The Truth About Circle Hooks

[@lendog725]

The circle hook is 100% designed to protect the fish.. it’s not designed to get better hook up ratio .... if you don’t care about the safety of the fish and love to leave your fish gut hooked then the circle hook is not for you! Simple

[@ifishcatfish]

i took 15 minutes to say the exact same thing : )

[@lendog725]

i_fish yeah but you explained it great! I look forward to your videos ! Keep it up

[@zammit1683]

There was an experiment made purposely to see what happen to gut hooked fishes. A number of fishes was intentionally hooked in the guts, simulating they swallow the hook and got hooked there. The outcome was quite surprising, after 24hrs, most of the fish manage to spit the hook out. Only one died. All the others manage to get the hook out of their guts..

[@larrytischler8769]

Wrong. It was 100% designed to catch fish from a non metal piece of clamshell. Saving fish had nothing to do with it's invention, or its adoption by the Japanese commercial fishermen and their adapting it to a metal hook. Of course, mouth hooked fish are preferred by commercial fishermen, since they can be taken out more quickly than gut hooked fish, but saving the fish was not what was behind their development, That is recent.

[@hardtarget2359]

I've had more gut hooked cats on circle hooks than any other design. Its not all its cracked up to be. Cause when you get a circle hooked in the gut its IMPOSSIBLE to rotate the hook out. I've had the best success with EGW hooks. Gets em in the mouth about 98% of the time. If the cat does get the hook past the mouth (which is very rare) its easy to unhook.

[@MAX99999]

I agree with the statements you made in your video. As a true catch and release fisherman, i love the idea of circle hooks. In my experience as a bass fisherman, the offset circle hooks keeps the fish hooked on certain situations, because the design of the hook keeps the fish to throwing the hook. This is in addition to keeping the line right. The one thing that differs with bass vs catfish is a bass will usually grab the bait, and immediately make a turn to flee which generally sets a circle hook. I never use live bait, and at the end of the day, people who use live should hang onto their rods so when they feel a fish, they should set the hook and not let the fish swallow the bait. Education and taking care of our fisheries is more important than anything.

[@ifishcatfish]

I almost never see circle hooks used for bass. Let me put it this way, If I had a private lake with confirmed double digit bass, I would only allow people to fish them with circle hooks, to avoid injuries. If it is a pond with a bunch of 1 pounders .. - whatever.. I found my old video of watercooled PC, in case u want to share PC pictures sometimes... My video is 12 years old..

[@MAX99999]

Yes. It’s only good for senkos and wacky rigs. It’s almost perfect with circle hooks. I will send you some pics.

[@ifishcatfish]

@@MAX99999 Private lakes have still not grown in USA the way they have everywhere else. We are blessed to have such good public fisheries, and need to protect them, because the DNR can't. But in UK for example, it is normal for a lake owner to pay $50 000 per fish for the 30 and 40 lb carp. Because he then advertises that and gets a lot of customers wanting to pay to fish a lake with big fish. Needless to say, these fish are extremely valuable to him, and there are extremely strict restrictions on how to handle the fish, what kind of rigs are allowed, to avoid losing the fish. If I had a private lake with a bunch of 10 pound bass, I would just not allow anglers to tear them up with treble hooks and even those huge J-hooks (you know how bass guys set the hook). I would only allow circle hooks, so I know there will be no injuries to my trophy fish, and also people don't jerk the circle hooks as much so not to lose the fish. There is one lake around here with these exact regulations, btw. The owner has bass over 15 pounds and people go there to catch a trophy. They use live goldfish on a circle hooks. There are videos on utube if u want to see them, but once u own these valuable fish, u start to think about protecting them. When it's not your property, you just want to rip their mouth, to show them on camera... it's kind of sad

[@viper2788]

I prefer circle hooks over J hooks 100%, esp for catfish. Few reasons: 1) Circle hooks have more penetrating power over J hooks due to its geometry. When a fish pulls against it (and rod is secure with tight enough drag), the design creates leverage that increases the pressure on the hook point relative to the amount of pull on the rod... whereas on a J hook you get 1 to 1 ratio of force. 2) Bigger catfish have some hard bones in their jaws and I've lost some good ones using a J hook as it failed to penetrate beyond the barb. Circle hooks will generally hook the corners of the mouth getting a solid hookset. Also, the added leverage mentioned above gives better penetration even if it were to hit some hard bones in other parts of the mouth, often digging beyond the barb. 3) Once a circle hooks properly, it is very unlikely that the fish will spit the hook, again due to its geometry. The same cannot be said about J hooks. 4) I almost only use offset circles and I rarely ever gut hook any fish. It happens maybe once out of 100 fish for me, including striped bass. 5) You can assume the catfish's mouth to often be closed after taking the bait... or even partially closed. It would therefore give much better hookup ratio than the roll you used to demonstrate in almost all situations. With proper use, I believe circle hooks will always outperform J hooks when it comes to fishing bait. From my experience, I've always had better initial hookup ratio as well as fewer spit hooks with circles. Its a confidence builder for sure!

[@ifishcatfish]

Thank you for the detailed reply, viper. I am glad you use circle hooks, but I really wish you did it because of concern of the fish instead of believing you catch more fish. But I am afraid most catfish anglers, like you, use circle hooks because they believe they catch more fish, which is why I made this video. Your list makes a lot of good observations but also misses some obvious ones. 1 & 2 are basically the same. I did not talk about this because its complicated and because today all hooks on the market, even cheap ones, are so sharp that penetrating a fish is just not a problem. On top of that, with a J-hook you can jerk when u set the hook, which actually increases the penetration force. Think how much extra force the jerking gives u vs just reeling on the fish. 3 is generally not issue with either hook. Do u really believe that a 6/0 J-hook will come out of a catfish's mouth, even without the pressure from the line? However circle hooks sometimes do lose fish , even after it is hooked, but for different reason. Very often when we net the fish we see that the hook grabbed the lip really thin, holding only the skin of the fish, and not jaw itself. That happens if the circle hook tip has been worn out and is no longer sticky. It will slide through the jaw and grab the lip on the outside, because it is softer. However that connection is quite soft and can tear in a long fight. J-hooks never grab the fish so thin on the outside. 4 depends on how much you offset the hook. If you offset just a little, you increase the chance of gut hooking just a little, but you improve your hook up ratio just a little. If u offset more, you improve your hook up more, but also gut hooking becomes more likely. Imagine this sharp and unprotected tip touching the stomach, which actually looks like a towel a little bit. 5. Yes, the catfish mouth will always be closed, at least I always assume that. But hard to show something on camera if behind a closed mouth. If you can describe how a J-hook can exit a closed mouth without grabbing something - I really want to read that. However an inline circle hook has no problem exiting a closed mouth in the two scenarios I showed in the video - when it rotates on the outside of the stem, and when a fish backs up in reverse. If I am missing something - show me the what I missed in my logic. Offset circle hooks can grab the lip even when rotating on outside, or fish backing up, but again, when u increase ur chance of hooking the lip you simultaneously increase the chance of hooking any other organ inside the fish. Also if we look at this logically, if your points are correct, my points would be wrong, because you claim circle hooks catch more fish. But you did not even attempt to find something wrong with my logic. Instead of writing all of this, you could just show me where I was wrong and what did I miss - the same way I went over your points and showed u something you missed. Circle hooks definitely catch LESS fish than J-hooks, but the difference is not big, and should be accepted by everyone who values the life of the big catfish

[@ernie548]

#1 is totally correct in my understanding. It's also related to how the line is attached to the circle hook. Tied right, the hook will rotate more and should penetrate the fish faster/sooner by the fishes movement itself. This is even before anyone pulls on the rod to classically set the hook. This is a big advantage to long liners and the like, and fisherman that throw bait and wait.

