Hooking percentage

I searched through the archives and seems the kahle vs circle hooks is kind of grey area at this point, so regardless of which hook you use what are your guys hooking up percentages like? It seems I lose about 1 out of 4 fish on the way in, and maybe about half which bite, but never get hooked. Circles just didn’t work well for me last year at all so couple time out this year so far the kahle has worked much more effectively for me, but still only about a little more than half get reeled in. Most fish are in between 2pds and 10 if that matters.

Side note last night had a bunch of misses as well, but then started to hook the cut bait right in the end part of the meat and landed 4 for 5 bites dont know if that was trend or mirage but certainly worked better than previously in night where bait was hooked through center.

When running ditty poles down here its a toss up for me and a guy I run the poles with. He swears hoking the blurgill behind the top dorsal is the only way. I hook mine through the eye socket by pulling back the membrane and inserting the hook directly hehind the nose bone. When I do this I’ve had gills stay alive for 3 days. His way and they bleed but do stay alive long times too, so I guess there might be no solid answer on those two ways. One way forsure is throught the bottom jaw and they stay alive along time but often enough get off the hook.

Through the eye socket is the only way I bait a trotline because thier always facing the current, when running ditty poles it doesn’t matter.

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The trick to using a circle hook is to leave the rod in the rod holder until the rod is doubled over. Don’t set the hook, just start reeling in. I’d guess my hooking percentage is 75-80% fishing for channels with a circle/cut bait.

This time of the year I would primarily use small pieces of cut bait, 3 or 4 fatheads, or dip bait. Upsize your bait when the water temps get closer to 60.

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What he said.

Shore fishing the hook up might be slightly lower, just because in a boat the line is usually directly behind the boat with no bow. Early in the year when I am fishing cats, carp suckers, whatever, I will let them peck at it until it is obvious they hooked themselves when the rod doubles over. I’ve waited 5-10 minutes watching the peck-peck on the rod tip before something actually hooks itself.

75-80% is what I was looking for.
Not too far off will fine tune presentation and will be there in no time. Also offset the hook lil more with some pliers later into night that helped as well it seemed. Thanks guys.

Very, Very important for the rod to load before bringing the rod even tighter… mossy dan… when we were in FL snook fishing the guide had us hooking the fish that way… we missed hooksets the whole morning!!!

The trick was to let the rod load, then set the hook and set it again as the circle had to break free of the bridge of the nose of the bait!!! That took some time getting used to… Then we started to connect in the afternoon.

I was always going to take some rubber bands with me and see if the same type of setup we use sucker fishing muskies with the rubber band would break faster than the bridge of the nose. Never got back down there to see if it would work, but I see some guys using it in the saltwater now on TV.

I slip bobber fish for walleyes and use them all the time now… my thought process was in instances with lots of bow in the line, why not just reel!!! So that’s what I do now, when the cork goes under, after a specified amount of time, I just start cranking until I am tight. I feel I am now hooking far more fish than I was before with a J-hook and very rarely gut hooking.

Mark

The guys down South call it “burning” when the rod is left in the rod holder and once the rod is bent, they start reeling until they know the fish is on. Burning as in burning the line in.

Personally when using a circle for channels I just wait until the rod is loaded, pick it up and pull to ensure the fish is on, then start reeling. If the hook is sharp, there isn’t a need to “set” it.

Barbless 6/0 trebles work very well with a fiber bait. Not to be confused with using a dip tube. I’m talking plan old treble with the barbs flattened and a fiber bait like Sudden Impact. Works the same as a circle. Rod loads, “burn it” or lift it out of the holder and keep the line tight. Most all fish are caught on the lips just like a circle.

It’s a little more difficult with a fiddler because one hook will catch the bottom and the other the roof of the mouth…pliers time, but being barbless it’s simply a matter of pushing the hook back to release at least on of the hooks.

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In-Fisherman Circle Hook article

Here’s a decent article I found on In-Fishermans website about circle hooks.

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Gonna load up on circle hooks..good article.

Ya Mark, when running trotlines in the spring during prespawn they are competeing heavily for any type of food source. I get most of the hooking in the lip area and very few down deep so that tells me they are running with the bluegill, a natural instinct to keep thier meal away from other fish. When rod fishing hooking the bluegill the same way I let them run with it, even 20′ to make sure they have it in thier mouths, I still get most of the hookups in the lip area.

Circle hooks are mandated for bait 8″+ in Wisconsin?