Gave circle hooks a good go this year and had pretty good success overall. Found that I missed more fish with circle hook compared to J hook but when hooked with circle didn’t lose many. Also have gotten away from tying up flies or using yarn as they prevent hook from sinking quickly. Have found just a small bead is better. Bead also allows easier tying on of circle hooks via snell knot.

Gave circle hooks a good go this year and had pretty good success overall. Found that I missed more fish with circle hook compared to J hook but when hooked with circle didn’t lose many. Also have gotten away from tying up flies or using yarn as they prevent hook from sinking quickly. Have found just a small bead is better. Bead also allows easier tying on of circle hooks via snell knot.

Check out the Trokar Primal circle hooks, available in a non-offset, straight eye version. They are the sharpest circle hooks I've found.

Where can I buy some of the good circle hooks up in Anchorage by the Kenia ? I don’t have time to order any before I head up.

I have been fishing sockeyes for nearly 30 years but switched to your technique this year. It was tremendously successful! 6 hits and 6 salmon landed, all solid hooksets in the mouth. I followed your instructions to a tee . . . Thanks!!! There were many foul hooked fish from those nearby. I’m sold!

You don't need any knot but the tucked blood. Put line through eye then wrap it around it's self 5 times then put end through loop formed then tuck it back through the top loop; wet and draw up tight. This works on the finest fluro. Never lost a fish through knot failure.

Well, I pre-tied my circle hooks with the egg loop, as it seems to do the same thing by pulling through the eye of the hook, as well as, tying the older version of your fish-n-fool knots. All packed up for the trip to Alaska in a week and a half, so will just have to go with what I got!

Nice job!! those were a couple dandy's!! Are they allowing King fishing there this year? Thanks for the tutorial, similar to ways Iv's fished Kings before, but many new good ideas!!

I will be there 23rd of July - 3 Aug. Got all the circle rigs tied up for this year, so will let you know how it goes. Maybe will see you on the river and say "Hi"!! Bringing the whole family as usual, so we are excited! Also, will be checking on our cabin build on our property off Funny River Road.

Ready!!!

👍

Gonna give a big effort this year to use circle hooks. Your naked circle with just the bead, is that legal? I know you can use just a bead which I prefer, but thought it had to be free floating on the line or pinned at least 2” above the hook. Just curious and best of luck this year!

Yep, can't wait. It'll be my first season with circle hooks. Thanks for all the advice and help.

I’m surprised circle hooks are not a mandatory requirement on the Kenai at this point. They should be. I watched my mom, a person with zero practical fishing skills, bank land three giant males all on the same circle hook. No snags, no on-offs, just solid bone hooked fish, couldn’t have shook them off if you tried.

Excellent tutorial video!!

You using snell knot to attach those circle hook flies? Thanks for the information.

Once again people fishing near me wanted to know how I was catching so many fish and all inside the mouth. I passed along the info I learned here. I tied up 25 circle hooks to hand out next season to people who want to try them. I send folks to Tundra Toad on you tube for tutorials.

I will be spending this winter pre-tying some rigs for next summer! Thanks for the updated video!

Thanks TT, I think I'll stick with my Nautilus 4/0 lights for now, but I did try some 3/0 Krackens this run and did well too. Fairly fast current close to bank where I'm at, BTW

Good job! Thanks for the update.

Any plans to soon post your review of the Kracken/Nautilus comparison?

Really, really waiting for the Kracken vs Nautalus review

Tried the 2/0 gamagatsu circle hook this year first 3 fish came off so I switched back to my old setup and landed the next 4 fish. I will try some 3/0 next year and see if they get a better bite on the fish then the 2/0 did. Always good to get something new to try though. Thanks for your videos I like all the detail you put into them.

How is the Kraken? I tied some Gamakatsu Nauitlus this year and caught some quick limits!