[@jvalentine8376]

That's just dead wrong , no way circle hooks have more penetrating power than standard hooks . Because they only grab the jaw it seems like they do but that does not take into account the fish that got away because the circle hook did not grab anywhere else and also missed the jaw .

[@luster5497]

If you bend the circle hook tip sideways like a “octopus hook” it’ll probably increase your hookup ratios, it’ll grab skin now if the fish is backing up.

[@ifishcatfish]

i discussed that in detail in the second half of the video

[@dylanclay2741]

Octopus means bent eye. What yoire referring to is offsetting the hook

[@stevethepyro420]

Very nice and informative non biased review! I personally use 5/0 offset circle hooks for channel catfish. Only had one gut hook, and it was on a 10 pounder. Awesome videos Victor keep up the good work!!!

[@yep.fishing]

Circles have less hookups but higher quality hookups? That's my personal conclusion

[@notinajaronmars]

Brilliant description. Thank you for showing some sense in a mostly blind world.

[@ifishcatfish]

mostly blind world : )

[@EASTSIDERIDER707]

I caught 3 small Striper yesterday on circle hooks. All were hooked in the corner of the mouth and released without harm.

[@eddiebasagre4911]

I have been fishing for many years and no one have ever explained the right hooks . With circle hooks as explained statistically it does make sense of what you have explained likely the offset circle hooks has the advantage than pure circle hooks. The J hooks have all the advantage than pure circle hooks. Thanks anyway for sharing your thoughts.

[@earlellis3346]

In reading some of the posts some anglers that uses circle hooks seems to get angry at the video. But throughout the entire video I did not hear an endorsement of either hook, the J or the circle. He dispelled some of the myths surrounding circle hooks. He praised the design of the circle hook, and pointed out advantages and disadvantages of using the circle hook. Since I am a novice fisherman I have used both hooks and found that they both presents challenges. I currently favor the J hook because I fish for food and not sport.

[@ifishcatfish]

wow. rational over emotional! World needs more of that..

[@TheFishingNomad]

Some people get upset when you provide facts that contradict their opinions.

[@kennethjackson7574]

Back when I fished for halibut I used a Penn 49L with 100 pound wire if in 150 feet of water or less. I could feel the weight bouncing on the rocks on the bottom, and feel the bite because the wire has so little stretch. In 100 fathoms (600 feet) it was Penn 14/0 and Dacron. Very hard to tell when a halibut is biting then, too much line stretch. But big (10/0 or bigger) circle hooks and squid worked very well in both situations. And with the 14/0 nothing could spool you- even with 600 feet of line out there was still HALF A MILE of line on the reel! PB was 134 pounds.

[@aaronellinger2662]

This video made my day. My face hurts from smiling. Thanks for posting.

[@ifishcatfish]

that's kind of the goal.. : ) I don't think anyone would change their ways ...

[@karlstokes874]

I totally agree A circle hook should have the point in line with the shank and not offset. When snelling your circle hook onto your snood always make sure you follow the curvature of line coming off off the spool. This accentuates the circle design and improves hook ups. Nice video man

[@mg82949]

I almost gave up because of the accent..but turns out it is an excellent explanation of circle hooks..thank you.

[@ifishcatfish]

thanks for the honest feedback and for grinding it out : ). Btw, I completely understand this and I am not offended at all, and I even feel very much like this myself, believe it or not.

[@jakev.9387]

I 100% agree with this video I miss big catfish over the circle hook so now I am using the king kale hook or the octopus hook

[@lachlanoneil8938]

How would you know it was a big one if the hook just slipped out.

[@jakev.9387]

When it’s pulling 15 pounds of drag

[@lachlanoneil8938]

@@jakev.9387 probably just unlucky that can happen with any hook either that or the hook gap was too small

[@jakev.9387]

Lachlan O'Neil nope was using an 8/0 circle with cut skipjack and live bluegill that are 6 inches but I have gotten better hook up with octopus hooks and j hooks circle hooks are designed to protect fish while hooks like j and octopus hooks have a better chance to gut hook a fish

[@hookedonbassncats]

And octopus hook is a J hook, just has an up turned eye, designed for Snelling Your Hooks.

[@mauricecason5369]

Wow I had no idea that was the purpose of the design of a circle hook i didn't know thanks for sharing the great information i will take knowledge and included in my arsenal thanks

[@kurtschlarb9762]

This fellow demonstrated valid comparisons between the two. I have used both for years. When I miss a fish it is normally because I make a mistake. It doesn't seem to matter whether I use a J or circular hook. The guy that made the comment about the fish's safety has a point. But, if you are keeping the fish that swallows a hook, it probably isn't to nurse it back to health. So..... I really liked this video.

[@hookedonbassncats]

I fished with J hooks for 10 years catfishing here in the states. I gut hooked way more fish even when I held the rod and didn't have it in a rod holder. I use offset Gamakatsu offset 4/0 to 6/0 circle hooks for cat fishing the last 6 year's and i have had way more hook ups and lost less fish and gut hooked allot less fish using circle hooks. I personally see and understand your points. And they are valid points. But I have had the opposite results you had. And I am an avid catfisherman, I go catfishing 3 to 5 times a week from spring until late fall.

[@ifishcatfish]

there are some problems in statistics that not everyone understands. A lot of people told me they get better hookups with circle hooks but this cannot possibly be true due to the slipping design. But i know people are not lying. People are not lying at yet they are wrong. The problem is your statistics only include the cases where the circle hook grabbed hold. Once it grabs hold, it levers lets go, because the circle is hard to come off. So you think your hookup is close to 100%. But you don't see the bites where the hook just slipped. Here is what is happening. You get 10 bites, 6 of them usually slip, but the 4 that catch, you see them on your rod and u catch all 4 and u think u r 100%. The J-Hooks do not slip. They will catch the fish ANYWHERE. Sometimes they didn't grab a good spot, and the hook comes off. So u see u miss some fish. But in practice u had 10 bites, and you saw 9 or 10 of them on your rod. then you missed 4 of them and you landed only 5 fish. Now you think you missed half the fish, but you missed bites that you WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN if u used a circle hook. This is called BIAS in statistics. You prepare statistics only from the positive outcomes with circle hooks. With J-Hooks you prepare statistics with both positive and negative outcomes.

[@hookedonbassncats]

@@ifishcatfish very good points. I haven't thought about that. Maybe I'll use my octopus J hooks on both my rods and try that. See how it turns out. I mean I have always use J hooks for every fish and even used to for catfish. I made the switch to circle hooks only for catfish. So I'm used to using j hooks for my whole life. I just switched cause i hated how many times I gut hooked a catfish with J hooks and even big J hooks. So I did it out of protecting the fish and to not lose as much hooks. I generally catch and release my catfish except 2 or 3 small channel cats I'll keep a year. Thanks for the info. I'm curious to see how much better I do switching back to J hooks. What about kale hooks? I have always thought about trying them. Any thoughts on those?

[@ifishcatfish]

Though a lot about kale hooks and tried to find sonething good to read on them. As of right now i cannot see why these things even exist. In my opinion they are the worst, just from analyzing the design. I have never used them and probably never will because that design is just stupid. For big catfish i use circle because i dont want to kill them. For channels or eaters i use jhooks or octopus.. they have many flavors

[@hookedonbassncats]

@@ifishcatfish yeah I never understood the kale hook design either. I use octopus hooks for catfishing and carp fishing. Isn't a octopus hook a J hook just with an up turned eye?

