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Circle hooks

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circle hooks
16K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  freddiethej 
#1 ·
What size circle hooks should I order for the upper Hudson River
 
#2 ·
Generally you want to use the smallest hook required. The gap between the point and shank must be wide enough to fit
Jaw bone of the fish. 6/0 - 8/0 should be fine for striped bass. These are the ones that work best for me. I tried a few different brands and types. These inline circles had the best hook up ratio with most fish being hooked in the corner of the mouth. I use them for blood worms, chunk and live herring. I even used them with clams. I snell the leader to the hook. Just make sure the leader goes through the top of the hook eye. There are videos on YouTube about snelling circle hooks.
 

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#4 ·
Making circle hooks mandatory is a good thing for bait fishing. But what about all those treble hooks on plugs? Many come with 3 treble hooks and a hooked fish usually winds up foul hooked in the gills or elsewhere besides the one in it's mouth. All my plugs have always been set up with 1 treble belly hook and a single barbed hook with bucktail for the tail. I have no problem catching bass and they are a lot easier to lip and release with a lot less damage to the fish or myself. Personally, I feel this should have been mandatory in the new regs.
 
#5 ·
I'm all for circle hooks for live lining. Ive been using them for years. Unfortunately it's going to ruin my chunk game.
 
#6 ·
I have used circle hooks for chunking on Sandy Hook and with clam bellies in Long Island Sound and Sandy Hook. I've never used clams in the Hudson River, but I suspect that they would work on the flats.


I am curious about using them with the worms. I imagine that I would naturally thread the worms on the circle hook, but is there a different way that I'm missing?



I am all for using circle hooks with bait. It's still new to me, and I have to admit, I do like setting the hook. I guess I will have to learn some new habits. I have had success with my stickbaits and jerkbaits, but I have to admit, those extra hooks sometimes find there way into parts of the fish that I didn't intend to hook. I have taken the middle set off if there are three, and I've also replaced the back hook with a regular trailer hook. That has made a huge difference.



When it comes to bucktailing, I don't think I've ever hooked a fish anywhere but the lip. I can't see how a circle hook would make a big change there.


Thanks for setting up this thread. I hope to learn a lot from the following posts. I hope you all have been having fun keeping a safe distance and spending some extra time with your gear for this spring.

Have a great season everyone!
 
#9 ·
I can tell you from experience when a circle hook is gut hooked it is nearly impossible to get it out and it does happen......when a J hook is gut hooked a good removal tool will get it out safely every time...i have never failed.
 
#10 ·
Doc from your posts I have to figure that you fish the most out of anyone I see in here so I figured I would ask you.

Do you order your bloodworms by the flat? If so, how do you keep them?
I try to get out two to three times a week and with all that is going on I'm afraid I will not be able to get any bait. I have a live well set up to keep my herring alive but bloods are a different story. Longest I have been able to keep them is a week.

Thanks and tight lines
 
#11 ·
Doc from your posts I have to figure that you fish the most out of anyone I see in here so I figured I would ask you.

Do you order your bloodworms by the flat? If so, how do you keep them?
I try to get out two to three times a week and with all that is going on I'm afraid I will not be able to get any bait. I have a live well set up to keep my herring alive but bloods are a different story. Longest I have been able to keep them is a week.

Thanks and tight lines
I go through 3-4 Flats weekly so I keep getting them fresh but I use ocean salt water to spray on them for moisture.
 
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