In message , Gandalf
writes
Not heard of this large circle of hooks thing but it sounds a bit medieval
if I take it literally, I have enough trouble not getting a treble hooked on
things around me.

IMO Circle hooks are the way to go for many (possibly most) bait fishing
for predators. They're basically a large single with a pronounced circle
shape to the bend - the point is aimed at the shank around 1/3 of the
way between the eye and the start of the bend.

I've been reading up on them for a while and am now trialling circles
for Perch and will also be using them for Pike later in the winter. They
greatly reduce deep hooking and ease hook removal - 95+% of fish are
hooked in the scissors. One point to make is that you don't need to
strike as such - just tighten/lift into the fish after a take. A
conventional strike simply pulls the hook out of the fishes mouth, a
much slower action is required to set the circles.

They're not to easy to come by on this side of the pond, a few tackle
shops stock a limited selection, try fly tying suppliers if you find
them difficult to source or order from the US where they're much more
commonly used.

Will
--
e-mail news dot will at lancre dot net
'98 300Tdi Defender 110 CSW, 1/12th NB Sometimes
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