# circle hooks



## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

I have been thinking of tying my next round of flies on circle hooks. I stumbled on these Eagle Claw hooks with long shafts. What are your opinions on flies tied on circle hooks? Is the long shaft good or bad?


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I've been tying flies now for a lot of years (commercially since 1979...) and have tried almost every hook style available. As far as I'm concerned circle hooks for flies are a solution in search of a problem....


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

About a year ago I decided to give them a try (conventional circle, not long shaft) and I've had very good success with them in terms of hook sets and all. That said, I don't know that there's any advantage to them, nor do I think I hooked fish with the circle hooks that I might have otherwise missed with a conventional J-hook either. But I did get mostly "corner of the mouth" hook sets as you would expect. I also got a couple deep in the throat sets and one foul hook set on the outside of the jaw too. So they weren't fool proof in that sense.

Tying with them is a little more trouble too, because of the way the hook bends up into the shaft. It takes a little more care to not nick or cut your thread while wrapping material down on them. 

Will I continue to use them? Probably now and then, but my last bulk hook purchase was a box Tiemco 800S though.


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## BobFLA (Feb 15, 2007)

My spoon flies are tied exclusively on #1 Owner and Gami circle hooks. I cannot remember missing a strike on them and they always hook in the corner of the mouth. I have been tying this pattern for several years now and I just won't use anything else. With this particular pattern, I really don't need a weed guard, the eye rides very high and acts as it's own weed guard.

The longer shank circle hooks work equally well.  EP minnows, Clousers, etc all work well on them. 

Just about every fly guy I talk to hate them...although few have ever USED them, but they hate them.  Too bad.  I personnaly believe it's because they have to relearn the hookset.  Give it a try on your go-to fly and see what happens...I think you'll be surprised.




















Take a look at the position of the fly...
Best regards
Bob


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

A list of circle hook manufactures.

*Owner American Corporation*
3199-B Airport Loop Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 668-9011 FAX (714) 668-9133
http://www.ownerhooks.com
Product – MutuTM Circle Hooks

*Rapala VMC Inc.*
1901 Oakcrest Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55113
(651) 636-9649 FAX (651) 636-7053
http://www.vmchooks.com
Product – V7381BN and V7384BN Sport Fishing Circle Hooks

*Eagle Claw
Wright & McGill Co.*
4245 East 46th Avenue
PO Box 16011
Denver, CO 80216-6011
(800) 628-0108 FAX (720) 941-8778
http://www.eagleclaw.com
Product – Circle SeaTM Hooks

*Bear Paw Tackle Company*
4904 Aero Park Drive
P.O. Box 355
Bellaire, MI 49615
(231) 533-8604 FAX (231) 533-9974
www.bearpawtackle.com


*Shelton Products*
5279 Salisbury Drive
Newark, CA 94560
(510) 797-6596 FAX (510) 792-0792
http://www.sheltonproducts.com
Product – Shelton ReleaseTM Circle Hooks

*Gamakatsu, USA
SPRO Corporation*
3900 Kennesaw
75 Parkway, Suite 140
Kennesaw, GA 30144
(770) 919-1722 FAX (770) 919-8141
http://www.gamakatsu.com
Product – OctopusTM, Circle FlyTM, and Live Bait HDTM Circle Hooks

*O. Mustad and Son, Inc.*
P.O. Box 838
Auburn, NY 13021
(315) 253-2793 FAX (315) 253-0157
www.mustad.no/#
Product – Mustad DemonTM (#39960BL)
and #39960 Circle Hooks

*TTI Companies*
100 Red Eagle Road, P.O. Box 1177
Wetumpka, AL 36092-1177
(334) 567-2011 FAX (334)
http://www.daiichihooks.com
Product – D74Z, D75Z, CircleWide, and
Bleeding Bait Circle Hooks


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## tom_in_orl (Dec 9, 2006)

Bob, that fly looks awesome. 

