# Circle Hooks or Regular hooks - Pros -Cons



## Barrett (Jun 6, 2005)

Do yall use circle hooks or regular ones?


----------



## atcfisherman (Oct 5, 2006)

I used circle hooks. They seem to hook up better and you don't lose fish. Also, IMO they don't go as deep. Now the down side I see is if you are catfishing with rod & reel you have to let them eat it more to get the circle hook in. But, mostly this is what I have noticed.


----------



## 5STAR (Jan 14, 2010)

Circle c hooks


----------



## JMGuerrero (Aug 18, 2009)

If I am fishing fresh water I use worm hooks. If I am fishing salt water I use circle hooks because there is a greater chance that I will catch something that I might have to throw back and the circle hook is very easy to remove which is important for toothy fish where you don't want to stick your hand in there. For freshwater catfishing I always use worm hooks because I can hide them very well inside the bait (worms, shad, dough balls, etc). I don't like to use treble hooks because I get them caught on weeds and other stuff on the bottom. I use red hooks, they seem to work better...might just be me. Anyways, in success rate I find the circle hooks to be very effective but I find it harder to put bait on them. I set the hook very quickly and very rarely lose a fish on worm hooks and I can put the bait better on them. If you are fishing with the intention to catch & release definitely go with circle hooks so the fish wont get hooked anywhere except it's lips but you have to wait a little and you cant pull hard or you will pull the hook right out of its mouth. I just raise the rod as high as possible and slowly start reeling in until I know the hook is set. It's a little weird at first but works very well.


----------



## catfishcaldwell81 (Jan 14, 2009)

Barrett said:


> Do yall use circle hooks or regular ones?


Circle hooks for me. Sometimes tougher to land cats with circles but less destructive to them if they're swallowed & have to be cut loose than with trebles.


----------



## Slime Time (Jun 29, 2007)

*Jug lines*

on my free floating jugs ,circles are the only way to go. If a jug floats into some brush or trees the circles allow me to pull them out without any snags or hang ups.


----------



## jjtroutkiller (Jan 28, 2005)

When I switched my hooks on the jugs to 5/0 circle my hook ratio tripled.


----------



## OL' LUNGBUSTER (Mar 3, 2008)

circle hooks all the way!


----------



## Sunbeam (Feb 24, 2009)

A Japanese commercial fishing research group did a five year study comparing different types of hooks being used on ocean long lines.
The in line circle hook caught 37% more fish than the kale type hooks that were previously being used.
I use 5/0 circles on all my drift and anchored jugs. 9/0 to 12/0 on my drift rods. I started about 6 years ago. As you can see I am 71 years old and have fished since I was about six.
As far as I am concerned I spent 59 years fishing with the wrong hooks.
The trick with circles you do not hide the hook in the bait. Just hook it through one time so that the point is exposed. Use a bait that the fish can swallow in one gulp.
If the hook goes in his mouth he just can not get it out. 
I catch two to three pound bass out of my lake using a 3/0 circle hook just hooked through the head of a six inch worm on a Carolina rig. I might miss one out of twenty. Every one hooked in the corner of the jaw. No crossing his eyes. Just bump and start reeling. He will be there.


----------



## jamesgreeson (Jan 31, 2006)

I'll use circle hooks most of the time but my other hook is a twist tru turn.


----------



## shadslinger (Aug 21, 2005)

For me when fishing for box size fish a 5/0 circle, for very big cats a 9/0 to 14/0 circle. Sunbeam gave you the right skinny on how to hook the bait with them.


----------



## redneck (Jun 5, 2004)

On rod and reel for big trophy catfish or for inexperienced anglers that don't know when to set the hook nothing will outfish a circle. If you have someone that is more experienced and knows how and when to set the hook then a kahle will outfish a circle hook on rod and reel any day.

For setlines I like circles on just about everything except for maybe trotlines for flatheads. My opinion seems to vary on that from week to week.


----------



## Magnolia (Dec 2, 2007)

HEADSHAKER said:


> I'll use circle hooks most of the time but my other hook is a twist tru turn.


ME TOO!!


----------

