How does everyone like these? I don't mind using them for shiners in the winter but I really dislike using them for chunk bait especially when shore fishing for striper. They puncture the bait too shallow and then when you try to rotate your bait and re hook it it just mashes your bait up and flies off the hook when you cast it. I hope they save a ton of fish lives because I'm not finding them very effective for surfcasting.
A hook designed for billfishing with bait trolling very fast....years ago when I started trying them I gut hook more bass on circles than an offset octopus. Just my experience and a sore subject as the ASMFC thinks overregulating recreational striper anglers is going to fix the crash in their numbers.
Can someone please explain, and please forgive, I'm relatively new to salt water fishing in general.. when do I have to use circle hooks? The book says "We recommend using circle hooks" when reading the write ups. But then in the regulations with bag limits it says specifically for striped bass and bluefish that you have to use circles when fishing with chunk bait. What if I am fishing for fluke, or seabass? Do I need to release a bluefish I caught on a standard fluke rig with a wide gap, not circle hook? Or do you guys fish with all circles in case you hook a stripe bass? And it's only with chunk bait that I have to use the circles? A tube rig obviously doesn't need a circle hook?
New to salt as well... been doing some reading and came across this on the MASS DMF site. Some of the FAQ line up with your questions. Adopted from ASMFC so probably similar to NH regs... https://www.mass.gov/info-details/frequently-asked-questions-regarding-changes-to-recreational-striped-bass-limits-in
The biggest problem with gut hooking with circle hooks come from hook selection and setting the hook. What ever size your use to using with traditional hooks, go up at least one or two sizes and make sure they are inline and not offset. Then when the fish takes it, just start reeling, DO NOT jerk on it or set the hook in any way. Mose people are use to sizing the hook to the bait, with circle hooks you have to match the size of the hook to the gape of the targets mouth. Rubber bands around chunk bait, or just glob on the worms.
Hey welcome aboard. What took you so long?
OK... all circle hooks are not created equal... Jon has made some very good and valid points and I agree with them.. but want to avoid the political side of this..I've been "testing" and using circles for about 20 years,in both fresh and salt water... to be short and sweet about it, if you must use circles, the Owner Matu tournament light is the best circle hook I have found bar none, and I've tried a ton... as much as I love Gamakatsu ( I've been using them since '86), their circles are fish killers, I've found that more than half of the fish get gut hooked. and about 10% of the ones that are not come un buttoned..The Owners rarely miss, and better yet, rarely gut hook, I've taken ( C&R boat side) over 100 fish this season over 20lbs.. only 1 was gut hooked ( most of these were taken on eels).. Ive taken ( caught ) more fish under 10 lbs than I can count with only a miniscule amount gut hooked.. most are buttoned neatly in the jaw hinge.. I have only 2 problems with this hook( and I can get over both of them) #1.. the rust easily, a few nights in the salt and they are toast, which actually is a good thing should I gut hook a fish and have to cut line , leaving the hook behind...#2, they only come in ringed eye and cannot be snelled, so I use a palomar knot and forget about it...FWIW... IMHO.. J hooks are superior for fishing eels, I rarely gut hook a fish using them, but seeing my commercial days are long over, If I miss or loose a fish at this point of my life.. well... there is no crying in fishing.
What size hook you using for eels?
circle hooks are for rods in holders. other than that they should be j hooks. my opinion comes from catfishing them. they great for blues with rods in holders on a boat. not so great fishing flatheads from the bank. I base my opinions on hook ups in both situations.just because they didn't work for me don't mean they wont for you though. they have their place is all.
