Circle hooks on spinners

F
fish_4_all
0
I have been thinking about using them on spinners for a long time. Rickman reminded me of this in a recent post so I wanted to start a new one to get as many replies as possible.

The main reason I have considered using them is to cut down on snags. I fish a lot of piling and rocks in tidal water here for salmon and I snag up a lot. The only thing that has kept me from trying them is not having them but I do this year.

The main questions I have are:
Would you connect them directly to the eye of the hook or use a split ring?
Does anyone have an experience using them?
What size circle hook would you use being they have a narrower gap from point to shank?
 
I have not made any spinners w/ a "circle hook".

I have, however, made dozens of spinners. And, I have never used a split ring to attach them to the spinner wire. I see no need for one, with typical / standard hooks.

But maybe a split ring is needed, for attaching a circle hook? Have you tried making one with and one without, to see what the differences are?
 
I haven't tried either yet but looking at my 1/0 circle hooks I won't be putting them on with a split ring, the eye is way too small. Gonna have to be put on direct. I normally use open eye Siwash so it is never an issue. Iw ill have to try a split ring and see bit it doesn't look promising to get a strong enough spilt ring through the eye of these hooks.
 
Putting a split ring to a hook leads to less fish lost. When they jump and shake there heads that thrashes the spinner around as much as you pulling it with plyers. If there is a split ring there the spinner body can move further without pulling the hook from the fishes mouth or something like that.
 
I won't use a split ring if I don't HAVE to. I lost a lot more fish using them then using open eye siwash put directly on the spinner. Maybe it is just me but I had a lot more spinners thown back at my head using a split ring than I care to count. Maybe it was my beak and Octopus hooks, maybe a siwash with a split ring is better but my catch ratio increased to well over 90% without a split ring from about 50% with a split ring. Hook up ratio dropped slighty but I will live with that.
 
I would think that using a swivel with a single hook would allow for it to move around more increasing the chance of hook-ups. (With a treble, you essentially have 3 hooks in different positions so it wouldn't matter)

Edit: That should have read: using a split ring with a single hook would allow it to move around more.
 
Last edited:
If the spinner is tuned right it will not spin, only the blade will so a single hook just lays in one direction and doesn't spin everywhere. Using a swivel doesn't help line spin all that much anyway if the spinner is twisting. The tention on the swivel keeps it from spinning a lot of the time. Trebles are illegal for salmon here so they are not an option.
 
fish_4_all said:
Trebles are illegal for salmon here so they are not an option.
Click to expand...

I may be mistaken, but I do believe that statement is only partly correct.

Here is a quote from the current ODFW reg's:

4. When angling for salmon or steelhead, (except in the ocean or as listed under Special Regulations for specific bodies of water) the following regulations apply:

• Single-point hooks larger than 1-inch and multiple-point hooks larger than 9/16-inch gap are prohibited.

• All weight, if not part of a conventional lure, must be attached above the hooks. When using single-point hooks larger than 5/8‑inch gap or multiple-point hooks, the attachment of the weight must be 18 inches or more above uppermost hook.

The above reg book information, leads me to believe that "multiple-point hooks" w/ a gap of less than 9/16" CAN be legally used. Plus, there may be "Special Regulations" for certain waters, where multiple-point hooks may be used for Salmon.
 
Thats ODFW, I am in Washington.
 
If a properly tuned inline spinner doesn't spin and only the blade, what causes the line twist that a lot of folks talk about?

I personally don't like using a swivel as I think it masks the vibration of the spinning blade.

Unlike a spinnerbait where the single hook rides in the point up orientation, I don't see how you could keep a single hook oriented up on an inline spinner, split ring or not. I would think a single hook with the point up would be more weedless and less prone to snagging.
 
fish_4_all said:
Thats ODFW, I am in Washington.
Click to expand...

Whoops, didn't see that. It's an Oregon based forum, so I made the assumption that we were talking about something here.
 
troutdude said:
Whoops, didn't see that. It's an Oregon based forum, so I made the assumption that we were talking about something here.
Click to expand...

No worries, I have to deal with it being on here and living in Washington but I love this site. A lot more open people here than I find on the river up here.

As for line twist, when I get my spinners tuned right I don't get any line twist at all and the hook hangs down. Only time I get line twist is when I don't tune it perfect. To be honest I will tweak a spinner to spin funky at times intentionally and it works a lot when a well tuned spinner won't. then I get a lot of line twist but I don't care because I use bait casters pretty much solely for all my spinner fishing.

It doesn't sound like a lot of people have even tried circle hooks so I may just have to tie some up and try them. It won't take long to tell if I am missing fish with them and is worth trying just in case they do work.
 
Troutier Bassier said:
Putting a split ring to a hook leads to less fish lost. When they jump and shake there heads that thrashes the spinner around as much as you pulling it with plyers. If there is a split ring there the spinner body can move further without pulling the hook from the fishes mouth or something like that.
Click to expand...
I believe this to be true. The split ring allows for more range of motion, like a universal joint of sorts. With the pressure of nasty ol' Mr. Big doin' the headshakin' thing, a swivel can bind....the split ring is there for you.
I don't think that I've ever built a spinner without one.