[@ifishcatfish]

technically it is in the J-Hook family, yes, but the tip is every so slightly turned in. Eye can go either way.

[@kevinharrigan2727]

Circle hooks for wacky rigs are a wonderful combination. Same for Carolina rigs if you nose hook your lure, no your hookup ratio isn’t the exact same but in terms of keeping fish alive they work very well!

[@ifishcatfish]

I can see that actually!

[@dylanclay2741]

I thought I was the only 1who did that. If you get good with it your hookup ratio is the same. In cases where they're swimming towards me I'll get the line tight and bump the rod up a few times to make sure it's set good . Works 9/10 times but when they're swimming away I'll put baitcaster in freespool , wait 5 to 6 seconds then put into retrieve and ease the pressure on. Works everytime and haven't gut hooked a single bass since

[@frizzlefry3727]

Not what I was expecting, this was amazing. Stories, visual aides, genuine concern for the fish and your favorite hobby. Keep it up. i_fish is quickly becoming my favorite fishing channel.

[@ifishcatfish]

thanks for the kind comment my friend!

[@stanwright8583]

The reason there are so many different sizes and styles of fish hooks, is because there are so many different kinds of fish and ways to catch them. Depending on the kind fish you are after and how you fish for them... there is a fish hook for you.

[@joeschmoe1301]

OUTSTANDING video!! More, more!!

[@ifishcatfish]

: )

[@jimhall2255]

LOL too funny. You are actually right in what you are saying. I personally don't fish for catfish but what you are saying is correct. I fish mostly saltwater and the fish bite very aggressive and run with the bait which makes a circle hook very effective. I do not ever use an offset circle hook because I mostly release the fish I catch. Why? Because there are slots we have to live with and most are either over or under the slot we are able to keep. Very good video and informative. Keep up the good work.

[@ifishcatfish]

thank you. I watch a lot of saltwater videos even though i have no access to saltwater and don't see much offsetting there

[@sunseekerrs3087]

Thanks for this video. I'm new to fishing and have been using regular J hooks, but keep gut hooking the fish I catch (mainly trout). I mainly keep the fish but want to be able to release them if they're too small without gut hooking them. I'm assuming I could use circle hooks with trout too. Is there a certain size (or range of sizes) and brand of circle hook you'd recommend for that? Thank you.

[@ifishcatfish]

how to u fish for trout? If u fish on the bottom (saltwater) with shrimp, then yes, you can use small circle hooks. I would use something thin from japanese brands. But if u fish with lures... u can't really use circle hooks

[@sunseekerrs3087]

i_fish thank you for the response. I fish from the bank in lakes and rivers, usually with bait. I have some lures with trebles that I haven't used yet (like I said I'm really new to this) and was debating on changing the hooks out to circle hooks too. So you don't think that would work? I'm probably making this a lot more complicated than I need to so I'm sorry about that. I just don't want to keep gut hooking the fish I catch. But I will look into getting some thinner Japanese circle hooks. Any brands you would recommend?

[@ifishcatfish]

anything japanese will be top notch

[@sunseekerrs3087]

i_fish thank you so much!

[@MrKokemachine]

I enjoy your musings on the circle hook. Very informative.

[@ifishcatfish]

thanks for taking the time to leave a comment sir! hope to see u around

[@corradoblondi9792]

Good morning! While fishing for carp have you ever gut hooked a catfish by accident? It's possible to use circle hooks for carps or barbels or trouts? I know that those questions sounds silly but i'm a beginner and sometimes i'm confused by the enormous amount of informations you're exposed to when you start angling. Thanks

[@ifishcatfish]

Please check my carp fishing videos. I have a carp rig video. It is not possible to gut hook any fish with my rigs because my leader is only 3 inches long

[@corradoblondi9792]

@@ifishcatfish Thanks! I will!

[@Binaryfarto]

Really excellent video! Clearly and logically articulated! I've seen a few videos and heard pier conversations criticising the use of offset hooks, but I've never heard the reasoning explained. The competing argument that offsetting increases the hook up rate is hard to argue against when you don't know the other side of the story! Unfortunately offset circle hooks do seem to be getting more common where I'm from (Australia), and tackle companies are simply responding to demand. It's asking a lot of company to "nobly" ignore customer demands in the name of ecology, (although that would be admirable). Hopefully more understanding of offset hooks will filter out into the fishing community and the demand for offset hooks will dry up. I almost always fish "catch-and-release", and now I know to avoid offset hooks when I'm not fishing for dinner.

[@ifishcatfish]

Thanks for the kind words sir! Super glad someone watched my jabbering from the other side! : )

[@greenpea9412]

I agree, he explained this well and man it makes sense.

[@omaraldana752]

Im going to say i started to catfish and needed hook info. I use mustad size 12 if u offset any circle hook u will hook both sides of the mouth and top and bottom of mouth because the point is at an angle it will grab anywhere in the mouth.Most of my fish hook themselves on the river or ocean i dont set the hook.

[@CrappielimitTV]

A very good video that saying about circle hooks to me is just a salesman pitch

[@ifishcatfish]

The circle hooks are a great human invention, but if u tell people you will catch fewer fish but will save the life of a trophy fish, not many people will buy them. You need to have noble intentions and make a sacrifice. That's why salesmen will rather spin the truth a little bit, to sell more hooks.. Thanks for checking the vid - i love your channel!

[@CHUNKYCATSFISHING]

Absolutely fantastic video nicely done once again my friend

[@omaraldana752]

I never gutted a fish with circles J hooks grab gills and guts my honesty

[@raging_crocodile2081]

I personally prefer circle hooks purely because I catch and release 99% of the time. Sometimes I will use bait holding J hooks when fishing with night crawlers for large bass because they don’t fall off as easily.

[@ifishcatfish]

that's the right understanding and application

[@raymondthompson2908]

Super video. Perfectly expressed and articulated, and very entertaining. Ray

[@ifishcatfish]

thanks for the comment. These things can make someone's day. This video got 0 views in first 2 weeks. Months later it started moving. Kind of a mystery what happened.

[@caseyturner8773]

Great video! I'm really big on circle hooks. If catfishing I won't allow anything but inline circles on my boat. I'd rather not catch a hundred pound cat than put a hook in it's guts and sending it home to suffer, all as thanks for giving me the time of my life. We don't set the circle hooks with a big jerk because you run a high risk of jerking the hook straight out of their mouth, as you demonstrated. I really like this video. I don't use circle hooks to catch more fish. I use circle hooks so my kid has more fish to catch in the future. I can't say enough this is a fantastic idea for a video thanks!

[@ifishcatfish]

Paula t this is exactly why the hook was designed. And it requires what u said: knowingly sacrifice a few catches, so that we get the fish of a lifetime we know we will see it seim away!

[@Flederratte]

Great video! Nicely demonstrated. Thank you for this video!

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

You an OG for this video, made me realize how I blindly follow market bs.

[@ifishcatfish]

ben anthony patrick what is OG?

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

i_fish haha original gangster... it’s a complement just the fact you opened my eyes about circle hooks after all the videos I watched it destroyed a lot of misconceptions I had.

