Snelling A Circle Hook

[pitch bait]

Off setting circle hook totaly defeats the purpose, you might as well use an offset J hook. I know they sell them this way and Im not sure why. They are illegal in most tournaments. i use them sometimes striper fishing and every time I throw on over the side I think to myself that dosnt make any sence.

Offset eye I will run the leader through the eye.

Stright eye is still snelled but the leader does not go through the eye, just run it straight up the shank past the eye. The snell will pull tight and cinch up against the eye as it normally would but you have the straight leader like with the offset eye. I will also crimp a straight eye depending on my mood.

I have been thinking of some past trips and swallowed offset circles that were crimped and wondering if the loop creates too much play causing the hook to stick in the gullet before pulling out and catching the lip like it is supposed to. I am still trying both ways to see if it matters, it may have just been the offset circle causing the problem. I was striper fishing last year and 7 of the 8 fish caught were gut hooked with crimped offset circles.

[Sweet Caroline]

Off setting circle hook totaly defeats the purpose, you might as well use an offset J hook. I know they sell them this way and Im not sure why. They are illegal in most tournaments. i use them sometimes striper fishing and every time I throw on over the side I think to myself that dosnt make any sence.

I agree on the offset circle. Up until this year the packages were not clearly marked "tournament legal" and I just did not pay that close attention when I grabbed a pack at the shop before a trip. I have recently seperated all of my true cricles and offset circles and will probaly burn the offsets on drum and striper fishing in the DE Bay and maybe even some smaller sharks trips.

[CGMate]

Good discussion. I do not know the correct answer but I will say last year for sword fishing at night, I started using snelled circles (straight eye) w/ 300 lb mono. Only have one trip using this rig so don't have enough experience to say one way or the other but we hooked something big that sounded and spooled a tiagra 50 wide. Can't say what it was a big sword, big shark, or big tuna but it was hooked solid with this rig. Love to hear more from others with more experience.



Mike

this is the way i like mine when fishing for smaller billfish such as whites and sails. i believe it creates more of a circle and gives a much better hook up ratio.

unless your trying to kill one, i dont think it makes any difference between which is stronger when catching whites and sails your not going to put more than about 5 pounds of drag on them anyway. heck, most of the time the hook will straighten out before the not brakes.

i do know of crews that like them crimped and if there's one thing i've learned in fishing its that no two crews do everything the same. its all about personal preference and what works best for you.

[000's]

Lots of good answers.I thought that you would snell em until the other day at the bait shop.But why did the BFT rig work so well? Guess Im gonna quit worrying about and FISH.Thanks for all the replies.