Openfire, teach me how to use circle hook...

[MikeyMikey]

Howdy openfire...

I really can't seem to hook any fish with circle hook. Probably due to trying to set the hook.

But really, I know you love using the circle hook to wacky worm for bass fishing.

So you work the lure and you feel something nibbling your bait or line start to move...
normal reaction would be to set the hook!
Sure, everybody say fish will hook itself but really, how the heck does it work? Let the fish run with the bait and keep the line tension tight and HOPE it'll set the hook?
That is not good isn't it? what if fish decide to spit it out? when you could have set the hook on first feel and get a hook set?

But at this moment, I would like to know what you (openfire) do .

I want to know every detail on how you fish and get this hook hooked.


Thank you.

 

[openfire]

First of all, don't use just any circle hook... Use one that is razor sharp. I use an "owner" circle hook.

Secondly, you only need a couple of seconds to get a hook set... I personally use either Yamamoto senkos or gulp sinking minnows. I find that bass attack these worms and actually try to eat them, rather than spitting them... this gives you more than enough time to set the hook.

What I do is cast out the wacky rigged worm and just let it sink with some slack in the line. It's very important to have slack in your line when the worm is sinking. If you don't have any slack in the line, the senko will sink towards you diagonally and that's not what you want. It sould fall straight down in a horizontal position. This gives it that nice quivering motion that seems to drive bass nuts. The bass almost always hit it when it's sinking.

If I don't get a hit on the initial fall, I pick my rod tip up to raise the senko off of the bottom and towards me, then I let it fall again.

When a bass grabs the senko, you'll see the slack in your line start to straighten out. I usally wait 2 or 3 seconds or until all of the slack is gone then I set the hook.

Do not pull up to set the hook like you normally would with other lures. When you're using a wacky rig with the circle hook, all you need to do is gently sweep your rod to the side and the fish is hooked.

That's my technique, and I don't miss many fish using it.

BTW, I think that what happens with the circle hook is that because the tip of the hook is bent severely inward, it catches the corner of the bass's mouth and as it starts to swin away, the hook, because of it's shape begins to rotate and apply torque... That's why they literally "hook themselves".

Hope that helps.

 

[MikeyMikey]

Ok...

So you do have to "set" the hook but just a gentle sweep side set. does it have to be side sweep ? what would happen if you pull up ?

Also, what size hook do you use ?

 

[MikeyMikey]

Thanks again...

yes the key way to hook it seems to be Easy Gentle Sweep of the rod.

 

[MikeyMikey]

But what I really need now is not to hook the bait directly but...

use some sort of strong yet thin rubber ring of some sort.

Any tips ?

 

[efka]

http://videos.baits.com/wmv/wacky.wmv

http://www.insideline.net/articles/rigging-guide.html

is this what you were looking for ?

 

[MikeyMikey]

Thanks for the linkage but

I was just wondering about the setting the hook part when circle hook is used.

 

[openfire]

One more thing I should add... If you wait too long before you set the hook, they sometimes get hooked very deeply in their throats. Not a good idea, since it's almost impossible to remove the hook without damaging the fish.

I also see from your last report that you discovered the pink coloured worms. That colour is devastating!

About hook size, I use a couple of different sizes. It depends on the size of the bait I'm using.

I need some of those rings too... those senkos get ripped up fast. Let me know if you find any.

 

[paw]

hmm.. can you use or tried small clear elastic bands instead of metal rings?