Using Circle Hooks in Saltwater fishing

[flatzie]

Be interested to hear different people experiences with Circle Hooks in different applications.
Eg does anyone use them on whiting? Or deep water fishing for Coral trout or Sweetlip? How about Reds?
I have been using them with good success on Snapper. Just let them take it and its amazing how often they end up in the corner of the mouth.
Bream anyone?
And how has it changed your approach Ie. have you need to adjust your response to bites, or do some of you still strike to hook fish?
If a number of people respond to this it would be interesting for all I'm sure, to see how many different applications these unique hooks are proving to be a successful hook/
Cheers
Flatzie

[onerabbit]

G'day Flatzie,

The only hooks i use are Big Gun,
& while not being a true circle hook, they work on the same principle.

I live in Ballina, & only fish in water 60-250 mtrs.

Fishing in 60-100 mtrs, I still strike, the fish dont always just hook themselves,
but once we get to the deep, the strike is very different..

In 250 mtrs we can still feel bites, but the strike is 6 winds of the reel,
then lift your rod tip high & see if you have weight,

if you have weight your rod tip will nearly touch the water,
swear words are often heard at this point, hehehe.

When we catch cod they are nearly always hooked in the jaw.

Hope this helps,

Muzz

[netmaker]

hi flatzie,
am a big fan of the circles for snaps. bloke on strikezone last week was catching king george whiting on em.
cheers
davo

[onerabbit]

Must have only got you by seconds netmaker, check the time.

Muzz

[charlie09]

Hey flatzie i use size 1/0 long shank for whiting and circle for bream and snapper.

Cheers

[nigelr]

Circles for the reef and bream and I have used them successfully drifting with worms for whiting.

[goat boy]

Use 'em for Bream. Also gang 2 5/0 or 6/0s up with a swivel for Tailor, which also works on the Bream.

[jag078]

I use them on the reef fishing for Reds,Trout,Red Throut etc. I don't stike at all using braid in 40-50m of water. I use a black magic KL hook for the pilchards and the circle hook for the squid.

Brett.

[Sevric]

4/o to 6/o Circles in 15m of water for Snapper in conjunction with long leaders, braid and moderate taper rods left unattended, only watched in rod holders that sit the rods at about the 10 o'clock position. The hookup rate is excellent; mostly hooked in the corner of the mouth. We use either a snooded rig or single dependent on the bait being used at the time.

[flatzie]

Thanks all for the feedback, good to hear! Especially interested re the trout, and reef fishing, as the norm is to fish with rod in hand and to strike hard to hook fish.
keep it coming!
Cheers
Flatzie

[tropicrows]

I used no 4 circles the last time I was out whiting fishing. Most fish hooked in the mouth, and non gut hooked, only problem they are pain to put the small squid strips on. Or is it that I should wear my glasses.

[jag078]

Flatzie,
When i say strike i mean that you wait until the fish has hooked itself then you go hard. Some people strike as soon as they feel a bite to hook it and usually ends up being smaller fish. You will find the larger fish will barge in to take the baits and this is what you wait for.

[spelchek]

Yeah - I found the hardest part about switching to circles is repressing that primeval urge to 'strike' on the bite. Once you get used to letting them hook themselves, they are fantastic! I owuldn't use anything else on the reefs now.

Whiting/bream - I still use the standard long shank as I use yabbies or prawns as bait and find the long shanks better for bait presentation.

[NormC]

I use Circle Hooks for most fishing these days. Gamakatsu Octopus are my most common hooks. Main reason is to maximize safe fish release.
I carry and use sizes 8/0 (barra live baiting) around 6/0 for Golden Snapper, Jacks etc, down to 4/0 for bream. For reef fishing for Sweetlip, Coral Trout, Tusk Fish and the like, I generally use around 5/0.
Yes there is a process of adapting (resisting the urge to strike early), but worth while in my view. I get about 80% mouth hooked and generally able to release without damage.

Have not used them for Whiting, but I suspect the principal would be the same, just smaller hooks.

Norm C

[flatzie]

Good feedback here, seems the issue of not striking is the challenge people need to adjust to. In shallow water its easier as you can just place the rod in the holder.
I just boufht some circle hooks on Ebay from tackledirect168 in Australia, I got size 6, very strong hooks and chemically sharpened, and they are at a very good price compared to the name brands which give you a small packet at quite a premium price. I also find that many times in local stores the size I wanted was out of stock.
Check them out, 100 hooks for $9.90. Anyone else tried them?
What about rigs?
I have been using two hooks as I like to put out a big bait, so I use the snelling system which enables me to have a very strong and well laid out rig.
Cheers
Flatzie