Use the correct size for your application and if it gets "tweaked" during installation, where it won't close up, discard it and try again.
 
fish_4_all said:
I won't use a split ring if I don't HAVE to. I lost a lot more fish using them then using open eye siwash put directly on the spinner. Maybe it is just me but I had a lot more spinners thown back at my head using a split ring than I care to count. Maybe it was my beak and Octopus hooks, maybe a siwash with a split ring is better but my catch ratio increased to well over 90% without a split ring from about 50% with a split ring. Hook up ratio dropped slighty but I will live with that.
Click to expand...
An octopus hook is designed for an egg loop with its turned up eye and not a very good candidate for a lure hook.
A straight ring eye orients the hook better for a lure application.
I wouldn't blame the split rings as long as they were installed correctly and not sprung.
 
fish_4_all said:
I have been thinking about using them on spinners for a long time. Rickman reminded me of this in a recent post so I wanted to start a new one to get as many replies as possible.

The main reason I have considered using them is to cut down on snags. I fish a lot of piling and rocks in tidal water here for salmon and I snag up a lot. The only thing that has kept me from trying them is not having them but I do this year.

The main questions I have are:
Would you connect them directly to the eye of the hook or use a split ring?
Does anyone have an experience using them?
What size circle hook would you use being they have a narrower gap from point to shank?
Click to expand...

Circle hooks were designed for "munchers", "gobblers" like halibut.
Salmon and steelhead are "slashers".
I'm not sure how a circle hook would work on hardware. I'm guessing that you would miss some hookups.

If you're using trebles and snagging up, just going to singles will help with that.
I believe that one of the best, easily available, single hooks for hardware is the "Sickle Hook" from Matzuo. I've been testing them and the hookups have been very good.

I hate trebles because of the increased hardware loss and the difficulty releasing wild fish from them. I quit them a loooong time ago.
I hate simple round bend siwash hooks because they are just an inferior design. With pressure they stand up on a 45 and immediately start opening up. I quit them a loooong time ago, too.
 
It is fantastic that you are thinking of circle hooks. When used in the proper applications they can really help safely release fish and reduce fish mortality. However, they are not designed for this application. They get set on their own when a fish takes a bait and swims off. As the hook is pulled out it wraps around their lip and gets set. However, when a fish strikes a moving lure, you need a hook point that can get set from that same direction--the fish is not likely to take a spinner and begin to swallow it while swimming off in another direction. You're likely to miss fish using a circle hook on a spinner.

I use single hooks on all my spinners #2 and up and I use a split ring because I also prefer the range of motion you get with it. I will second the Matzuo Sickle Hooks are a fantastic choice. I also really like the Mustad 9510XXXS siwash hooks on larger spinners or saltwater lures. I typically use the Gamakatsu siwash hooks on trout spinners.
 
Thanks all. A lot of good info here.

I'll probably make a couple with some circle/octopus hooks "just to see" what happens. But I think you're right that they aren't made for a fast moving lure.
 
Interesting information for sure. I have a bunch of sickle hooks on jigs and I didn't think any of them would even come close to strong enough to handle a salmon or steelhead on a hard run. I could straighten them out with 10 lb test and a light pull, even a 2/0. I will have to look into the ones for spinners.

I don't use trebles, can't use them for salmon here. I have used open eye siwash for a long time though and never had one strighten out even on a snag using 15lb. test. I use 1/0 siwash and have landad chinook over 40# with them without a problem. I do know people who can straighten them but they use 50# braid.

I snag up using any hook, fishing around pilings, rocks, drop offs and everything else on the bank here it is inevitable if you want to catch fish. Where I am fishing we are casting between and around piling all the time. A lot of the time the fish are in no more than 5 feet of water so getting close to the bottom and inbetween the shallow piling is a must to catch fish here in town. Often times I want my hook to spin around just to cut down on how often I hit the snags and hook them instead of bumping them and continuing on.

I may have to try a split ring again and see if it makes a difference with a Siwash hook. I know that when I tied the octopus and beak hooks directly to the spinner I dodn't lose an many fish as I did with a split ring. Maybe it is just me and the way I fish but split rings did not do me any favors in the past.

Anyone have a link to those sickle hooks for spinners?
 
Well I have found a lot of information on those sickle hooks and I am impressed. definitely not the same sickle on my jig hooks. I will have to try them for sure.

One question, do most of you pinch the eye shut and then put them on a split ring? Or is there a closed eye version? I have to try them both ways, direct tie and split ring, just to be sure I am having the success I should be having and not harboring old experiences causing me to miss out on more landed fish.
 
fish_4_all said:
One question, do most of you pinch the eye shut and then put them on a split ring?
Click to expand...
Nope, I always take advantage of the open eye and close over the split ring.
That way, when I'm building a French I don't have to disturb the split ring at all with pre-formed, open-ended wire.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Threads

Back
Top Bottom