#8 gamakatsu circlehook

[hoggerhead]

Took yalls advice and went with alot bigger hook,#8 gamakatsu, and it worked great! only missed one fish today, but had two darn near swallow'em. had to cut the line with the hook still lodged in their throat. they swam away but i dont know if they will survive. I hate that!emoMad does that happen alot??emoQuestion

 

[EricM]

Exactly the same hook I use, and I've not had that happen this year. Rare for me to catch them other than in the corner, sometimes a little deeper, but none that deep. Maybe I'm on them a little sooner than you were, but the hook is supposed to slip back out of their gullet and hook the corner. Kinda strange! Of course, it was no worse than if you'd used a different style - it would have been at least that deep.

 

[SpurHunter]

Hogger, I told ya, them boys knew what they were talking about! Glad you stuck-um good today!

 

[hoggerhead]

i dont know if it was just me or what.emoConfused all of them but those two were hooked in the corner of their mouth. And i didnt wait long at all when i reeled them up, just as soon as my rod loaded up i would pull up. maybe they were just extra hungry today???

 

[Guest]

Are your hooks kirbed (ie offset) any? A true circle is inline with eye. I have heard of kirbed ones not always setting in the corner of the mouth. Otherwise, I have no clue.

 

[SpurHunter]

What size bait were you using? Since Eric uses giant chunks of skip-jack, it may be they cant get hooked untill they start to pull, and in the process the hook comes out of the big bait, logging in the corner of the mouth. If using chunks of chicken, I could see how it can get so far down the throat before the resistance pulls it loose and possibly lodging it deeper...just thinking out loud here. Recon that is possible Eric, Cheez?

 

[Cathooker]

I love dem 8 /0 Gamakatsu hooks.....can't figure out whay they were so deep tho. You may want to invest in one of those long shank hook dislodgers. They work pretty well. Great job on them cats today!!!

 

[hoggerhead]

yeah cathooker im gonna have to i guess. That and a boga grip definitley. spur i was using about a 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunk of pretrimmed chicken tenderloin.

 

[WLG]

I use #8 Octopus Circles...always hook em right in the corner of the mouth. Just remember dont try to set the hook. This time of year they usually dont have a problem setting the hook all by themselves!!! I ahve found they are much more aggresive feeders in warm water than cold.

 

[Liveliner]

Having two fish do that is rare with true circle hooks.  Are you letting the fish pull against your drag or you still trying to set the hook.  As mentioned before, as the fish pulls the line tight the hook will slip out of the throat and as it it makes the turn as it crosses the lips it will turn and hook the corner of the mouth 90% of the time.  </p>

I have used Circles for years for many species of fish and I can not remember one single time that I have ever gut hooked a fish.</p>

 

[foodsaver]

I have never had a fish hooked deep. I have had some little fish stuck in in the eye but thats the closest to gut hooking I have seen.

 

[Guest]

SpurHunter - 8/23/2007 3:52 PM

What size bait were you using? Since Eric uses giant chunks of skip-jack, it may be they cant get hooked untill they start to pull, and in the process the hook comes out of the big bait, logging in the corner of the mouth. If using chunks of chicken, I could see how it can get so far down the throat before the resistance pulls it loose and possibly lodging it deeper...just thinking out loud here. Recon that is possible Eric, Cheez?

I reckon that is possible. I have had a couple get gut hooked with chicken but they were 7 or 8 pounders and where they were going it didn't matter about getting gut hooked. I have not had any get hooked anywhere but the corner or the roof of the mouth with big skipjack chunks.

 

[hoggerhead]

LL, im just letting them pull them selves on. Cheez, both that were hooked deep were around 8 lbs. I would have kept them but i caught em early and i didnt have my big ice chest with me.

 

[Liveliner]

Thanks for the reply...Look at your hooks at the point. The point should be pointing directly perpendicular to the shank. You should be able to lightly grasp the hook inside your closed fist and pull it out of your hand without felling the point. I am thinking that you are not using true Circles.</p>

The first pic is not true circles whereas the second pic is showing the more true circle shapes.</p>

Compare images a & b in the second pic with the hook c in the first pic.</p>

 

[hoggerhead]

im pretty sure their the right ones. they are actually called octopus circles. thanks for the pics

 

[Guest]

I have some Gama Octopus circle hooks that have the bent back eye that should be snelled to keep the line in line with the shank. If those are what you are using hoggerhead and you are just tying right to the ring then they could be angling and exposing the point more. Just a thought.

 

[hoggerhead]

thats the kind im using. i bet thats what it is.

 

[Guest]

This is how I tie mine. I use a couple of feet of 50# leader.
http://www.animatedknots.com/snell/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

 

[hoggerhead]

hey cheeze thanks, but i would have a fit trying to tie that!emoLaugh I will just try and find me some circles that dont have the eye hole angled back. Thanks for the download, thats pretty cool.emoCool

 

[Guest]

Another way to use those hooks is to tie a 3 inch surgeons loop in the leader. Then squeeze it together and push the loop through the eye and loop over the hook and pull it tight. On the bottom of the leader I tie another small loop and attach my sinker swivel with 12# line. This is a variation of a rig that minner showed me and is also my favorite. The hook stands away from your line,is in line with the shank and can be changed in a jiffy if need be.