Opinions On Circle Hooks?

Hello Lads,

Went boat Bream fishing out of Poole, Dorset yesterday. Caught 1 and lost 2. it wasn't a prolific day for anyone on board but i was pretty narked as the bream trips usually give me (as a coarse angler) an opportunity to shine. as advised i was using sakuma size 4 circle hooks on a 3 hook rig but the skipper reckoned this might have been the problem. any ideas?

cheers

rich c

Circle hooks generally nail the fish right in the corner of the mouth,you rarely even need to strike. Just lift the rod,and the fish should be on.
If nobody else was doing much better,then I wouldn't be blaming the circle hooks,more likely that you just weren't on the fish.
Stick with them.

thanks Nixon, i got over striking like a coarse angler a while back. as you say i just lifted into the fish and they were on but after a few turns they were off. i don't get it really. suppose thats just fishing mate.

Bream can be akward blitters no matter what hooks yo use or what type of rig is for that matter ,so don't be too hard on your gear ,next time you will probably get sick of catching them

jamie316.

cheers Jamie

As said Bream have small mouths and bite fast, so hook size and quick set are paramount if you want to land fish. Carp hooks with a short shank and a reasonably wide gape are good for them ESP T6 Raptors are spot on for the job

when ever ive looked at circle hooks i've always thought that they seem way too big for the size stated, and those marked as 4's look like they should be marked 1/0 but thats just the way manufacturers mark them, i've not seen them made in sizes under 4
varivas do a nice looking semicircle in fairly small sizes but personally i 've only used j's.
stottys on the mark with those short shank carp hooks , must be real sharp.

top tip- not too big a bait or they'll hang on the corners and miss the hook. then let go after a few turns.

thanks lads, duly noted

if any of the above does not work then ...


nip to Morrisons there doing buy one get one free......