Circle hooks on crankbaits

[Maggiesmaster]

I recently watched a Bill Dance program where he fished crankbaits in cold water, and fitted the crankbaits with rear facing circle hooks. Sounds like it might work! Did anyone else view this show, and do they remember the size and type of hooks he used?

[PressuredFishing]

Seems popular in saltwater top water, from everything I have read the entire point circle hooks where invented was to accept a worse hookup ratio in exchange for causing minimal damage and preventing guthooking, I don't see a benefit to moving baits because the fish doesn't have a chance to swallow it and will most likely just spit it out. In line hooks seem to make more sense, never used for bass but I commonly used for stream trout, both for woody streams and special regulation water, on minnow baits like Rapala.

 

Seems to me circle hooks shine more for bottom dwelling fish caught often with bait such as rockfish, catfish, carp, stingray, some shark species, and did I mention stingray.... the worst nightmare is hooking a stingray when fishing for shark and having to mess around with pliers while it's trying to stick you in the leg.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

A circle hook requires the fish to essentially hook itself, you set the hook on a circle, and you'll just pull the bait 100% of the time.

 

Why not just go barb less on the back, come to think of it on long baits like 110s, that might be a good ethical move, occasionally they eat the thing from the back pefectly and get a treble down deep. 

[Ski]

The purpose is ...It makes the crankbait MUCH more weedless.

[Deleted account]

No, and no.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Yo zuri actually put circle hooks one some of their smaller inshore JBs.  I beleive the line had been discontinued.  However Rapala started going to inline replacements which is what I would favor over a circle hook.  

[Maggiesmaster]

The reason I’m interested is that Bill Dance used rear facing circle hooks; this makes the crank bait practically weedless ; they won’t get snagged nearly as much on logs, timber, etc.

[Panfish_In_A_Pan]

I think it’s important to distinguish between J hooks and circle hooks. What you see on inshore plugs and such are usually not circle hooks, they are J hooks with an open gape to allow for a good hookup. 

[WRB]

On 1/4/2023 at 3:43 AM, Ski said:

The purpose is ...It makes the crankbait MUCH more weedless.

And more fishless....watch Big Mouth Forever video!

Tom

Circle hook were 1st used on multiple hook gangion deep rock fish rigs so the fish hook themselves and don’t come when the air bladder extends out the mouth. 

[Big Hands]

22 minutes ago, WRB said:

Circle hook were 1st used on multiple hook deep rock fish rigs so the fish hook themselves and don’t come when the air bladder extends out the mouth. 

 

Makes it easier to load up a gangion rig too.

[RB 77]

On 1/4/2023 at 3:56 AM, Deleted account said:

No, and no.

 

 

I use circle hooks all the time fishing bait in saltwater, but see zero use to ever use them in freshwater lure fishing. 

[flyfisher]

21 hours ago, RB 77 said:

 

 

I use circle hooks all the time fishing bait in saltwater, but see zero use to ever use them in freshwater lure fishing. 

they are useful when nosehooking soft plastics and dead drifting on rivers, at least they are for me.  

[RB 77]

On 1/6/2023 at 2:09 PM, flyfisher said:

they are useful when nosehooking soft plastics and dead drifting on rivers, at least they are for me.  

 

 

I could definitely see that as a viable use for them. I just use my standard ss/ds Gammies for nose hooking. 

[ozarksmicrofishing]

He uses size 2 circle hooks if I remember correctly? 

[looking45]

The size of the circle hook depends on the size of the treble it replaces. There are conversion charts online

[ChrisD46]

I believe I have a better suggestion - forget the circle hooks and try these single in-line hooks from Owner if you don't like crank bait treble hooks : https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Single_Replacement_Hook_X_Strong/descpage-OSRH.html

[JN94]

Are you talking about circle hooks or inline hooks? They are two different things. I've put inline hooks on all my cranks and it works well but they do not operate at all like a circle hook

[Brian11719]

I'd also recommend these owner x strong hooks if you are going to go this route. If it helps here's a chart:

I personally like the single hooks better in a kayak where space is tight and I don't want to end up with a treble hook in my leg. I've used them a bit now and although some articles will say there's no difference, I think you do lose some when the fish just 'slap at' the lure. On the other hand I haven't noticed a difference (good or bad) for the ones that actually tried to eat it. Aside from a lower risk of getting a treble hook in your skin these also seem like they are a little better for the fish and I'll typically use them when I'm just fishing in a kayak and not in a tournament or anything like that. I've also noticed they are a little better around grass, but if there's grass around I'm probably going with something besides a crankbait anyway.