Circle hooks for flies

[Slappy]

There is an article in the Feb 2005 issue of In-Fisherman about hooks and fish mortality. It is a round-up of recent empirical studies on hook damage. I have seen a few posts here about circle hooks for flies. The studies suggest that this may not be best, at least for the species involved (trout, sunnies).

The basic premise of circle hooks is to avoid gut hooking fish with bait. Two of the main dangers when unhooking a fish are: hook location and time out of the water.

Since flies are rarely swallowed, gut hooking isn't a problem. However, circle hooks have a higher incidence of eye (socket) hooking than j-hooks. They also take longer to remove.

Bottom line is: don't feel that you have to use circle hooks to be a conservationist, and learn to handle the fish so you can unhook them quickly. Crimped barbs are likely better than circles for flies (not mentioned in the article!).

Just a thought, and an interesting article.

[lemaymiami]

I've always thought that a circle hook for a saltwater fly was a solution in search of a problem.... I use them almost exclusively for live baiting giant tarpon with great success, but haven't found any reason to use them for flies. Some tournaments that are held locally will give additional scoring points if the fly used was tied on a circle hook and I'll have a few ready to take advantage of it, but that's an artificial requirement. Fly caught fish are generally (not always) in a lot better condition when released than those caught on lures or bait. Smaller hooks that are much sharper don't seem to get taken as deeply.

[albacized]

My feeling is if you're bait fishing, sure..use circle hooks. However, as slappy said, I don't recall too many times of fish swallowing flies down their throats like that: maybe once in a great while (this year I did have an albie take a fly pretty deep). But not nearly enough to warrent changing anything. If anything, this next year, I'll change to barbless hooks for most of my fishing, although I'll still fish with barbed hooks for the tuniods.

[lemaymiami]

Forgot to mention, I mash down the barb on all my hooks... even ones meant for tarpon. It has the same effect as greasing a nail - it makes hook setting much easier and surer. It's also much easier to get it out of your own hide on days when your anglers can't manage to hook much more than the guide.....

[boba]

I think flattening the barbs is very important, whether circle hooks or traditional. If you don't do it for the fish, do it for yourself. A Clouser driven into your arm or other body part at 90-100+ mph (conservative estimate for a double haul distance cast) is no fun. No-barb hooks are much easier to remove from you or the fish.
That said, my experiences tell me circle hooks provide a more efficient hook-up rate and no-barb hooks of either type catch more fish. Schoolie stripers are dumb enough to really inhale a hook, and circle hooks can reduce gut-hooking.

[Jack Keller]

i seldom use anything anymore but circle hooks. they hook well, are easy to extract (if you crush the barbs) and at least for me eliminate having to slip strike. since i have only a stub left of my right hand, the latter is significant. i would like some circle hooks with longer shanks but you can't have everything.

[beck64CT]

I tried using circle hooks last year as a test I tied up some nice flies and the stripers took them readily. I did gill hook some fish in the morning with a regular J hook but I had a perfect hook up with the circle hook every time.
I dont know about hooking my arm or a guides arm I have never done that and I most certainly dont tie my flies to make them easy to get out of my arm.