug, I sloooowly stopped the fish without a tug or "set". It was allot of shenanigans for no good reason IMHO.

I have a near 90% hookup rate with the quick strike rigs, with no gut hooks. If they are not working for you, I would guess your hooks are too big. Think smaller with the QSR, size 4 Eagle Claw 374s are plenty for an 8'' sucker.

I am pretty sure a long minnow type bait prevents the circle hook from turning properly in the fishes mouth. They work best with chunks of bait, like a gob of crawlers or chunk of cut bait.

QSR should look something like this..

[Jessox80]

The rig you use is almost exactly what I had been using, except I had one fixed treble, about the same size or a hair smaller than yours, and one free sliding treble. Mine were on 50lb florocarbon and I'd had reasonably good luck, aside from drag and drops, until this year when I had two fish, 16.5 and 14, both take the hook all the way into the "sphicter" of their throat- did not bode well for the fish either time.  Also the exposure of so many treble points was getting me hung up on vegetation.

[i c]

doesnt that quick strike setup make the bait hang head down?i always try to get it to lay natural but dont know if this matters?

[Jessox80]

I fish my bait dead, and I don't think dead fish always float or rest perfectly level. 

[Skipper]

doesnt that quick strike setup make the bait hang head down?i always try to get it to lay natural but dont know if this matters?

Nope, they swim around like nothing is going on. They will even swim up if you clip the fins.

The rig you use is almost exactly what I had been using, except I had one fixed treble, about the same size or a hair smaller than yours, and one free sliding treble. Mine were on 50lb florocarbon and I'd had reasonably good luck, aside from drag and drops, until this year when I had two fish, 16.5 and 14, both take the hook all the way into the "sphicter" of their throat- did not bode well for the fish either time.  Also the exposure of so many treble points was getting me hung up on vegetation.

Sounds like you are letting the fish go on tour with your bait! Don't let them run or even think about it with a QSR, cross their eyes the second that flag pops.

What size circles are you using? What brand and model of hooks are you using? Post a pic if you can, if the circles are working for you maybe I will revisit the idea. QSRs make for a tangled mess in the pail. I was using Eagle Claw L8197, and Gamagatsu Octopus Circles in my experimentation.