Occasionally I go fishing with my family at Sylvan Beach Park, and my brothers accompany me to the pier. We usually take one rod for each of us but we always have one extra. I wanted to know how to use a circle hook on that extra rod so that I don't have to set the hook and it'll set itself. I use shrimp (dead and alive)and I make cut bait out of the croaker I catch, so how would you position these baits on a circle hooks?

Any overall tips for using circle hooks would be appreciated thanks!

Once you feel a fish on the line just reel. Don't set the hook. The circle hook will set itself.

Circle hooks are very good hooks and gentle on the fish since in 99% of all instances it sets itself in the scissors of the jaw. You can even flatten the barb or file it off since once hooked it will not fall out and it will help you to remove the hook easily, especially with fish with nasty teeth.

However, you do not use a knot to attach the line to the hook and we use a technique called "snelling" of the hook. If you use a normal knot you will loose quite a few fish because the hook will not set.

To snell a circle hook, push the one end of your trace line through the eye of the hook from the front i.e. the same side as the point of the hook. The piece that should stick out at the back can be 3 quarters of the the hook shank length. Then use the trace line and wind it several times around the shank of the hook winding from the eye down towards the point of the hook over the small piece of trace line lying tight against the hook shank. If monofilament is used, at least 8 times and if nylon coated trace wire, at least 5 times. Push the remaining section of your trace line (the long section) through from the back of the hook and pull tight. Your circle hook will now do the job for you.

Important to remember is the contents of the previous comments regarding not striking but just reeling in!!!

Thanks guys this really helps.

+1 on making sure you snell the circle hook. I made the mistake of not knowing that for several months of trying to use circle hooks, and I didn't have anything nice to say about them. I finally read a post here on TFF about snelling a circle hook, and it's totally changed my perception of them. They actually work great when you tie them on right! One other thing about snelling, not all circle hooks have the eye bent forward (which only gives you one way to tie the snell), but even the straight-eyed ones need the knot to be started by inserting the lead in of the line from back to front and then beginning the snelling process. FYI.

The only way I've ever tied knots for the most part is by snelling them and I use circle hooks in saltwater just about 100% of the time when not using artificials.