[@ifishcatfish]

ha! Nobody called me a gangster before! I was going for a ninja in one of my previous videos, but i will take gangster too : )

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

i_fish haha ninja gangster fisherman. Hey do you notice a difference in how smooth a reel feels with the line you use? Cause my exceller doesn’t feel as smooth as my Sedona I still love it but I have cheap mono on my exceller and braid on Sedona

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

i_fish haha ninja gangster fisherman. Hey do you notice a difference in how smooth a reel feels with the line you use? Cause my exceller doesn’t feel as smooth as my Sedona I still love it! I have cheap mono on my exceller and braid on Sedona

[@jp040759]

Great video Victor. Good thought provoking discussion. Where was your video footage taken. Looks like Wisconsin Dells cliffs in the beginning scenes.

[@ifishcatfish]

Starved Rock, IL River. Marked a lot of catfish, will need to go back there next year

[@GRDray]

Excellent video man. Thank you for sharing this information with us.

[@ifishcatfish]

Thank you

[@GRDray]

i_fish You're welcome.

[@alecbotash2427]

Пожалуй это лучшее видео на эту тему ! Молодец ! Честно, толково и все по делу без лишних слов ! Теперь мои сомнения развеяны. Спасибо за видео ! Удачи !

[@ifishcatfish]

Spasibo, tovarish!

[@rontruocchio5744]

victor in new york we have to use circle hooks if fishing for striped bass with bait. at certain times of the season clam belly is the preferred bait. let me add more credence to your circle hook diagnosis by saying that if you load a big ball of clam belly on a circle hook the business part of the hook is just lying on and into the bait, not sticking up ready to hook any part of that fish's mouth. the powers that be say it saves more fish and i'm sure it does.

[@ifishcatfish]

well , if you are using inline circle hooks, i think you are doing enough, and should keep the tip of the circle hook clear. You want to make sure when it turns around the lip it is free to grab

[@markwest759]

I'm a saltwater fisherman, mostly deep dropping. You missed one very important advantage of circle hooks....once the fish are hooked the level of escapement is A LOT LESS ! This is very important for me as the fish are coming up from far and may die anyway. The longer the lines are left unattended or the longer it takes to bring the fish up from the depths the more time they have to shake loose or spit the hook. Especially if tension is not maintained the whole time. The hole gets bigger with every head shake, and the J hook will fall out with any forward movement. The Circle must actually be rotated so less likely to come out. I spend time actually offsetting all my hooks, J and especially circle, as it really does increase hookup rate you mentioned. Also important with circle hooks is Snelling and using heavy sinkers...when fish bite and turn they pull against the sinker and hook themselves.

[@ifishcatfish]

if you want to cover everything, you need a 5 hour video on circle hooks. Start the clock and record yourself reading your own post. Its a few minutes. Once the video is too long, nobody will click it, and you can't reach a wide audience. This is how youtube works. There are no viral 1 hour videos, none. I preferred to focus on the things that everyone is repeating, because everyone is repeating them, and because they are wrong. Now what you said is true, ONCE HOOKED, a circle hooks is more difficult to come out. But this is not the reputation of circle hooks, and not the reason people buy them.

[@markwest759]

@@ifishcatfish True long videos are a waste of time. But the shortfall is made up in the comments. I don't do catfish so maybe I'm a bit off point also. The main reason we use circle hooks for deep drop is that fish do tend to stay on if hooked in the mouth. Usually the only fish caught on J hooks are those gut hooked. Maybe this is just for catfishers, but eg longline tuna fishermen use circle hooks for entirely different reasons....over-exposed fish need to stay on ....that is if you are comparing hook designs in general. From 400-1800 ft deep drop bottom fish are gonna die anyway so I just don't overfish. Great video that was worth watching, but I gave thumbs down for severely bashing the offset circle hook. It is essential for me to increase hookup rate, then to have the fish stay on when exposed too long.

[@ifishcatfish]

I am not sure what fishing you are doing and i dont want to know as its something saltwater where i have no experience anyway, but offsetting hooks gut hooks and kills trophy catfish in my world and is a practice that needs to be humiliated and eradicated. But sounds like you murder all fish you catch anyway, and all of your concern is some of the fish you plan to murder might escape. I can see how my recommendations would bother you.

[@markwest759]

@@ifishcatfish Yes, apples and oranges but using the same hooks. I'm a commercial fisherman, not sport. Fish pulled from 1000 ft will usually die. "Murder" is a pretty strong word, as deepwater fish are hard enough to reach and catch. For sustainable fishing I rotate many spots and take only a few individuals from each area. For my long term benefit. Not that you care, but the others will understand that there are different types of fishing, and the same tools may be used differently. I thought we were looking at "the truth about circle hooks", not catfish fishing per se. As I said, apples and oranges. End by saying I respect your views. Thanks.

[@aussieas3073]

Would a beak hook or octopus hook be a good in between as I noticed the tip still bends in slightly?

[@ifishcatfish]

yes, exactly in between.

[@HoofHearted_Eh]

Great explanation! Circle hooks therefore, are not for people fishing for food who does not care how you catch, hook, net, electrocute, or dynamite fish in order to have food on the table.

[@ifishcatfish]

Well said!

[@jamsk813]

Something that is very important that unfortunately doesn't get addressed, and it happens to us ALL: okay, I now have a fish hooked in the throat... I have no intentions of keeping the fish, and would like to perform any and all attempts to remove the hook, no matter the type, in a SAFE MANNER. I think this is a situation that we all need to understand, and also be prepared for. Please let me know your opinion, and it would be nice to see someone with your knowledge and skills in explaining things do a video on the topic. If I had the time and the follower base I would do one myself!

[@ifishcatfish]

This is controversial. Most people say cut the line and the hook will rust, but this is bullsheet. A hook can take more than 1 year to rust enough to disintegrate, but the line may never rust, and will get stuck in the guts. This is another myth that people invented to feel good about themselves, and to think that they did not kill the fish. The truth is most of these fish die because they cannot feed properly, and the best chance they have is to remove the hooks. But if the person who removes the hook is an idiot, he will kill the fish on the spot. I will get a lot of hatred if i tell people that cutting the line and leaving the hook is wrong : )

[@jamsk813]

Absolutely agree with your opinion. A rusting hook is a perfectly good location for bacteria to breed and cause infection, altimately killing the fish. These cats must receive numerous punctures from fins and Gill plates of food, I would think. I'm sure they heal from those, so how about the careful and safe removal of a hook? I've removed more than a couple hooks from the throats of flatheads, with very little or no signs of bleeding after getting the hook out. If backed out the same way they go in, I feel better about that than leaving an obstruction that could be the reason a fish can't entirely swallow dinner.

[@ifishcatfish]

good point on them eating spikey bluegill. Leaving the hook inside is sadistic. Even if the fish survives, I cannot let it suffer for months. Better just kill it and eat it than let it try to feed with hook in the throat. The removal of circle hook needs understanding, but when done properly, I have not noticed bleeding after hook removal either. You have to also watch the barb. If the barb is set, pulling back in a circle is not enough. You will have to push the hook IN, about 1/8 of an inch, then gently push away from the barb, and then back it out in a circle. This is why I don't think many people will do it right. They will just rip the guts out.

[@ifishcatfish]

maybe i will make a video, but i know i will get a lot of thumbs down :)

[@teamcramerfishing8441]

@@ifishcatfish I agree with the circle hook video, but I cut the line and the leave the hook in if I can't get it out without tearing the fish up. (I think there has actually been research done on this but I don't have it handy.) If I recall correctly, it's not that the hooks rust out as much as it is the fish naturally ejects the hook after a while. Sort of like how the body will eventually eject a splinter that is under the skin. 98% of the fish I gut hook are panfish, but I don't do a ton of catfishing. I've started mashing down the barbs on many of my hooks and that helps a lot in terms of being able to remove deep hooks, especially if the hook is in the top of the throat or some other weird place.

