Circle Hooks for Trout..

[Frank-Ma]

Need so feed back on circle hooks on trout...

[Scientist]

I use them often for ice fishing but have not had as great success with open water fishing because the trout run with the bait and tend to “mouth” the bait more often when the water is warmer. For circle hooks to hook the fish it needs to swallow the bait completely. I tend to use octopus style hooks for trout. As soon as they start running a quick snap and they are positively hooked.

[dooberhoopa]

ive had better luck with circle hooks in fish with more aggresive strikes bass and what not...the trout just seem to hold on for dear life and then spit it out

[stevob83]

circle hooks r better for catch and release

[MasterAngler]

I too have not had good luck with them ice fishing.  Tried them once for lakers when they were really hitting (already had a limit) just to see if they would work.  Likely had about 6-8 take the bait but was never able to hook up on any of them, even tried letting them take it for a minute or two.  This was on a still line, with some cut bait.  Switched back to barbless trebles and started catching (and releasing) immediately.   I would agree with Scientist that octopus style are better than circles for trout.    I think it may have something to do with the shape and/or hardness of a trouts mouth  .   Try something else, its not worth the frustration trying to hook up with them.

[fireplug]

No luck with them on trout. Just got back from fishing this morning; had one good "tickle" on the minnow (probably Brown Trout).

Waited FOREVER for the fish to move away, which it did, taking the slip bobber with it. SLOOOOOOWLYYYY   took up the slack, felt line go taut, then..........  nothing.

Have never used them before except for catfish, came home and switched back to octopus hooks with barbs pinched down.

[bridgedoctor]

My buddies and I used the Gamakatzu Octopus-Circle hooks ice fishing for trout first time this past season, and we did really well with them.  I was told a common mistake is trying to set the hook by snaping the line.  For ice fishing, all you do is simply pull the line in,  the hook turns into the trout's mouth and sets into the jaw.  Word got out about these hooks and the tackle shop sold out of them.

[MasterAngler]

I may have to give that style a try bridgedoctor.  I do like Gamakatzu's.  Haven't tried those yet.  The ones we tried that day were just a pure circle hook and we tried everything to try get a hook up....from jerking the line to set the hook, to just pulling in the line, and letting them take it for a while and not letting them take it, and nothing worked.  We got to do lots of experimenting as they were really hitting.  Thanks for the info on those ones.

[rockhound57]

  I'd like to know the real and functional difference between a circle and an octopus! looking on web sites, I don't see a significant difference except octopus tend [but not always] to have a turned up eye. Can someone enlighten me? Please?

[bridgedoctor]

I copied/pasted the info below from Gamakatsu's site.  I hope this helps.

"True to its name, the Octopus Circle hook boasts all of the advantages of a Gamakatsu Octopus hook but with the added bonus of a high percentage self-setting hook-up ratio. When taken deep in the mouth or throat of fish, this hook will slide forward until it reaches the shelf area of the mouth where it will then rotate itself into position, usually in the corner of the jaw. This results in a solid hook up and reduces the number of fish harmed by taking a hook too deep. Like the standard Octopus hook, this hook has an up eye for snelling. The super sharp "hang nail" point is set at a 90 degree angle from the shank of the hook and is offset."

The link below leads to an In-Fisherman article called "The Science of Circle Hooks"

  http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/articles/if0502_VVCircleHooks/index.html 

[Scientist]

The first link is to what the circle hook looks like : http://www.gamakatsu.com/catalog/octo_circle.htm
The second link is to what an octopus style hook looks like: http://www.gamakatsu.com/catalog/octopus.htm
Pay particular attention as to which way the point is facing.
Circle hooks are great especially when you intend to release fish unharmed or you do not want to deal with a gut hooked fish. In open water fishing I exclusively use them when live bait fishing for bass, pike, muskies, perch, catfish, and stripers. I have tried them for trout but missed about 40% of the fish because the fish never completely swallowed the bait and that is the key to using circle hooks. In my experience the circle hooks work well for trout ice fishing because the bait I use is smaller compared to what I use in the spring or summer and they swallow it completely. 

[rockhound57]

 ;)Thanks for the links and the advice. RH