Circle Hooks
While the “J.” style hook remains one of the most popular hooks on the market, the circle hook has also gained a lot of attention over the last 10 years. In fact, many anglers have discovered the circle hook can increase the likelihood that of fish will survive a catch and release.
The overall design of the circle hook means to fish is caught at the corner of the mouth. This occurs 95% to 100% of the time. In the event of a fish swallows the hook completely, because of the design the hook will slip through the gullet without catching on soft tissue. In fact, when used properly the hook will hit the corner of the mouth, kicks over, and the point catches and penetrates.
The key to accomplishing a proper set hook with the circle hook is to avoid setting it. In fact, more anglers go wrong the first few times they use circle hooks. Anglers have become so accustomed to setting a hook, that they often have difficulty overcoming the urge to rear back fast and hard as soon as they feel a strike. The most effective way to use this hook, is once you feel the fish fight slowly lift your rod tip and fight with your fish. While this might seem like a fairly simple process, the secret to making it work is to resist the urge to set the hook.
Circle hooks work equally as well with live or dead bait. What is important, is choosing the appropriate sized hook so that a sufficient length of the point is exposed preventing the bait from interfering with rotating action. This is necessary to allow the hook sufficient room to pull against the job of the fish.
For those who prefer visual, you can easily see how a circle hook works with a fairly simple demonstration. Take a 24 inch piece of fishing line and put it into a size 5/0 saltwater circle hook. Now, raise your hand in front of you and create a “V.” with your thumb and the rest of your hand. Hold the line, dropped the hook to the Palm side of your hand, and let the line rest across the “V.”. This should give you a visual of what the hook looks like inside the fish’s mouth. The V., is the corner of the fish’s mouth. At this point, slowly pull the line so the hook comes up your Palm towards the V. Watch the hook as it makes contact with the skin between your thumb and forefinger. What you should see is the hook starting to rotate towards the point, exposing your skin to the point. This should give you a fairly good idea of how the hook works, and why the traditional hook set does not work.
The circle hook does not easily back out of the fish’s jaw. It also resistant to being shaken loose by a fighting fish – far more resistant than the J. hook. This fantastic hook design has not only this advantage, but once you resist the urge to set it, you’ll quickly find that it saves you money on hooks. Not only that, but you will be doing your part to sustain your fishing area by giving fish a far better chance of survival.
When you are out saltwater fishing it is important to make sure you have the right supplies. Some of the most popular brands include Shimano Fishing Reels, Penn Saltwater Reels, and Daiwa Reels.
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