[@gb8265]

While i agree with you i think offset circle hooks have its place specially in saltwater fishing, for example when surf fishing for florida pompano in my area i use offset circle because there are only a couple species in the beach during spring mainly pompano and gulf kingfish and both are strikers that run after hitting the bait so circles will hook in the mouth area but if you use j hooks or kahle you will end up piercing their eyes but with offset circles that doesn’t happen it will be either the corner or bottom of the mouth and you keep the hook up ratio as close to a j as posible and those fish have two flat teeth in their throat that they use to crush crabs so gut hooking them is not going to happen.it also works for different strikers like snapper that tend to take tiny bites and i like it because taking the hook is easier and less messy than a j hook also i dont hook myself as often . But for things like sharks i use true circles that way it’s imposible for the line to get cut. And when you know the fish are fast like spanish mackerel and are eaters i just go with the treble and wire lol. But offset circle have its place just depends on the fish behavior and anatomy.

[@ifishcatfish]

maybe u didn't watch the whole video. My position is definitely not against circle hooks. I use nothing else for catfishing.

[@gb8265]

@@ifishcatfish i liked the video, just saying that offsetting circle makes sense in some fisheries and its a good compromise between j or kahle and a true circle, although i get that it doesnt make sense for catfish

[@ifishcatfish]

@@gb8265 again, thats not the point of the video. Maybe watch the whole video to the end. I DO RECOMMEND circle hooks for almost everything, but not because they catch more fish. I recommend them because even though they catch less fish, they allow you to release the fish unharmed.

[@Francois_Dupont]

1:11 gun control debate in a nutshell.

[@ifishcatfish]

Ha! I dont know if its that simple but i can see what u mean..

[@corradoblondi9792]

😂

[@hotramen5952]

if you are going to use an offset circle, just use an offset octopus. still dont set the hook, just reel them down. even better hookup ratio.

[@ifishcatfish]

agree

[@whilburn2]

I have used pool noodles with bank line and circle hooks for a few years. I use circle hooks and catch a lot of fish. We even hook some gar which is a bit rare. I dont know the science but they seem to work.

[@ifishcatfish]

they definitely work. Its a matter of what are their strengths and weaknesses

[@ARK1phil]

I come from Australia and we don't find catfish remotely interesting... But your video was excellent, and relevant to other species where our fishermen use circle hooks... Thanks !!!

[@ifishcatfish]

'remotely interesting' lol ... Thanks for taking the time to drop a comment bud!

[@Binaryfarto]

@@ifishcatfish Catfish just aren't a thing here, but we have a similar species that fits the same niche - flatheads (not the catfish variant). It's very similar tho - a bottom dwelling ambush predator, renowned for getting gut hooked due to the way it envelops its prey when it strikes.

[@ifishcatfish]

I hope i live to come fish australia one day! Keep that country in good shape please!

[@richardslingwine3197]

I've run tests on circle vs. J hooks. There's no advantage unless you snell the circle hook. Properly snelled, the circle hook will provide a better hook up ratio if you don't try to set the hook. They set themselves as the fish tries to run. It's designed to hook the fish in the corner of the mouth. This helps to protect the fish while also providing a solid hook up. Again, don't set the hook. If you do you're just going to jerk the hook and bait out of the mouth of the fish without hook up. Try this, snell a comparable j and circle hook. Put each in a cup and pull them out at different speeds. You'll see that the circle hook will provide better hook up ratio at anything above a "set" speed. Full disclosure: I fish saltwater inshore, near shore and some reef. Here in FL you are required to use a circle hook when fishing for reef fish so there's not much choice. I've had much better results now that I've learned to resist the urge to set the hook.

[@ifishcatfish]

No. Circle hook may hold the fish better ONCE U HOOK THE FISH, because due to the circle it is hard to come out. But read my caps. That is the key. ONCE YOU HOOK IT, it will hold it better, because it is hard to come out. However a J-Hook will ALWAYS HOOK MORE FISH, even if u lose some of them consequently. J-Hooks hook more fish. Everything else is nonsense or self delusion. If i were fishing for my life or for a lot of money - J-Hooks for sure. The only reason i use circle hooks is i don't want to harm the fish.

[@richardslingwine3197]

@@ifishcatfish Pointless argument for me, I'm seeing better results so it works for me. Plus it's the law here in SW Florida and I'd rather not get fined.

[@ifishcatfish]

Well u brought it up.. I didnt mean to argue with u, just replying to your comment. And i never said, in video or in comments, to use Jhooks. I recommend circle hooks to everyone, for fish conservation.

[@richardslingwine3197]

@@ifishcatfish Understood, not saying you did. I posted so that folks using a circle hook won't make the mistake I did. I had horrible performance from the circle hook until I started snelling the hook. That made all the difference for me. Perhaps it's your knot. Perhaps it's the difference in bait we're using. Lots of factors. I'm relaying my results.

[@langstonrowe8243]

I have been using a circle hook while fishing on the beach for small ground mullet, my friends are spending there time getting their J hooks out of the fishes throat or gut while my circle hooks are in the lips 99% of the time. 🤷‍♂️ True story.

[@ifishcatfish]

i believe it. That's the whole design of the circle hook.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

ok so like you said the reason i bought some circle hooks size 2 ans 2/0 is to hook the fish on the outer lip and not any deeper to make it easier to remove and not to kill the fish in case i want to release , offsetting the hook will land me more hookups but they will be deeper in the mouth so back to square one , so what is the end result here and the bottom line(no pun intended)? what is the point(no pun intended) of circle hooks?

[@ifishcatfish]

i talked just about that in the last portion of the video. The circle hooks have the noble goal is fish health preservation. Offset circle hooks have no point. U dont care for the fish, but you circle the tip anyway. You dont know what you want.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@ifishcatfish what do you mean by i dont care for the fish or circle the tip?? why are are you telling me i dont know what i want?

[@ifishcatfish]

@@ARCSTREAMS i am talking about people who use offset circle hooks. You onow what.. nevermind

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@ifishcatfish well the way you were saying it made it sound like you were talking at me

[@patman7421]

This guy is full of common sense, good video

[@TheMcChesneys]

i totally agree. The only advantage I can see is that all circle hooks are more rigged and they seem to be harder metal than the same size hook. great video

[@ifishcatfish]

they also have a bigger gap. I can't find a J hook that is exactly the same but not with bent tip at the end. If you do find some wide gap hooks, they are thin wire as you said.

[@Motorcyclewindtherapy]

Almost didn't stay long enough. This is very well done and I think I will not be buying any more circle hooks myself. I'd rather fish a light wire j hook and if a fish bends it off it deserves it's freedom. (Very rare for me as i use a very light action rod and know how to play fish for as long as it takes and i am not a tournament fisherman in a hurry for the next bite.

[@_fisher_2_]

This was a very informative video. And I still have one more question about circle hooks. Some have the eye of the hook bent and others are inline. How do they differ?

