Hi Krazy, before I go any further, ask Charlie Bettell about the 'figure of eight' retrive. It was Charlie who popularised it in the UK some years ago.
The 'circle retrive' is just that! When a pike follows a lure, but doesn't take by the time the lure reaches the boat side, you have three options. One, miss the fish & lift the lure out of the water; two, do the figure of eight; or three, the Circle Retrive Technique. Quite simply, sat on your revolving seat, you hold the rod out over the side of the boat and 'circle' the boat with the lure. The boat needs to be short enough & the rod long enough to be able reach over both back & front of the boat as you swivel round. It works with whatever lure you happen to be fishing with. It quite simply extends the time that the lure is in front of a following pike. A very confident, logical technique that really works.