Circle hooks on rigs

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 4:47 pm

Hi,

Probably a daft question, but does anybody know why I couldn't use circle hooks to make up a pennel pulley rig for cod fishing from the shore (i.e. with 4/0 or 6/0 hooks)? The reason I ask is that I have not seen any such ready-made rigs for sale. I am fed up of trying to remove swallowed hooks from whiting, and think life would be a lot easier for me (and particularly the fish!) if I could use circle hooks.

Cheers, Geoff big grin

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:12 pm

Well I use semi-circle hooks when there are whiting around which helps a bit but they are greedy sods so I still get the same problem as you. I reckon the best ploy is to strike and haul them in as soon as you get a tap so they don't get much chance to take it down. Get far less trouble with bass but I suspect that this is because bass tend to make a sideways grab and immediately try to swim off, thus they often get hooked in the corner of the mouth.

Guest

hi geoff i have never seen one for sale but if you can use circle hooks on there own i cant see no reason why they cant be used in two,s on a pannel rig .and you might find it works well for you. so just try it mate .cos after all most of fishing is about trial and era in the long run big grin

if it dose work well make me some big grin

steve

Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:31 pm

Thanks Steve, I just found it a bit strange that none seem to be available commercially.

I am hoping to go to Dungeness on Wednesday and will try the circle hooked pennel pulley rig - with frozen lugworm topped with king prawn - cutting edge stuff!!!

I feel really bad when a whiting swallows my conventional hook and I know that in getting the hook out I have probably consigned it to an almost certain death.

Cheers, Geoff big grin

Posted: Wed Dec 15, 2010 10:22 am

In my (rather limited,although I have been using only them for the last few months) experience with circle hooks....whiting don't get on with them. I'm not sure what it is but i've still had one or two deep hooked so I stepped up to a 4/0 circle and have been having better results with lip hooks.
Another problem species seems to be turbot which snaffle the bait down, regardless of size and deep hook themselves. I've had 4-5lb bass on 1/0 circles hooked absolutley perfectly (I usually use 3/0 though and have had them as small as a pound) and not a single bass i've caught this year has been deep hooked.
I don't use pennels and prefer a single hook to save unhooking complications. Another point to make is that T bars/disgorgers are a bit harder to use than with traditional hooks. You'll find this out when you try, but I prefer to use one so I don't have to touch the whiting and kill them. If the hook is deep I cut the line and save causing any further damage by jiggling it about and tearing it from the fish to save myself a few pence on a hook or the effort or tying on a new one...

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 9:00 am

When i used to fish the river humber, my m8 used to use circle hooks to avoid flounder deep throating the hook. To my amazment it seemed to work as he was pulling them in. I have had a go with them on the south coast with mixed results winking

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 11:07 am

Circle hooks are great and to be honest in this day and age the hooks should be barbless .........................................JOLI

Guest

hi joli thats a good point about barbless hooks ,i have only ever used barbless hooks for my pike fishing for over 20 years and to be honest proberly only ever had 2 to 3 fish lost due to the hook pulling out and even then not any of a great size .so i cant say why i dont use them for see fishing ,but im out on monday and im going to give it a go even if i only fold the barb in with a pair of pliers .the only real reson i can think of is people dont want to take the chance on loseing that fish of a lifetime or that big fish for the table
steve

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:20 pm

Another way of doing it is instead of using circle hooks, off set the hooks too and that can be usefull too winking

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:22 pm

Hi Steve, I do a lot of carp / coarse fishing lately after a lull of 30 years now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and as you know 'barbless' are a must, never had any trouble they are the way forward in my opinion and are so easy to remove.

Good luck for Monday.................................JOLI big grin

Posted: Thu Dec 16, 2010 12:25 pm

joliroger wrote:

Hi Steve, I do a lot of carp / coarse fishing lately after a lull of 30 years now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and as you know 'barbless' are a must, never had any trouble they are the way forward in my opinion and are so easy to remove.

Good luck for Monday.................................JOLI big grin

Great point, barbless hooks are the way forward. Especially in carp fishing.

Guest

it,s funny you should say about offset hooks i always offset my pike hooks just give them a slight bend with pliers
steve

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:50 am

flattiefanatic wrote:

Another way of doing it is instead of using circle hooks, off set the hooks too and that can be usefull too winking

The circles I use(mustad,sakuma,owner) all have an offset. I'd suggest that until you have used and caught on circle hooks...please don't comment on how having an offset is comparable because it's really not.

If you want to stop flounders taking it down..pass a thick short piece of mono through the eye and tie the snood as usual. It'll look weird but the flounders mouth will be too small to go past the thick mono 'stopper' if that's what you want to call it. Using a small shank hook it can only take the bait and hook so far before being 'stopped' by the sideways tag.

Barbed/barbless is a diffrent topic..

Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 1:04 pm

celticcatch wrote:

The circles I use(mustad,sakuma,owner) all have an offset. I'd suggest that until you have used and caught on circle hooks...please don't comment on how having an offset is comparable because it's really not.

Was just a suggestion, i have used circle hooks and offset hooks. I dont seem to get a problem with deep hook whiting as they seem to lip hook with my offset hooks. The only problem i had was with the flounder, cheers for the tip winking

Guest

hi celticcatch i would sugest you read the posts properly before telling people what they should and what they should not comment on as i think youll find that no one said circle hooks and offset hooks are the same but that offset hooks as do circle hooks seem to make unhooking easyer when a fish take the hook down a long way .so in that case we can compair them . good tip for the flounders .i use it when eel fishing but i use a 2inch stip of drinking straw fixed just above the eye of the hook
steve