Success with circle hooks

Before we get into what type of fish and the conditions lets focus on getting set up correctly first. 

The defining feature that makes a circle hook different is the fact that the point is turned sharply in towards the shank of the hook, understanding the way in which the hook sets is very important when rigging as it can make all the difference. It is important to always try to tie the line in a snood around the shank and feed the trace back through the eye so the hook actually aims even further in the circle position (If this does not make sense check out the pictures attached detailing two types of knots, a snood and the nail knot). The idea is to lock the hook in the corner of the fish’s mouth so by tying the hook this way it has to twist around inside the fish’s mouth as the line tightens. If the hook is tied in the normal fashion to the eye or left swinging on a crimped loop it may exit the mouth of a fish without catching on anything as the line tightens. Sounds like a big risk to take, but let me assure you, if you rig correctly success will not be far away.

Nail and Snood Knot Tied On Black Magic KL Circle Hook

1a)Nail knot-tie 4 to 6 times around shank	1b)Nail knot-To finish cut tag end and thread leader through hook eye
2a)Snood-Thread line through eye	2b)Snood-Wind line up shank until aligned with hook point
2c)Finished snood knot

Alright, now that the hook is tied correctly what are we going to fish for, well you can target any species but it partly relies on the type of bait you want to use, for example I would never use whole pilchards with the circle hooks set into the body of the bait. Bait presentation should be natural yet without much of the hook being buried in the bait itself. Live baits work best bridle rigged and strip baits simply pinned at one end with the help of some bait elastic seem most effective. Larger dead baits also work best using some form of elastic to secure them, whiting heads for snapper is a good example and soft baits like tenderized squid or pippi can be threaded on multiple times to cover the hook but the point and barb should still be exposed. 

Gummy shark hooked in the corner of the mouth

Saury rigged with bait elastic

Ok, so when should you use a circle instead of a J hook? Some situations that we use circles are in strong current when the boat is at anchor or deep water when bottom fishing with lots of weight. One species that’s seems to respond well to small circle hooks are King George whiting, when using soft baits these hooks are deadly. One thing I will mention is that we find the effectiveness of circles to increase when used in conjunction with braided line. I suspect the braid helps drive the hook into position before the fish gets a chance to spit the bait out, on our boat it is considered a sin to strike a fish on a circle hook, rods are left in their holders until the rod cranks over and the fish is well and truly hooked. A couple of things to remember when rigging;

Flathead are prime candidates for the KL hook

• Snood the hook and pass the line from the outside of the hook back towards the point when threading the eye.
• Don’t bunch the bait on the hook, let it hang or bridle rig the bait.
• Use braided line with a tough trace shock leader approx 4 meters long. Shock leaders should be a similar braking strain to the braid.
• Don’t strike the fish, set the drag at approximately 1 or 2kg and set in a sturdy rod holder until the fish hooks itself.