[@ifishcatfish]

Good question and i want to address this in a video because there is a lot of bullsht circling around on this one as well. People talk about the angle helping with 'triggering' and setting the hook and whatnot and that is complete nonsense. The only reason the eye is bent forward or back, or is straight, is to accommodate for different knots. You want the fishing line coming straight out of the hook, as extension of the shank. You don't want the line extending forward or backward. If you use Palomar knot, just get a hook with straight eye, because the knot goes straight on top of the eye. If you snell a hook, you want one with the eye slightly bent, either way, because running the line through the bent eye will actually keep it straight.

[@greenpea9412]

Wow this is a brilliant video and illustrated well. I absolutely learned something here. I bent some of the in-line hooks I have because I heard you get better hook sets and like you showed you do but, it's at the expense of the fish and it completely negates point of the design. Hey I also watched your video where you compared several hooks. Based on what you showed I liked that "TroKar" tip on the eagle claw hooks. I have a Dremel tool that I used to create TroKar tips on what I have. Those things are so expensive at the store.

[@ifishcatfish]

I sometimes use offset hooks, because the circle hooks I like ONLY come in offset. The video was meant to just clear some misconceptions, so people can better chose what to use. I don't mind people even using J-hooks, if they want to catch a few small eaters to take home.

[@19reeves79]

Fish tend to grab turn and run which is why people believe this

[@Mikethefisherman]

Great video!

[@corradoblondi9792]

Nice video sir! Could you please make one about how to tie a circle hook?

[@ifishcatfish]

Thank you. Normally i would consider this a silly request, as i don't care what knots people use, as they all work fine, but lately i see A LOT OF NONSENSE about special knots that 'TRIGGER' the hook to set itself or something like that. Complete nonsense. Use an knot that will end up with the line coming off straight off the shank of the hook!

[@ScottyhillakaFishn4Him]

Great video buddy!!! Very informative

[@borfishing7690]

Great info Victor

[@yoyofd]

A fishe mouth closes . Your paper towel roll doesn’t

[@ifishcatfish]

i should have flattened it. Makes zero difference to what i am demonstrating, if you have the imagination to see what i am trying to describe. If the like is on the right side of the fish's mouth, and the tip of the hook is facing the middle of the mouth, it the hook will roll around the corner and get out.

[@AllenOutdoors868]

Great job buddy!!

[@junyang465]

When the fish is hook will the fish will come out ?

[@ifishcatfish]

that is a different question. A lot to be said. Once a fish is hooked, the circle hook does have an advantage. But this comes after the fish is hooked

[@billy13870]

I don't agree with you saying that an offset circle hook is useless. The test you did with the cloth is not consistent with real life conditions. Anything will grab a cloth easy but try running an offset circle hook along your skin and you will see that it doesn't grab your skin as easy as a regular j hook. Also the offset is only on one side so that's a 50/50 chance of the fishes mouth being on that side of the hook. I still hook 95% of my fish on the corner of the mouth using offset.

[@ifishcatfish]

give me the time stamp of where i said offset hook is useless? Watch again what i said. As for my towel.. it doesn't matter what u use. Try other stuff. As long as its not glass, it will catch. Also try inline over towel - slides no problem! By the way, not sure if u ever unhooked a gut hooked catfish, but the stomach of a big catfish feels EXACTLY like a towel - has some tiny texture on the surface..

[@billy13870]

You said its like taking a sleeping pill and drinking a cup of coffee. I did the test on skin and it didn't grab my skin nearly as easy as a j hook. That test wont matter when the fish swallows it but still less chance of hooking a gill which can still kill the fish if it doesnt swallow it.

[@ifishcatfish]

Right, i said that. It means that your sre doing two things that work against each other which doesnt make sense. Circle hook is designed to avoid guthooking. Offsetting the hook increases guthooking. Makes no sense to put in the same product two features that work against each other: like coffee and sleeping pills.

[@ifishcatfish]

Before u think about this any further, u need to first decide what do u want to do. Do u want to sleep? Or do u want to wake up. Once u decide, you will pick either cofee OR sleeping pill. NOT both. Both just makes no sense.

[@MrGary745]

In my opinion circle hooks help to release the fish safely with a lot less damage that’s the purpose. Circle hooks don’t help you catch more fish I use them all the time

[@tedehman]

I really like eating catfish , so, I want to catch them when I'm fishing for them. When using circle hooks I lose more than half the fish that go after my bait. Kinda like if hunting with curved bullets. I learned the hard way. No more circle hooks for me.

[@ifishcatfish]

Hunting with curved bullets?? Is that a real thing? Or u make a point : )

[@tedehman]

@@ifishcatfish Just making a point.

[@dylanclay2741]

@@tedehman i lost far more catfish on J hooks than circle hooks, the 4/0 gamakatsu has landed me hundreds of catfish over the years

[@tedehman]

@@dylanclay2741 I should have been more specific . I am not fishing for bullheads or channel cats. I'm fishing exclusively for flat head catfish. I'm using live perch from 1/2 lb-1 1/2 lb size. My bait is too big to properly hook it with a 4/0 hook , so you must be catching the smaller cats . I'm using 8/0 to 10/0 hooks . Flat heads are much more tricky to catch than others.

[@jvalentine8376]

It's all about how you fish. Using a single hook on a rod , holding the rod in your hands and striking at the fish bite , don't use circle hooks , If you allow the fish to run with the bait for a while before setting the hook a circle hook works better but your hook up ratio will be lower with a circle hook in my experience . If setting a line to lay in the water for a period of time un-held , unattended then a circle hook can be ok as it allows the fish time and a few bites to get hooked but don't use real soft easy to remove baits . However a normal hook works just as good to hook the fish but the circle hook will usually only hook the jaw and is easier to remove the hook . Good for professionals using long lines or multi hook rigs that will allow the fish time to hook it's self but need easy quick hook removal .

[@ifishcatfish]

yes. You have a few angles that are different than what I discussed in the video. Maybe i should make a part 2 of this video. My point was that the hooks don't set themselves, and hook up ratio is lower. However, ONCE THE FISH IS HOOKED, it is much more difficult for the hook to come off. So if you leave your lines unattended, it may be a good tradeoff to get a lower hookup ratio, but catch all the fish that you DO hook. But if you fish actively, with the rod in your hand - like you said - you will only lose fish with circle hooks.

[@jvalentine8376]

@@ifishcatfish It was a good video so Part 2 would be well worth making . I agree that once hooked through the jaw the circle hook would be more secure . Used for the right purpose they are good . In ignorance I tried using them on a single hook rig on my rod but I was still striking at the fish and loosing them until a mate told me I was doing it wrong . So then I let the fish take some slack line and waited longer and got more hook-ups but still not as good as more standard hooks for the way I fish . For smaller fish upto about 5lb I like the 1 to 1/0 sneck pattern hooks with flatted eye . Perfect hook for shrimp bait because you can push the flatted eye right inside the shrimp and have the hook point hidden amongst the legs , but I can't buy them anymore . Still have about 50 left which I use very sparingly .

[@thehornetsnestforge1269]

if the fish is big enough to swallow any of the circle hooks I use it's a keeper and a few pounds most likely .

[@daphbobo]

very informative.

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

Damn nice set up with those poles

[@ifishcatfish]

The white ones? Ugly sticks. Very affordable.. :)

[@uAintliveifudontthiz]

i_fish I mean just the shot of you in your room watching your phone/tv with all the poles on the wall.

[@lachlanoneil8938]

Ive been fishing j hooks my whole life and when I recently switched to circle hooks, the only difference I've found is that the fish almost never come off but with the j hooks they always come off somehow especially when I'm surf fishing and I wind into heaps of weed.

