Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Circle Hooks

Circle hooks are a fairly short shanked hook with a slightly exaggerated c or curved bend. Some brands have a more pronounced bend than others. They have a regular barb. Mustad, Eagle Claw & Gamakatsu all make them and are called circle hooks as opposed to aberdeen, bait holder, sproat, salmon egg, etc.. I've seen them at WalMart, Gander mountain & Cabela's.
They are primarily for live bait. They are a little tricky to get used to using them. For best hook set you have to let the fish tighten up on the line before setting the hook. As the line tightens the hook pulls to the side of the mouth and usu catches in the lip or corner. Fish rarely swallow the hook compared to regular hooks. I like them especially for catch and release when using live bait since with live bait the fish often swallow the hook.