Pacemaker Boats

[rebait]

I read an article in the March, 2008 issue of Saltwater Sportsman about replacing the J or treble hook on diamond jigs or spoons with a circle hook. The captain that the author fished with out of Norwalk, Conn. on the Long Island Sound targeted Bluefish and Stripers with great success. They eliminated gut hooking, all the hooks were in the corner of the mouth and they hardly missed a strike once they found the right technique of instead of "setting the hook", just keep the line tight and reeel in. On diamond jigs they removed the J hook, added a size 7, 50# split ring, a 75# test swivel to the split ring and a 6/0 offset circle hook to the swivel. I am definitely going to try it this season.

Tight Lines,

John

[changeofpace]

I think I will also give them a try. I am also going to read that article since I fish the Long Island sound for blues, bass and any fish that bites. Nothing worse than missing a strike or loosing a fish because the hook didnt set

[rebait]

The most important part of the article that I left out was that using circle hooks decreases the mortality rate when you release fish.

John

[changeofpace]

Here is a nice article on circle hooks.
http://www.in-fisherman.com/magazine/articles/if0502_VVCircleHooks/

[rebait]

That is an excellent article and I encourage all to read. Regarding the mortality rate among the summer flounder (fluke as we call them), I also found that they swallow the circle hooks more readily than J or English hooks. I tried them a few times and stopped using them for fluke. The same went for drifting sand worms for weakfish. I prefer a light wire J hook. They are easier to remove, thus reducing handling and time out of the water.
The last paragragh from the article sums it all up: "We're in an age where selective harvest is a necessity. The objective is to ensure that we can continue to harvest and eat some fish, while releasing others to sustain good fishing into the future.

John

[merwin10]

Hi All -

I have been using circle hooks for a while now on tuna and other migratory species. One thing most don't tell you that there is a perfered knot to use to get the circle action to work every time. Always tie a circle hook with a snell knot. What happens is the snell when setting the hook drives the hooks point in a circle fashion as to catch almost every time. Other knots you don't get the advantage of the circular drive that the snell gives.

One other trick I use depends on the depth of the fish in the water column that I am trying to catch. What I do is to use a 2 or 3oz weight and dental flosh it to the main line before the leader! what this does is allows you to maintain the depth with out disturbing the bait! When you reel in the fish it is easy to cut the weight off so you can reel the fish in the rest of the way!

Hope this helps you catch more fish!

Mike -
_________________
"Best part of Boating -- is the people you meet"

[changeofpace]

Mike, I always used that kind of knot since it really helps keep the hook secure on the line, especially if the eyelet of the hook is a lot bigger than the line. For those who might not know what the knot looks like, I call it a hangmans noose because of the way the line is wrapped around the hook and then the end is tucked in and pulled up into the loops. I have found this knot to be the best at not breaking when fighting the bigger fish. I got a few of the circle hooks and cant wait to try them!!!