Attaching circle hooks for pike?

[Alan Tyler]

Should they be crimped in a little loop of the trace wire, so they can move freely and find their own hold, or attached shank-to-wire so the trace dictates the angle at which the hook emerges from Mr. Pike's jaws?
Both models seem to have some merit in thought experiments, but I'd be grateful for the opinions of anyone who's actually tried both!

 

[103841]

I’ve only used Wondertress with circle hooks to date, that gives the hook freedom and flexibility, whether that’s the right choice I cannot say. My feeling is you may lose a few fish or two with circles hooks but I’d rather have that scenario than to lose fish in a fatal manner with a treble I cannot dislodge with safety.

 

[chrissh]

Crimp a loop if using wire

http://[url=https://postimages.org/] [/URL]

 

[binka]

I toyed with the idea of a more fixed way Alan, such as like a knotless knot type of thing but everything told me to have the hook so that it could move freely and allow the trace to move at an angle out of the fish's mouth.

I stuck with the loop and with Pike and Zander it's always been pretty reliable for me...



Is there any particular reason why you're thinking of a stiffer type of set up?

 

[Alan Tyler]

No, I just wondered if being fastened in line with the trace might guide the hook into the right spot.
Free-swinging it is, then, till I start missing runs!
Thanks, Gentlemen.

 

[keora]

Should they be crimped in a little loop of the trace wire, so they can move freely and find their own hold, or attached shank-to-wire so the trace dictates the angle at which the hook emerges from Mr. Pike's jaws?
Both models seem to have some merit in thought experiments, but I'd be grateful for the opinions of anyone who's actually tried both!

I crimp a circle hook to the wire trace. I think if you whip the trace along the shank, then the stiffness of the link might reduce the effectiveness of the hook up. But I've no facts to prove this.

I've used circles for about four years. I used to miss more takes than with a conventional trace with two treble hooks. I now use fairly small baits (smelt about 5 or 6 inches long, or sprats) on a 2/0 Mustad circle and this improves the hook up rate.