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Circle hooks and bass fishing?

RUGER

RUGER

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Ok bear with me on this one.
Dylan's wife likes to fish with us and many times we use a whacky worm when bass fishing.
I mention that because I don't think what I am thinking would work with a fluke.

Anyway,
She does a great job but is not keen on setting the hook.
She has a fear of jerking it and the fish flying up out of the water and hitting her, or the hook coming up and hitting her.
I know circle hooks you don't set the hook on them at all.
Just curious if ya'll thought a circle hook would work for bass?
I know how they work on catfish but I just have no clue if they would punch through a bass or not? I have my doubts but figured I would ask the experts. :D
 
yeah they will work. just hook the bait through the nose. they are almost the same as a drop shot hook. you might even set her up a drop shot rig to use. you can use it shallow or deep except in the weeds. the same rule applies to drop shot as it does circle hooks. use the reel to set the hook.
 
They use circle hooks with golden shiners, almost positive.

Think I seen it on TV, must be gospel, yes?

If Lady is shy, pinch the barb closed. Removal doesn't hurt so much.
 
I agree with what WTM said. Nose hook the worm and she should be good to go.

I'd also set her up with a drop shot rig if she isn't fishing close to cover that she would be getting caught up in.
 
On what I call a whacky worm, I hook it in the center of the worm.
Actually with a rubber o-ring around the worm. The hook doesn't actually penetrate the worm itself.

I may not be using the correct name for it?

This is how I do it but with a different hook.
Would a circle hook still work and if not, why would in the nose be better?
 
I use wacky rigs quite often. I also use circle hooks while catfishing. I'm not sold on the thought of circle hooks being very effective with the wacky rig. I fish must swim away to "set" the circle hook. In my experience, bass don't do that enough to justify using the circle hook. I could be way off base here, but that's how I view it. Ever thought of giving her a strong "J" hook? That could work if she just starts reeling fast when the fish hit. Just a thought.
 
you can use it on a wacky worm rig but you will needsomething like a 1/0 to 3/0 gamakatsu. reason being a wacky rig will more than likely hit the top of the mouth which is a wider bone. a nose hooked bait will hook the side of the mouth most of the time which is a smaller width bone.

anglers more times than none choose the wrong size hooks. the size of the hook really doesnt matter but the gap between the point and shank is what matters.

use a j style hook on a finesse rig and you are almost guaranteed to guthook and kill a fish.
 
My "go to" hook is a 5/0 Gamakatsu.

Might give the circle a try for her, I have used them catfishing but honestly I'm not a big fan of them.
 
i use kahle hooks for cats. i can use a much smaller hook and still use a good hookset motion. circle hooks work great for aggressive cats but like i said most people use to small of a gap size or the wrong type of circle hook.
 
You mentioned fluke so I'll say this...on tough days I've thrown a fluke with a wacky worm hook thru the nose. You get amazing action and 9 times out of 10 the fish grabs it and turns, setting the hook itself. I'd let her give that a try.
 
I don't think she is going to be very effective as a bass angler if she doesn't set the hook. I would think using circle hooks and not setting the hook will result in one of two outcomes 90% of the time: you either gut hook the fish and kill it, or the fish spits the bait and gets away. I would give her light wire, ultra sharp hooks and show her that a boat rocking, eye crossing hook set isn't needed. Most of us probably set the hook much harder than necessary. Me included. Matter of fact I'm the #1 offender. [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
its almost impossible to gut hook a fish using a circle hook or most offset hooks. the way they work is the barb is bent toward the shank. when a fish engulfs the bait it runs and the hook "slides" until it hits the mouth bone and turns. its almost like a pinch between the barb, lip bone, and shank of the hook. the more it runs the deeper the barb penetrates.

use too small a hook and it wont grab, a quick hook set and you will pull it out of the mouth before it grabs.

although i guess its possible this time of year in cold water but you better have the line between your thumb and finger to "feel" the bite.
 
Given my time in saltwater, more specifically tarpon fishing, I can assure you there is no reason a circle won't be equally or more effective than a j-hook with the application she is using.

The fish doesn't have to turn or run away for a circle hook to work. The angler simply has to reel and refrain from jerking the rod. You should use a 2/0-3/0 light wire circle hook and instruct her to lift her rod slowly when she gets a bite and then "reel a bend into the rod."

The trouble most anglers have with circle hooks is that they have too much "muscle memory" and no matter how hard they try they can't stop themselves from reacting to a bite with a hookset- even if it's a much lighter hookset than are accustomed to.

There should be next to no gut hooked fish and most will be hooked in the corner of the mouth regardless of how the hook is oriented in realtaion to the bait/fish.

Give it a try. Her hookup ratio just might make you consider using them.
 
Tell her to wear a baseball cap.Tell her if the hook did come back towards her it would hit her cap instead of he face.Might be a good way to build her confidence up to start setting the hook better.Now i know that a cap will help a little.But nothing is 100% guaranteed to stop a flying hook.But like i said it will help build her confidence up.
 

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