Thank you sir for your videos. I’ve been to the kenai the last 2 years-I’m from southwest Pennsylvania. Your videos are helpful. I have a couple questions for you. 1. Is your fly line floating or sinking or doesn’t it matter? 2. How do you tie your slip weight and does it help with snags? You are so right about being in the zone, but there needs to be fish running. As this was our PROBLEM this year. The week we were there they weren’t running. 2,000-3,000 a day was not good odds.

OK, I am behind on videos, but catching up. That is a great knot. I will try it out next year when I come up with the family!

Looking forward to more videos! After hunting of course!

Did you get a chance to try the Kraken hook this season? We have been toying with the circle hook the last couple years after watching your video, with mixed results, probably due to the knot, as it seems to have an affect. We still had great success this year, and to be honest, forgot to compare results with circle vs regular Gamakatsu 3/0- 4/0 standard bead with a smidge of yarn or tinsel.

looking forwared to your review of Nautilus vs Kracken!

when the gov says no snagging lol i swear its not snagging lol.

I went to Russian River this year and tried the Russian fly and a circle hook setup and lost all on the fly but able to keep my circle hook hookups !

Thanks

Tried circle hooks ( Gamakatsu Nautilus 3/0) in August 2021 with great results! First try was at Centennial campground, Soldotna AK. A large late run of sockeyes made for a good test. Limited, (6) in less than 90 min. Out of 10 fish on, only one foul hooked in a pectoral fin.

Great stuff!

I will use circle hooks in some fast moving water where I know that it is straight up flossing because it really cuts down on the body snags but it still is possible to foul hook fish in the fin or tail but that doesn't always happen. I see some people that try a circle hook for the first time get fed up on only feeling the fish for a little bit before it is gone because they cannot stop themselves from setting the hook like how you do it with regular hooks. In fast moving waters, I just raise my rod after feeling the fish to allow the tension to drive the hook into them, which the circle hooks do really hold them good in fast moving water because of how they are designed, which you know how fun it can be to remove a circle hook from a fishes mouth. My first tries on using circle hooks were Mustad and Gamakatsu fly hooks that really are not that strong at all, so it was short lived but I knew circle hooks tend to hold fish better because of how the hook sticks the fish. I tried the Gamakatsu octopus circle hooks to just think they were too large on design. I recently tried some Berkley fusion 19 circle hooks that are an octopus style where I just tied a small egg loop to use a little yarn to help the hook stay in teeth and these little circle hooks are strong! I am impressed with these fusion 19 circle hooks and I had no problem with them being an octopus style because they done their job in some very fast moving water in the Kenai. I will be trying them out more in some other places and will bug the shop I got those Berkley circle hooks to get more or just plain find a source to order from.

Why do you like this knot? Why do you deem it better than some of the other knots?

Thanks!

Aloha from Hawaii. Been fishing the lower Kenai for Sockeye since 2010. Just when you think you got your technique dialed in, another yr comes and throws a wrench in it. Stumbled across your videos in Aug after a exhausting fish trip. Will be trying out a bunch of your techniques. One question I have, maybe you explained it earlier….. what’s the advantage of barbless hooks and how do you remove them? Keep them videos rolling!🤙🏽

You are the best Sir 😊

Thanks much for the knot video, will definitely use it next time.

Great video. Since living here in the Valley, I like to see “our” backyard in KZbin videos. Keep up the great videos. 😎Much respect.

What if you are fishing for kig salmon....you still using circle hook ? Thank you.

Looks like a old penn reel.my dad and I still use the Penns he bought 50+ years ago

Thanks for the video....gonna tie up some Sockeye flies on circle hooks. And thanks also for showing the proper drifting technique that does not include the snagging rip at the end. Pains me to see people causing undue harm and trauma to so many fish do to foul hooking.

99 percent of the yokels who fish the Kenai would not have a clue how to use a circle hook since they are usually freshwater hacks who think they are fishing waleye. This is advanced flossing, not Kenai 101. Nice video

!!!!

They are coming in my friend. I'm going to turn some circles loose when I come down maybe tomorrow. Time to fill the freezer.

Quality video! Very nicely done! Subbed and looking forward to learning more!

Great video.......Thanks Tundra!

As always, fantastic video!