WHY USE CIRCLE HOOKS?

  I do a lot of catch and release because I don’t eat fish. I enjoy going out in the evening and chum for rockfish but when I release a fish I want it to swim away. When a fish is deep hooked in the gut you can cut the leader but most fish will die. How many times have you been out fishing and seen dead rockfish floating in the bay? This is a sign of an unconcerned inconsiderate fisherman who just don’t care. We all catch undersize fish when chumming that are deep hooked and you have no choice but to release the fish by cutting the leader. There is no way you can retrieve your $.05 hook when it is deep hooked without killing that fish. THIS IS WHY YOU MUST USE CIRCLE HOOKS.

HOW DO CIRCLE HOOKS WORK?
  A fish will pick up the bait and swallow it into its gut and start swimming away; as the fish turns the hook will retrieve from the fish’s gut (this is when you will see your fishing rod bend double) and as the hook starts to leave the mouth of the fish it will lip hook. Believe it or not. Example is to tie a leader to a circle hook and grasps it in the palm of your hand simulating the hook is in a belly of a fish and pull it straight up; the hook will pull out of you hand without hooking you but if you pull the leader to one side of your hand or the other pretending the fish has the bait and turns to swim away the hook will slide up your hand and then start hooking as it comes out of your hand. TRY IT!!!

HOW DO YOU BAIT A CIRCLE HOOK WITH A CHUNK OF FISH?
  This is no problem!! Some fishermen hook the bait too many times around the hook. All you have to do is loop the hook into the chunk of bait where the hook is only about 1/2 into the bait. It is not necessary to hook the bait no more than one time. Make sure you place the hook so the bait does not spin.

THE CIRCLE HOOK IS BAITED NOW WHAT!
  Using a small weight or no weight cast or feed the line to where you think the strike zone is. Set the drag as you would any other time and put the rod in the rod holder. You can hold the rod if you want but I suggest you put it in the rod holder.

"FISH ON" THE ROD BENDS DOUBLE WHAT DO I DO?
  Slowly lift the rod out of the rod holder without jerking or setting the hook. This is important because if you pull or try to set the hook chances are you will pull the hook out of the fish’s mouth. When you lift the rod out of the holder while it is bending the fish is on and will stay on and best of all the fish will be lip hooked and can be released alive with a 99 to 100% survival rate.

RESULTS:
  The more you use circle hooks the fewer fish you will kill and your catch will be more successful.

HOOK INFORMATION:

• MUSTAD #39960ST 9/0 OR 10/0
• EAGLE CLAW #L197 5/0 ( OFF SET ONLY)

WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM:

• Fish Bones on Mountain Road has Mustad hooks in stock (410-360-0573)
• Eagle Claw circle hooks can be ordered from Bass Pro Shop

REMINDERS:

• DO NOT SET THE HOOK AND HOOK THE BAIT SO IT DON’T SPIN.

George Bentz (DrizzleBar)
My e-mail address is: gbentz@erols.com