Baitrunner and Circle Hooks

[blairv70]

Hey all

Just wondering about this combo. I love my baitrunners but are beginning to think circle hooks are not the right combo to use with these.

My thought is you let the fish run with the bait and then start winding and engage the drag - that is the same as doing a big strike on a normal line.

Noticed this whilst fishing the other day and am wondering what other baitrunner users have as a combo??

Cheers

[astro66]

I use bait runners fishing for jew...I was using live bait circle hooks the light gauge ones so they are not to heavy for the live baits......they had a terrible hookup rate ....gone to a 2/0 3/0 4/0 depending on the bait size suicide hook with a 1/0 stinger now I have a almost 100% hookup rate ....still get them sitting there rolling the bait in their mouth but as soon as they run they are going to get hooked

[Jsmfun]

I use 2x 5/0 snelled gamakatsu octopus hooks use them off shore and in the bay they seem to give me a fantastic hookup rate and can still land big fish i think the circle hooks would suit researchers and catch and release fisherman as they dont want to gut hook fish where as if you are going out to get a feed it will not mater where you hook them

[No Excuses]

Fishing for snapper in the colder months the above combo is great. Let the fish go for a run with next to no rear drag then crank the handle and set the hooks, great way of landing decent nobbies.

[Nslfishing]

My experience with circle hooks is when you feel a bite start slowly lifting the rod tip and gradually load it up, and they hook themselves. If you yank it with a quick rod jerk or by suddenly engaging drag it will just pull it out if there mouths. I reckon circle hooks are good you just need to use a different, more smoother method on the hook up. I was teaching my son how to use them properly and once he stopped trying to strike at bites his hook up rate increased ten fold.

maybe instead of suddenly engaging drag use your thumb to gently apply pressure until he's hooked then engage drag and start the fight.

Cheers nic

[duncan333]

Not quite the same type of fish, but I use tiny circles for whiting. I have a two hook patanoster, and when I feel nibbles, I drop the rod tip to the water for a second or so, then lift up. I found that if I didn't give them a little slack, they would just try to pull the bait off the hook, but with a little slack, they swallow. Out of a couple of hundred fish I've had only two which weren't lip hooked.

I also like circle hooks around kids. Much harder to impale yourself compared to J hooks.

Duncan

[robfish 1]

Here's an interesting observation from south of the border, down Mexico way.

As mad Snapper fishos here in PPB will attest, most of us don't use baitrunners any more, due to the advent of circle hooks!
Indeed, I've sold all my own baitrunners and use circle hooks and standard spinning reels, as I don't actually want the fish to run!

Yeah, I know, we all love to hear that screaming drag, but when it's anathema to fish in the boat, it's time to think again.

Over the past 5-7 years, we've realized that circle hooks WILL hook the fish for us - and letting them run with the bait is actually DECREASING our hookup rates!
The principle behind circles is that as a fish picks up the bait and turns, the line will pull the hook towards the jaw hinge - and there it will stick - but ONLY if there's tension from our end. Too much slack, or use of a baitrunner, will see the hook fail to do what it's been designed to do. So long as the hook is in the fishes' mouth, it will find the jaw hinge.

Circle hooks are specifically designed to snag in the jaw hinge, as the fish is moving away with the bait - and can only do that on a tight line.
When we first started using circles, we'd let the fish run, (as usual), then strike, and lose the majority of our fish.

Personally, I use circles on pretty much every bait I deploy, and fish with anywhere from a half kilo of drag, to a couple of kilos, depending on species. My hookup rate has never been so good, and 90% are jaw hookups - allowing for sustainable catch and release if required. I love the Mustad Demon circle in size 6 for Whiting, and Black Magic KL circles in larger sizes, for everything else.

Here in Mexico, we may not have the plethora of glamour species that you do up north, but...we DO know how to catch Snapper!

Keep persisting with those circles, guys, but make sure you fish with a couple of kilos of drag, using a softish-tipped rod, and you'll be amazed at the increase in hookups!
Cheers!

[Moejoes]

Here's an interesting observation from south of the border, down Mexico way.

As mad Snapper fishos here in PPB will attest, most of us don't use baitrunners any more, due to the advent of circle hooks!
Indeed, I've sold all my own baitrunners and use circle hooks and standard spinning reels, as I don't actually want the fish to run!

Yeah, I know, we all love to hear that screaming drag, but when it's anathema to fish in the boat, it's time to think again.

Over the past 5-7 years, we've realized that circle hooks WILL hook the fish for us - and letting them run with the bait is actually DECREASING our hookup rates!
Circle hooks are specifically designed to snag in the jaw hinge, as the fish is moving away with the bait - and can only do that on a tight line.
When we first started using circles, we'd let the fish run, (as usual), then strike, and lose the majority of our fish.

