|
|
Posts: 122
| What does everyone think about circle hooks and setting the hook? The reason I ask is we took a charter in Florida salt water fishing. The guide got just peeED off at us. He said quit setting the hook all you northern people are the same. You never realize you loose more fish trying to set the hook. They are hooked upon biting. Later on when telling this story... someone explained that salt water fishing they don't need to set the hook, they use circle hooks... they sell circle hooks here and most people do not use them. I also heard they are safer for the fish..."I hear" though doesn't mean this is the case. Pondering this one still. Any thoughts? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 2
| Circle hooks are designed to hook the fish as the fish tightens the line. I use circle hooks while cat fishing with cut bait. My hookups have increased dramatically! I use regular hooks when it comes to live bait. The hook is designed to catch the corner of the fishes mouth and roll into the jaw as the line tightens. It seems to be safer than regular hooks because it doesn't get swallowed as often. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Caught 4 muskies on circle hooks. 2 were hooked in the corner of the mouth, 2 swallowed it. I won't use them for muskies again. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 785
| I don't think they are a great design for musky fishing. With muskies to ensure the fish has the hook it must completely swallow the sucker/hook and now has to pass all the way out of it's throat without catching. On smaller cut bait that a catfish can snap up in one bite it's perfect. As soon as the fish is making off with it just start reeling and you will hook them in the corner of the mouth almost every time. I set the hook several times trying to get the hang of it and yeah, if you 'set' the hook with a circle hook expect to miss the fish. Steady pressure does the job. Now once I feel the weight and know it's hooked I may put extra pressure on the ensure the hook buries. |
|
| |
|
| i have read a study of a young boy in the ottawa river,i think the result was,they are safer for the fish.
it make sense |
|
| |
|
Posts: 285
Location: NE Wisconsin | I also, had to cut the line because of a swallowed circle hook and will not use them again. I agree they may work great for our species with smaller sized bait, but for muskies with large live suckers they are not the ticket.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 58
| to those who have had negative experience with circle hooks.......are you sure you were using legitimate "in-line" circle hooks when you gut hooked fish? there is a good chance you were using "off-set" circle hooks, which are not even close to the same as far as safely coming back up through a gullet if it makes it that far. |
|
| |
|
| it make sense because the tip of the circle hook is so bent that it look impossible to damage a fish,saltwater guys are using them with way bigger baits and they get no problem at all.
but i can't tell for sure because i have never use a live bait for musky fishing,and i have no plan for it |
|
| |
|
Posts: 8781
| Tried it once, hooked a fish in the throat.
I think the reason they are not popular with muskies and likely will not work well is the bony structure of their mouth. Simply putting pressure on the fish will likely not bury hooks to the point where they will actually stick in the corner of their mouth.
Just a thought - like I said, I only tried it once.
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | First off - sounds like a pretty impatient guide...
Anyway, I have not used circle hooks for muskies but I have for walleyes while using live bait. Have tried them under tip-ups with minnows and under slip floats with leeches. The draw to me was avoiding the deeply hooked fish - especially when catching numbers of undersized or slot fish.
My experience with them was losing more fish than normal, and still hooking a few deep in the throat. My process was to just start reeling rather than setting the hook. I can't comment on using a true circle hook or not - I have a feeling the ones I used were offset. I'd like to try them again but I need to research what hooks to get, and I know they will be mail order only.
I think circle hooks have been proven but it needs to be the right hook, and I feel the right bait. I think they would not work the best on a dorsally hooked minnow (or sucker), as the minnow may keep the hook from properly rotating into the corner of the mouth as they are supposed to do. A leech, crawler, minnow hooked in the nose, or chunk of cut bait seem more likely to work.
When using 12"+ suckers with two trouble hooks and setting within several seconds of a hit, I think the chances of gullet hooking fish are slim. These muskies are T-boning the sucker, holding it for a bit, then turning it to swallow it - not engulfing it like a smallmouth would a leach. For muskies, I'll stick to quick set trebles. For walleye fishing, I'm still considering trying to find the right circle hook setup.
Tucker |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1360
Location: Lake "y" cause lake"x" got over fished | I tried it for bass and sucker minnows a few years ago, killed 3 fish from hooking in the throat/gullet. Changed hooks right after, never tried again.
To each thier own. But the more guys that I see using circle hooks, use them for pike and other smaller speicies of which they intend to keep anyway. so a dead fish here and there is no problem for those guys. When I am fishing with a guy or two using them, regardless of the number of fish caught. They always seem to kill at least one, sometimes more then a few. Ocean fishing is one thing when the tactics are completely different, but In my experience (in fresh water) circle hooks kill more fish then they save.
I say don't use em. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1141
Location: NorthCentral WI | I've done a fair amount of fishing with my grandpa on the Gulf and all he uses is circle hooks.
I did notice losing a few more fish than usual but never had problems gut or throat hooking. Every one that I remember was in the corner of the mouth just like they're designed to do. That being said, I would not use them for musky, completely different application. |
|
| |
|
| if a thing like this http://www.leadertec.com/Images/products/hooks/Mustad_39960.jpg kill a musky i think your hours of waiting must be too long |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | pikepatrol - 6/18/2013 10:45 AM
to those who have had negative experience with circle hooks.......are you sure you were using legitimate "in-line" circle hooks when you gut hooked fish? there is a good chance you were using "off-set" circle hooks, which are not even close to the same as far as safely coming back up through a gullet if it makes it that far.
