When I started using circles I really hated the stuff and called it a money making scheme because I missed a few fish. Now that I am using them correctly my PB's have been falling like flies and my number of missed or lost fish has vurtually dropped to zero. The following is what I have learnt from using cirkel hooks for the last few years. They definately increase your hook-up rate if used correctly and result in less hooks pulling and less gut hooked fish. The 3 most important rules in using circle hooks are the following :
1. Snell knot
2. Bait placement on the hook
3. Setting the hooks
1. Snell Knot.
The use of this knot is what makes the circle hook function correctly. I will now explain how to do the snell knot correctly. I am using a Mustad Z steel 10/0 hook with the barb flattened. I always flatten my barbs on circle hooks as I have never lost a fish, not even when the hook straightened. It is difficult to remoce a circle with barbs on.
Cut your hook snood of your desired diameter. Put one tag end of your hook snood (Tag A) through the eye of the hook from the front as shown in the pic and hold it in place.
Take the long end of your hook snood (tag B) and wrap tightly around the hook shank and tag end A 7 - 8 times and hold in place.
Take tag end B and push it through the eye of the hook from behind as shown in the pic leaving you with a small loop as in pic 4.
Push the leg closest to the eye down onto the shank of the hook and hold in place- the loop wil now point towards the bend in the hook.
Slip the bend of the hook through the loop
Pull tag end B to tighten the knot and pull up neately against the eye. When doing this with steel, pull slowly and turn the steel slowly so you dont creat pig tails. This keeps the knot from slipping.
This knot will ensure that the circle hook sets into the side of the fish's jaw. To test, drop the trace between your thumb and fore finger and pull the trace back up slowly. The hook will set between your thumb and forefinger every time.
2. Bait placement on circle hooks.
When using cicle hook it works best when your bait is hanging in a pear shape under the hook as shown in the pic below.
The reason for this is to allow the hook to set in the corner of the mouth as it slides out the throat. I have found that you cannot use this on all species or all baits. Galjoen, stumpnose and shad steal your bait too easily when a soft bait is hanging of the hook. There are 2 solutions :
1. Hook your foam onto the hook as in the pic above and build your bait around the foam. This only works well whith soft foam and when it is not neccesary to clip the bait.
2. When using soft baits like redbait, mussel or chokka, I wil rig up the bait the same as for J hooks with the hook still very proud. Now you can clip the bait as well, but cant use foam on the hook. You have to place it higher up on the hook snood. I catch all my cob without float.
On big baits like whole mackerel or slide bait heads I use a bridle rig. This ensures more hookups as you only need 1 circle hook on slide baits. I make a loop with a piece of dacron and then make a small loop that wil tighten onto the hook. The other end goes through the mouth of the fish and then tightened with the same loop onto the bend of the hook. see pic 9
3. Setting the hooks.
It takes some practise at first to fight the urge to strike, but once you get the hang of it you will never strike a fish again. The trick is to allow the fish to eat your bait and swim away from you. When you feel your rod dipping its as easy as winding into the fish, feeling the rod get heavy as the hook sets into the corner of the mouth and then just leaning back into the fish and that is it. On Dad!! Some fish wont give you a chance, they just hit the bait and when they turn they hook themselves like shad and galjoen. Your hooks wont pull, and even if the fish runs straight at you, the circle wil stay in the corner of the mouth, giving you confidence to give the fish line if you need to.
Hope this helps, below is a list of species I have caught so far on circles :
Galjoen
Shad
Cob
Dassie
Stumpnose
Mullet
Yellowtail
Snoek
Hottentot
Red Roman
Geelbek
Bronze Whalers
Raggies
Smoothounds
Gully Sharks
Diamond Rays
Spearnose Skates
Blue rays
Sandies
Cow sharks
Soupfins
Duckbill and Eagle rays
Spiny Dogfish
St Joseph sharks
Jacques Ackhurst a.k.a. Jackal (Current leader on the 25 Species Competition)