[@ifishcatfish]

Fish doesnt always come off J-hooks :). But watch my video and notice the wording. I am talking about hooking advantage and that if u consider all scenarios jhooks will hook the fish more often. Because the circle hook would have to come out in a circular motion, it is easy to say that it is more difficult for the circle hook to come out, and i agree with u on that one. Especially if u cant keep pressure on the line like u describe. But also sometimes the circle hook grabs only the edge of the mouth instead of going around the corner, because it is so slippery. In those cases u lose some fish right on the bank, because eventually the edge of the mouth will tear up. I use circle hooks for all my trophy fishing, but if i was fishing for my life, i would use j-hooks. Thanks for the intelligent comment and not just telling me that i’m stupid and don’t know what im talking about, like everyone else who disagreed.

[@lachlanoneil8938]

@@ifishcatfish yeah mate, j hooks almost never fail to hook something if the fish eats it, don't think I've lost a single fish with circle hooks so far tho so I'm pretty Impressed with the catch ratio.

[@paulbaker3465]

Happy New Year Victor

[@ifishcatfish]

Happy New Year, Paul! :)

[@rickeymurray3670]

I’ve used j hooks and circles for catfish. In my experience as long as you just reel down instead of a traditional snatch of the rod to set the hook I’ve never missed with circle hooks. But I’ve missed a lot with j hooks cause the hook can penetrate so many places other then good meaty parts of the mouth. So I might get castrated on here for saying it but I’ll take circles all day over Js unless I’m fishing smaller catfish that don’t have take downs like bigger fish.

[@ifishcatfish]

your perceptions cover only half of what is happening. Once you feel the fish. Once you feel the fish with a circle hook, it tends to stay on the hook. ONCE YOU FEEL IT. The problem is that you never even feel most of the bites you actually get. And with J-hook you actually feel almost every single bite, but then some of them come out.

[@rickeymurray3670]

@@ifishcatfish I meant to say reel not feel.

[@rickeymurray3670]

@@ifishcatfish I’m just saying my experiences. If you like J hooks go ahead if it works for you. But last time I used a j hook I had a 45 pound flathead tongue hooked at the boat and the hook popped out before I got him in. Not to mention several times It done the same thing with other fish. The few times I’ve missed a fish with circles have been on hook set every time. If the hooks in it with a circle hook they have to break it off from my experience so yes. I will use circle hooks.

[@rickeymurray3670]

@@ifishcatfish and what do you mean never feel half the bites sir? How big of fish are you catching cause a 5 pounder and up is taking the rod down.

[@LilPetoz]

I like how he records little funny bits

[@Myk63]

I've seen a lot of wishful perfect world thinking trying to justify circle hooks as the most perfect hook ever to result in more fish. I've seen open cups used to justify knots that will turn the hook for more hook ups. Two problems there, a fish's mouth isn't an open tube and how can you get "more" than perfect? Without off-set it's 50/50 whether the hook will be oriented to catch the corner of the mouth. The fish clamps down, the hook is facing one corner or the other, the fish turns that way or the other. It's just sad how people are willing to lie to justify their choices.

[@ifishcatfish]

Every fool told me the mouth of the fish is not a tube. What exactly would be different in the mouthmof the fish? As for offset circle hooks - before u even open your mouth u need to understand why circle hooks were created on the first place. UNTIL u understand that, dont open ur mouth. Usually i enjoy discussing these things, but you are obviously not very intelligent, objectively speaking, and still have the nerve to come here and write this condescending post. If u see a problem with the logic, point out the problem with the logic. Dont tell me what u have seen, u mediocre fool

[@AddictedAngler]

I been told circle Hooks are must for live bait.... But never made sense to me so I never used them

[@bryannavinsabastine7039]

Nice educational video but it's not 100% convincing because your example of the fish mouth is not gonna be as smooth as your cardboard roll and there will be some movement in the fish mouth which will flick around the circle hook thus giving you a hook up. The simple logic explanation of the circle hook is basically design to not hurt the fish in anyway and to also encourage C&R. Circle hooks are also proven to prevent gut hooking up a fish in any circumstances and that is y u don't need to set the hook. Thanks

[@ifishcatfish]

Actually, to explain the design you don't need more than that. You are right, that the mouth is not so smooth, this is why sometimes you hook the fish at some other places, but this is an accident. 9 out of 10 times the design works fine and u get the fish in the corner of the mouth. So I don't think more than this is necessary. As for setting the hook - my opinion on that is in the video, along with all my arguments.

[@maaifoediedelarey4335]

Off-set J hooks have the best hookup ratio, even better than regular J hooks. Look, if you're fishing, your main purpose is to catch fish, not fish conservation - I'm certainly not spending hours of patience (beach fishing) waiting for hooking up a fish, just to lose it due to a hook design. Sorry fish, but it is what it is

[@ifishcatfish]

First - you are absolutely correct about offset J-hooks. Everything else the same, they will catch the most fish. Second - I catch and keep plenty of fish myself - mainly crappie and small catfish. When I fish for those I never mess around with circle hooks. There is nothing wrong with keeping fish, especially if u abide by limits and spare the trophies. But knowing what the purpose of the hook is helps you both in keeping and in conservation. It is silly to mess with circle hooks if u want to take eaters. And it is a bad idea to use J-hooks if u are hunting for trophy catfish and you PLAN to release them. Love Clint Eastwood btw. Hope to see u around

[@cyprinusaddiction1441]

Great video man , u make us think about this details

[@jozakroat]

I use circle hooks for bigger fish and baitholders for smaller ones/bait

[@ifishcatfish]

that is the correct application in my opinion

[@FISHERMAN4401]

Everytime I use a circle hook. I gut hook the fish.

[@ifishcatfish]

ha! U got other problems.. : )

[@hikenmikes8262]

Please, if you must use an offset circlehook, do NOT free-line, open-bell or use bait-runner. You don’t want to give the fish time to swallow the hook.

[@ifishcatfish]

GREAT POINT!

[@AnglingAddictssrilanka]

you do bring up some interesting points. thank you for sharing. how ever your illustration with the open-end card board tube not entirely accurate as fish dont really swim around with their mouth open after swallowing a baited hook. when they swim with their mouth closed..there is much greater chance for the hook to set itself..it could be on either side or even on top/bottom of the lip. i dont do any fresh water fishing at all, so i cannot speak for fresh water application such as yours..i am a salt water angler and from experience i know that predatory salt water species almost always grab the bait and run immediately..especially if they are feeding in groups due to competition for food. they rarely sit in the same spot chewing the bait or holding it in their mouth. i find circles particularly effective for species like snapper and trevally (if using bait)

[@ifishcatfish]

If what you said was true, then we would see fish hooked everywhere around the mouth. Have you ever seen a circle hook anywhere other than the corner of the mouth ? (and occasional gut hooking). No, you haven't. That is because a circle hook can only grab the corner. Think about this some more. Also people get so hung up on the open mouth vs closed mouth. This is NOT how circle hooks work! It doesn't matter much whether the mouth is open or closed, because if the fish swims away the right way it will get caught even with open mouth. It definitely doesn't matter for illustration purposes. For J-Hooks however open or closed mouth makes a big difference because they will grab anything they touch. They don't need to wait until they roll to the corner

[@AnglingAddictssrilanka]

@@ifishcatfish hey thank you for your reply..appreciate you taking the time to reply. really love your videos. to answer your questions..YES..i have seen them hooked on either side of the mouth..and also on the top and bottom lips. below is a video i made.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y52tgYuIqbOdmNU check time stamp 0.41 secs , 1.44secs and 3.09secs ...that's 3 fish caught with the circle hook set other than the side of the lip. but as i mentioned earlier..when we salt water fish...its common for the circle to hook on the sides and top/bottom lips.