They were in-line.
|
|
| |
|
Location: Contrarian Island | we use circle hooks here all the time for catfish...always hooked in the corner of the mouth and haven't had any swallowed.
you could use them with small suckers as long as you put tension on them right away.... but not if you wait as they will gulp them, then you are going to kill fish. hooks don't dissolve. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | They're great for smallies too. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 1405
Location: Detroit River | I use circle hooks for sturgeon & don't set the hook. I just reel up the slack line then the fish ends up hooking itself. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 46
| Never tried them myself but I know a few people that have had success using circle hooks on smaller suckers (6-10"). The key to not guthooking the fish is to leave the spool engaged but keep your drag lighter. The fish theoretically sets the hook on itself and you just pick up the rod and bring them in. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 548
Location: MN | esoxaddict - 6/18/2013 12:47 PM
I think the reason they are not popular with muskies and likely will not work well is the bony structure of their mouth. Simply putting pressure on the fish will likely not bury hooks to the point where they will actually stick in the corner of their mouth.
I agree. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 691
Location: nationwide | So what difference does the hook make? If you gut hook a fish it does not matter what kind of hook you are using, it's your method. Regardless of the hook type or offset versus non-offset circle hooks you should not intend for the fish to ingest the sucker. I have used circle hooks exclusively for the last 10+ years and have yet to throat hook a fish and use a homemade rig we call the quick set circle hook rig, the quick set part of the description being a misnomer, there is no "setting" the hook, but the fish has the bait no longer time-wise than any other quick set rig, with most of them hooked right in the corner of the mouth.
Sad to see these hooks getting a bad rap, but good to see if you are not comfortable using them to change to something else.
Corey Meyer
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 154
Location: Appleton, WI | I definitely think true inline circle hooks have a place and maybe even a future. I have used them some and not gut hooked fish. I think some of the problem is methods have not been refined at this time. I have attached the hook to the side of the sucker using rubber band or wire at the dorsal fin. I would be interested to see a drawing or photo from Corey on how he is doing it with 10 yrs experience. Any swallowed hook has the potential to gut hook a fish. A circle hook is not meant to be swallowed. The thought is for the hook to be in the fish's mouth and as the line tightens and the fish moves away the hook rotates and catches in the corner of the mouth. The hook size is also important. I would be curious on Corey's preferred size. Saltwater guys went thru and adjustment period on techniques before they found the best ones. I would like to see that for musky's also. My preferred hook has been a 3/0 or 4/0. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | You guys having success with 14"+ suckers? I can see a smaller sucker being inhaled almost immediately, making the "quick set" effective, but it seems like bigger suckers get held crosswise for quite some time before the fish turns it. My issue has been that I have no idea when the sucker is being turned. Obviously if I knew that I could begin my retrieve as soon as it happens. Too quick, dropped sucker, too slow, gut hooked. |
|
| |
|
| Nick59 - 6/19/2013 7:00 AM
esoxaddict - 6/18/2013 12:47 PM
I think the reason they are not popular with muskies and likely will not work well is the bony structure of their mouth. Simply putting pressure on the fish will likely not bury hooks to the point where they will actually stick in the corner of their mouth.
I agree.
imo the corner have a big parts without bones |
|
| |
|
Posts: 691
Location: nationwide | I only use suckers over 14" unless I can't get any that large, and will use up to the largest I can find at times. Here is a simple description of the rig. It is like a nose and body treble style quick set but with circle hooks instead. The front hook is rigged herbie style with a rubberband and the rear hook is the same way using the rubber band wire to "skewer" on the top of the sucker behind the dorsal fin below the spine. Fish hits the sucker, I don't care if it turns it or not, get the fish moving away from me with a shallow line angle to the water and reel hard and fast for 10-15 cranks with pole pointed straight with the line angle to the water. Then it is fight on, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. And don't worry about breaking the rubberbands either, not needed to get fish.
Corey Meyer |
|
| |
|
Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | Outstanding! I hadn't thought of rigging them that way (I did try the dorsal hook with no mouth attachment but drowned the sucker). I'll be giving this a try for sure. Thanks. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 154
Location: Appleton, WI | I have not tried the 2 hooks but sounds great, the front for me is the same as the PI sucker rig, line runs thru the sucker's lip and one hook by dorsal. What size hooks do you prefer? Any rig you get some and you lose some that's fishing. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 691
Location: nationwide | Here is a picture of the rig. There were multiple people involved in the refining of this over the years, especially in the rigging of the rear hook. And yes these are offset hooks, the picture was from a few years ago. I still use the same hooks but take out the offset.
Corey Meyer
Attachments
----------------
 Circle Rig 1.jpg (39KB - 148 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 58
| catch a tarpon, or at least jump a few..... then talk to me about bony month structures of fish. musky mouths are like mashed potatoes compared to 99% of saltwater fish. ive caught hundreds of pike many past 40" on circles, their mouths are #*^@ near the same as a musky. its not the mouth structure that makes them non-ideal for musky its they way they eat their food.
that being said, i do agree large suckers and muskies are not the ideal situation to use circle hooks. musky are too patient with their food many times, where as saltwater fish will grab bait and head back to where ever they came from in .00048 seconds making a quick dash away from the angler and setting the circle in the corner of their mouth. the fish must be moving away from the angler in order for a circle hook to do its job correctly.
a bridal hooked sucker might make more sense compared to a dorsal hooked sucker for musky for those who are interested in trying it. i would use depending on the sucker size a 5/0-8/0 gamakatsu or owner. the correct size and style hook makes a big difference in hookup ratio and hooking placement. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 122
| Good information, I like the rig for catching them on sucker minnows... I use sucker minnows rarely... but on those rare occssions never hurt a fish and lost a few on circle hooks.. yes I tried them a couple times... but seeing the potential for ingestion... yikes... the rig makes a ton of sense I like that idea a lot!! |
|
| |
