Circle hooks- offset vs non offset

[Shark Hunter]

Here is a perfect example why circles work for me. Perfect Hook set. Right through the lower Jaw. He wasn't going anywhere. Easy Dehooking and off He went. 20/0 Mustad.

[johndtuttle]

Circles take some getting used to....but are the superior tool.

I keep trying to get Alan to use them rock fishing....I can't emphasize enough how dreamy they are...squid tipped hoochies right off the bottom...set the rod in the holder....when it doubles over you have one....slowly wind in while the other hoochie dances around...rod gets heavier and you have two....just ridiculously effective and for utter beginners as well.

[Meanwhile]

I agree on the superior tool comment above.  I watched an "expert" on a video tell me that circles work for halibut when anchored, but for drifting the J hook was the go to tool.  I don't anchor in 700' for deep water halibut and I use circles.  The key for me is to give that fish lots of line when the bite happens.  I let 6 or 12' of line out for the fish to take the bait, then reel down to the fish. 

[Mac53]

For fishing in the Gulf of Mexico it is required that circle hooks be used when bottom fishing.   There must be scientific literature backed up by Marine Biologist data for this requirement to be in place but then again we are dealing with the Federal Government!  😳

Mac

[MarkT]

I like J hooks but fish them like circles in that I don't set the hook, just wind them on. It's also harder to hook live bait with a circle and I like my bait to swim well.

[Keta]

I agree on the superior tool comment above.  I watched an "expert" on a video tell me that circles work for halibut when anchored, but for drifting the J hook was the go to tool.  I don't anchor in 700' for deep water halibut and I use circles.  The key for me is to give that fish lots of line when the bite happens.  I let 6 or 12' of line out for the fish to take the bait, then reel down to the fish.  

Where did you see this "expert's" video?   Lots of misinformation on "C" hooks on a current thread on a popular NW fishing web site last week.

I like J hooks but fish them like circles in that I don't set the hook, just wind them on.

I like "C" hooks but do the same thing with "J" hooks.  Some of the places I've fished YT at you get rocked if you let them run before "setting" the hook.

[jonnou]

I love circles but they take a bit of getting used to. I always used to try and hide hooks. this wont work with circles just through bait once and with live bait a bridle. I like to use a cable tie through the jaw. Fast and strong

[OldSchool]

Circles are great in freshwater where you are fishing around dead timber bottoms. Much harder to snag on a retrieve.

[Fisherman Paul]

The key with any circle hook is to not set the hook.The fish will do that themselves.Thats why it works great on some fish but not on others,if they chew and spit like Snook you better break out the J's but it is the ones that gulp and run that are most often caught on circle hooks.A tuna doesn't swim up and stop to mouth a bait,it inhales and leaves always on the run,a Snook on the other hand will mouth a bait sometimes for minutes before it decides to eat and then it just sits there,cuss,cuss,cuss!And if you have ever fished for Sheepshead those nibblers are hardly ever caught on any type of circle hook,j hooks only.Each type of fishing is different.

I agree, i was told this when out fishing our boat club matches,
if you let you hook/bait sit long enough most fish will swallow it
right down.

One great tip is debarb your hook, far easier to un hook, some think
you will loose the fish, ive never lost a fish yet, all of my trout and
boat hooks are all debarbed, the fish swallows it and it's barbed well
when you try to remove it you are ripping flesh.

Funny if i buy a packet of hooks that are offset i straighten them,
if they feel a wee prick from an offset hook it might just drop
the bait and move on, i don't know, but i do know debarbing your
hooks will land you the same fish and you will never loose one,
it's a confidence thing that i did for many years, but if im fishing
for fish for the pot i leave the barb as is.

Whatever works for the angler i say, it's a confidence thing.

[Keta]

The only reason for a barb on a C hook is to keep the bait on and marketing, I prefer barbless C hooks.

[ALASKAFISHMAN]

I had to read this post, just to see how heated the debate got.  If I am bait fishing for Halibut, I have to give my choice to the offset hook for beginners.  More experienced fishermen I don't think it matters - j-hook, circle, off set or not, as long as you fish each correctly. But I would almost always prefer to jig for Butts.  Other than that we do not have any need for circle hooks up here.

Brent

[ez2cdave]

I had to read this post, just to see how heated the debate got. 

LOCK & LOAD . . . LOL ! ! !

[Keta]

Other than that we do not have any need for circle hooks up here.

Brent

When I lived in Ketchikan I felt the same way and used 10/0 double J hook mooching rigs for halibut.  Now that I have learned how to use C hooks I don't think I would ever go back to J hooks for butt.

[anglingarchitect]

Anymore with all the law changes my "J" hook cache has really shrunk. Seems like they are trying to do away with "J" hooks altogether.
In Florida the "law" says you must use circle hooks when fishing for "reef" species and have venting tools and dehooking devices. Kinda vague since the fish targeted on the reefs can also be found inshore, in the inter-coastal and just about everywhere. I even had the "undercover" FWC asked about circle hooks when they boarded us last month but we were diving for bugs on that trip, but they are checking. I think the most recent change is non stainless circle hooks with natural baits in Atlantic federal waters north of 28°N. It's really getting to be quite a job just being knowledgeable and compliant with the "law of the week" method Florida uses.

In the GOM (not Gulf of Maine), non stainless circle hooks are required for reef fish in federal waters. Texas waters require circle hooks on saltwater trot lines (with gap and size restrictions), and red snapper must be taken using a pole and line and a circle hook.




Off set circles are not ok in fl where circles are required, on reef fish.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe FL has some restrictions on offset circle hooks.

[ez2cdave]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe FL has some restrictions on offset circle hooks.

http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/reef-fish-gear-rules/

http://catchandrelease.org/circle_hooks.shtml