Circle Hooks Vs. J Hooks
6 Jun
Last Friday I was fishing with two good friends on the beach for Tarpon and Snook. As we cruised the beach we scanned the horizon looks for bait, but more importantly the flash of silver kings. When we finally located our pod of Poons, we all began to man our battle stations.
Without hesitation, we all began to discuss what rods had what hooks on them. This time around our hook of choice was the circle. Picking which hook to use is really dependent on what you are trying to accomplish and what you are comfortable with. I typically associate setting the hook on a fish with an aggressive draw back and pop of the rod tip to drive the shank of the hook into the jaw of the fish. Try that with a circle hook and the chances of getting tight to the fish are greatly diminished.
A circle hook is designed to rotate as the hook leaves the jaws of the fish and catch or embed itself right in the corner of the fish’s mouth. This process is really a great way to catch fish without hooking them in places that decrease the fish’s chances of survivability.
So really the difference in the hooks are how you set the hook. A J Hook requires an actual hook set, while a circle hook requires you to real tight, while letting the hook set it self.
Here is a great video by Captain Blair Wiggins that gives an overview of each hook and how and when to use it!
