08 Marlin Spread, Who's using circle hooks?

[Abell Marine]

My question is: What will boats be pulling this year for marlin in the mid-atlantic area? Will you switch to circles full time to be tournament ready?

And if you do go to circles, what's the spread?

I'm thinking dinks with circles and maybe a couple of mackeral with circles, but since I've never trolled circle hooks I'm looking for some advice.

Does anyone pull artificials mixed with nakeds? Something I've never done for billfish.

Thanks

[Squidnation]

Stay Tuned ABELL. We are launching the World Circle Hook Tour Page Next week here on Sf.com. We will have video and rigging techniques as well as tutorials, Forums and giveaways. All everything on circle hook fishing. We will video the pros with Live Bait, Dead Bait, Lure/Bait Combos, Hopefully some sword action and other surprises. This will be a year long tour that begins in two in Florida. So stay tuned

[SeaMent]

We will be pulling naked dinks with circles, the hook-up ratio on sails and whites has been much better with the circle rig we're using than before with the typical J hook rig. Hell a monkey can come tight on one of these rigs, not near as many WHIFFS!!!! The circle on a mack rig, we're still scratching our head on that one, still looking for right rig, I love pulling plastic for the Blue One's so it is a bit of a struggle for me, plenty of time to figure it out, I fish O.C. MD.

[Rhodekill]

You can catch as many or more using circle hooks.

[Deep C]

Almost my whole spread for years was plastic over hoos and big plastic mixed. I have tried and tried to come up with an effective circle rig to go with a combo and to date have not nailed it down. I'm looking at a whole new approach that may work but havn't had a chance to test it.
So the plan this year at this poiint is to pull plastic til I find fish then switch to all naked and circle. I switched to circle a few months ago almost 100% exclusive on naked and have come full swing to liking them as much of not even more than J. When a fish is hooked we havn't had a jump off or pull off yet.
If I iron out the combo with circle I may well be pulling that but need to get some billfish bites on the prototype to see if it works first.

[SeaMent]

You can catch as many or more using circle hooks.

Rhodekill, you can catch more

[Rhodekill]

Hey SEA been there and done that. Far better hook up ratio.

Also seen Roland Martin on a hook up. It just seems to work much better when I fish with circles.

[flatbottom]

what if the fish is coming at the boat? What do you do?

[SeaMent]

what if the fish is coming at the boat? What do you do?

If he's hooked up somebody better be winding like a S.O.B. and the boat better be boiling black smoke!!!!!!

[whitey]

This year our full spread will be circle hooks except for maybe 1 blue marlin lure with a j hook in it.