Personally, I use circles on pretty much every bait I deploy, and fish with anywhere from a half kilo of drag, to a couple of kilos, depending on species. My hookup rate has never been so good, and 90% are jaw hookups - allowing for sustainable catch and release if required.

The principle behind circles is that as a fish picks up the bait and turns, the line will pull the hook towards the jaw hinge - and there it will stick - but ONLY if there's tension from our end. Too much slack, or use of a baitrunner, will see the hook fail to do what it's been designed to do. So long as the hook is in the fishes' mouth, it will find the jaw hinge.

Here in Mexico, we may not have the plethora of glamour species that you do up north, but...we DO know how to catch Snapper!

Keep persisting with those circles, guys, but make sure you fish with a couple of kilos of drag, using a softish-tipped rod, and you'll be amazed at the increase in hookups!
Cheers!

I agree with Robfish, circle hooks are designed to be self hooking.
You are best leaving your rod in the rod holder with the drag set & let it do the work.
Once hook up is established start winding - simply.

[bay cruiser]

Yes, I read an article by Gary Howard the other week in the local paper about how he was using small circle hooks for whiting with great success. I have always been very quick to strike on the first "pull" (not nibble) from whiting due to their tendency to swallow the hook. I'll give it a go next time I go to the sandhills (next few days hopefully)

[Nicko_Cairns]

I use 2x 5/0 snelled gamakatsu octopus hooks use them off shore and in the bay they seem to give me a fantastic hookup rate and can still land big fish i think the circle hooks would suit researchers and catch and release fisherman as they dont want to gut hook fish where as if you are going out to get a feed it will not mater where you hook them

Except for when they are undersized... I don't use a bait runner but I use a firm drag and big 8/0 circles, especially for large reefies, they pretty much hook themselves, the other beauty of circles is that you don't have to replace leaders as often as you do with other hooks when gut hooking.

[blairv70]

[QUOTidea=Nslfishing;1551075]My experience with circle hooks is when you feel a bite start slowly lifting the rod tip and gradually load it up, and they hook themselves. If you yank it with a quick rod jerk or by suddenly engaging drag it will just pull it out if there mouths. I reckon circle hooks are good you just need to use a different, more smoother method on the hook up. I was teaching my son how to use them properly and once he stopped trying to strike at bites his hook up rate increased ten fold.

maybe instead of suddenly engaging drag use your thumb to gently apply pressure until he's hooked then engage drag and start the fight.

Cheers nic[/QUOTE]

Good Idea about using your thumb instead of the drag will give that a go.

[blairv70]

Here'is an interesting observation from south of the border, down Mexico way.

As mad Snapper fishos here in PPB will attest, most of us don't use baitrunners any more, due to the advent of circle hooks!
Indeed, I've sold all my own baitrunners and use circle hooks and standard spinning reels, as I don't actually want the fish to run!

Yeah, I know, we all love to hear that screaming drag, but when it's anathema to fish in the boat, it's time to think again.

Over the past 5-7 years, we've realized that circle hooks WILL hook the fish for us - and letting them run with the bait is actually DECREASING our hookup rates!
The principle behind circles is that as a fish picks up the bait and turns, the line will pull the hook towards the jaw hinge - and there it will stick - but ONLY if there's tension from our end. Too much slack, or use of a baitrunner, will see the hook fail to do what it's been designed to do. So long as the hook is in the fishes' mouth, it will find the jaw hinge.

Circle hooks are specifically designed to snag in the jaw hinge, as the fish is moving away with the bait - and can only do that on a tight line.
When we first started using circles, we'd let the fish run, (as usual), then strike, and lose the majority of our fish.

Personally, I use circles on pretty much every bait I deploy, and fish with anywhere from a half kilo of drag, to a couple of kilos, depending on species. My hookup rate has never been so good, and 90% are jaw hookups - allowing for sustainable catch and release if required. I love the Mustad Demon circle in size 6 for Whiting, and Black Magic KL circles in larger sizes, for everything else.

Here in Mexico, we may not have the plethora of glamour species that you do up north, but...we DO know how to catch Snapper!

Keep persisting with those circles, guys, but make sure you fish with a couple of kilos of drag, using a softish-tipped rod, and you'll be amazed at the increase in hookups!
Cheers!

Great tips there. I do use circles for allot of bigger fish now and also Whiting - I have caught a heap of Tings that way. The baitrunner is the only one I have had issues with and then only the smaller model which I usually target shallow fish on floating pillies etc.

I think the general concensus is to change away from circles on the small baitrunner for a while and see
If there is a difference

Cheers

Blair

[wayno60]

If I wrote a response it would be exactly what astro wrote....