Circle Hooks

[bulltrout]

does anyone use these at all?...i bought a couple of packs and have tied up a couple dozen assorted flies for bulls and pike but truth be told, i've never fished a circle hook before...i know you're not supposed to set the hook on these but rather let the fish take it and swim away or continue your regular retrieve and that once hooked, most fish stay hooked as the hook embeds in the corner of the mouth but that's all i got...anyone with any experience or patterns???

[Guest bigbadbrent]

Bob Clouser ties a vicious Circle Hook Deep Clouser..as you say though, you don't set the hook, you let it turn to take the hook

[reevesr1]

Used them lots in saltwater, but exclusively when fishing with bait. Their biggest claim to fame is it is almost impossible to gut hook fish with them. But with the hook back in on itself, it tends to grab the side of the mouth and rotate into place with tension, not a hookset. My dad used to say:

If you are fishing for fun, use a circle hook. If you are fishing for food, use a treble.

 

That said, with any type of artificial bait they don't seem to work as well, at least for me. It has something to do with the fact that the fish rejects the bait much faster than with a natural. I would assume the same would apply with any fly or streamer for that matter. May be worth a shot because if they did work, then they would help with keeping fish on after hookup, particularly with barbless hooks.

 

The one thing I did not like about them was not setting the hook. Fishing looses a bit of its visceral appeal without the hookset.