[@ifishcatfish]

i don't know ur species but you are missing a lot of fish with these big circle hooks. You are still catching some fish but u can't see all the fish u missed. I would use a much smaller J-hook for these fish.

[@AnglingAddictssrilanka]

@@ifishcatfish thanks for your input as always. we will have to agree to disagree simply because i hold the rod in my hand always while bait fishing..i use a rod holder..so its very easy to detect bites and misses..very rare if ever is there a miss. i was using J-hooks before i started using circles. anyhow..keep up the good work. never fished big cat-fish like you do. we do not find them here in the tropics.

[@ifishcatfish]

I have serious doubt about sensitivity with this heavy tackle, thick line, casting into these big waves. I use 2 pound polyester line and cast 15 feet in calm water and still can't feel everything. I see on the screen (i have livescope) that fish touched my bait, but it was so slight that i didn't feel it. You are missing fish with the circle hook for sure. Just look at the tip. It is DESIGNED to slip. How could it possibly catch as many fish as a J hook. Every theoretical scenario where u catch fish with circle hook u would have caught it with a J-hook, assuming same quality of the hook in terms of sharpness of tip. But in roughly half of all bites J-hook will grab and circle will hold. This is physically unavoidable and anecdotal evidence is not necessary for that conclusion. If u don't catch more fish with J hooks you have bad J-hooks. Get a japanses j-hook

[@michaelrogers4285]

Very good point !

[@austin72]

They hook there self's if the fish grabs it and runs away with it itll apply pressure and hook the fish

[@ifishcatfish]

Well, yeah ... :) Btw im releasing another the truth video in 3 hours. Check it out.

[@austin72]

@@ifishcatfish I'll check it out brother

[@BadBoy-so2pq]

OhhhHhhh NOoOOo.......u r right.....10:52........11:30......hookup rate is poor.............all my inline circle hook i need to bend myself to offset it ! inline circle hook get less Snag

[@ranjith7595]

D image shown is supposed to be octopus hook circle hooks bit more curvey at d bottom spin

[@ifishcatfish]

well it says circle hook on the package : ). But half of them are like that. Gamakatsu is the same. Either way does not matter for the arguments in the video..

[@ken244]

Complete common sense. I use circle hooks on species that have size limits ETC. so I can release them if necessary with as little harm as possible.

[@ifishcatfish]

common sense is not common

[@stanwright8583]

Let's talk kids fishing for bluegill. Inexperienced anglers with short attention spans not paying attention to the bobber. The fish grabs the bait (worm?) and turns away... we yell at the kid to "set the hook". Yes, it works. With a circle hook, the bluegill grabs the bait and swims quickly away... the circle hook slide out of the mouth and 90% of the time lodges in the corner of the mouth. Little kids don't have to "set the hook", just lift the bamboo pole or start reeling in the line on their Zebco 33. Did the kid set the hook or did the circle hook hook the fish? Who cares, the kid caught their first fish and it was quickly and safely released. We have found that our catch rate with kids catching bluegill is better using circle hooks. (OMG, you released the fish... yes, 150 grade school kids can wipe out all the bluegill in a pond in a weekend... and no parent wants to take home one or two bluegill, clean and cook them). LOL. LOL. LOL.

[@ifishcatfish]

what you said, in too many words, is that once the hook is set, the circle prevents it from coming off. That is true, but i am pretty much professional bluegill angler. I have 400 videos about catching bluegill and 100 videos reviewing bluegill tackle, and i have a business that sells bluegill tackle, and i can guarantee you that circle hooks are a horrible way to catch bluegill for normal people. You will never see a bluegill or crappie or bass tournament with a circle hook, precisely for the reasons i described in this video. But if you are leaving the rod unattended (ex giving it to a kid), then it might be a good trade off to voluntarily give up 70% of the bites, so that when u finally a fish swallows the whole thing and gets hooked, cannot come off

[@stanwright8583]

@@ifishcatfish Agreed, I would not use a circle hook for bluegill... it's crickets and a long shank J hook, or give me a fly rod and rubber spider flys. LOL..

[@artsnow2118]

How did I not see this? It's weird even tho im subscribed to your channel sometimes I see videos that I didn't get a notification for

[@ifishcatfish]

i always wonder how come I have 2K subscribers but when I post a video usually it gets 200 views. I understand if people didn't like it and close it after 30 seconds... but how come only 200 views with 2K subs... (except some popular videos..)

[@artsnow2118]

@@ifishcatfish keep trying Victor, don't let it get you down... honestly you deserve more, you're fishing IQ is up the roof.... this video itself is very controversial! I loved it! I've read the comments, you're getting a lot of respect throughout the catfish scene. It's funny because I see luke (catfish and carp) is always getting catfish gut hooked totally contradicts the circle hooks fish safety.

[@fishingmasterawesome]

I only use them because it’s better for the fish

[@dirkdiggler2430]

I've lost lost way less fish when using a circle hook.

[@ifishcatfish]

ONCE U HOOK A FISH, then u rarely lose it with circle hook. But u have no idea how many fish you are missing because of them.. They pull and it slides out of their mouth no problem

[@dirkdiggler2430]

@@ifishcatfish thanks for the tip!😎

[@javadchame1526]

search for (Circle_hooks_J_hooks_and_drop-back_time_A_hook_p) in that study clearly shown the j hook have better hookup ratio against circle hook. but number of gut hookup and other damage to the fish are much more. in not cache and release fishing j hooks definitely better than circle hook.

[@ifishcatfish]

👍

[@Boon-ie1rq]

Hook up ratio is 0% if you keep watching KZbin all day. Need to go out and go fishing if you want to catch fish 😅.

[@ifishcatfish]

well... that's.. PROFOUND!

[@Mike-ff7ib]

I think your missing the point. When they say "they hook them selves", they mean that there is no action required by the angler. As the fish pulls on the line the hooks shape will attach to the corner of the mouth. And the cardboard tube example is not accurate since the fish never holds its mouth open as in your example.

[@ifishcatfish]

when the hook is turning around the edge of the mouth, the tip of hook has to be on the inside. What part of that can't you understand? What damn difference does the tube make?? How do u want me to show you on video what is happening inside a closed mouth? I dont know if everyone is so stupid or just grasping to everything while in denial. Close the paper tube, and imagine the exact same thing in your head! If you are capable of imagining things.

[@Mike-ff7ib]

@@ifishcatfish I imagine I made you upset. Some people just can't take any kind of criticism.

[@bestthingsinceslicedrice]

Taking alot of sleeping pills then drinking coffee. Hmmm is that the same concept when people mix Vodka and Red Bull?

[@ifishcatfish]

never thought of that. Also no medical expertise. But beer does make me sleepy, and red bull does kick me in the butt, so yeah, i can buy that, it is kind of the same : )

[@ka1jbe]

Went fishing for stripers last night. Caught 3 fish , all gut hooked. Circle hooks suck !

[@ifishcatfish]

offset or not offset circles?

[@mainemade300]

I think ur looking at this wrong ur just trying to get views ,if u don't know how circle hooks work ,u shouldnt be fishing ,u can't throw a fish back with its guts riped out it will just swim away an die ,so

[@ifishcatfish]

you watched only the first 2 minutes, didn't you.. Your comment is completely inappropriate