Thanks to everybody for their opinions on this. Definitely helpful.


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## beavis (Dec 11, 2006)

I guess one advantage would be not hooking yourself if you hit yourself with the fly.


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

> I guess one advantage would be not hooking yourself if you hit yourself with the fly.


You have some experience with that? ;D


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## beavis (Dec 11, 2006)

> > I guess one advantage would be not hooking yourself if you hit yourself with the fly.
> 
> 
> You have some experience with that? ;D



umm, no


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

LOL


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## White_Fly (Jan 15, 2007)

I tied a bunch of clouser minnows(like 75) a few years ago on circle hooks and got a lot of guff on the Gheenoe site, saying circle hooks only worked well for live bait and should not be used for flies. With that said, I caught lots of fish, fresh and saltwater, on those clousers and had very few lost fish on good strikes. They worked well for me. I haven't tied any more on circle hooks but I will when I get around to buying some more. I still have a few of those I tied then. The longer shanks should work well for clousers and other streamer type flies. You may not hook yourself as often but they still hurt like hell when you bean yourself in the head or shoulder with one. Feels l;ike getting shot with a pellet gun!! That is why I always wear that BIG OLE HAT!!!

Jim


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## Benzo (Oct 17, 2007)

I tied a few black/red tarpon flies on circle hooks for dredging... will be trying them out later this year...


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Does the shape of the hook alter it's action? If you tied a traditional J hook and a circle hook with the same pattern how would they react?


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## aaronshore (Aug 24, 2007)

I think it would prob only matter on the weight of the hook. Also, if you have hook exposed I suppose the "keel" on the hook would alter the action of the fly.


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## Benzo (Oct 17, 2007)

> Does the shape of the hook alter it's action? If you tied a traditional J hook and a circle hook with the same pattern how would they react?


I guess it depends on the shape. If you bend the hook up or down near the eye of the hook, it will change the angle the fly is being pulled at (i.e. Bendback fly or Borski's butterfly) and make the hook ride differently. There really isnt much of a side to side action as far as fly retreives go, its more the hackle/fur doing the teasing. These circles I tied on are slightly offset... I tried one in the water and it tracked just as straight as a non-offset hook.


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

Benzo, Let me know when your ready to wet test...


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## Benzo (Oct 17, 2007)

> Benzo, Let me know when your ready to wet test...


Later this fall my friend... I'm getting a transom mount trolling motor put on the HPX this week when I drop it off at SWC.  Once the poons leave the backcountry basins (where I fish them in poleable depths) and the Gulf coast (where its too deep to pole) gets thick with them, its dredging time.


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## MATT (Apr 30, 2007)

Benzo, That Black and Red Fly looks like it would do very well (if tied on a larger hook) for Skip Jack Tuna in the Keys. Have you tried that or heard of anyone who has ?


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## Benzo (Oct 17, 2007)

Nope, can't say I've ever flyfished for skipjacks... These hooks are 5/0 circles though.


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## MATT (Apr 30, 2007)

Well, Guess we now know what I will be doing on my next trip south...


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

> Well, Guess we now know what I will be doing on my next trip south...


We all know about your trips MATT... usually starts with a cool adult beverage... and ends with lies... ;D


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## MATT (Apr 30, 2007)

You got half of that correct...


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## iMacattack (Dec 11, 2006)

you right... you never lie... ;D


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## MATT (Apr 30, 2007)

But I do share...anytime Bro


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## deerfly (Mar 10, 2007)

Good looking fly benzo.  

I guess the red collar helps some when the water is fairly clear? I've only used all black or dark purple and black flies for dredging. Since red is the first color to go away at depth it would end up looking black anyway, but in places where the sunlight penetrated well enough I guess it would add a little more dynamic to the fly. Interesting though something I hadn't thought about before. 

Matt thats an interesting thought for bonito or really any of the small tunas. Back when I was into off-shore fishing trolling black/red or black/purple lures worked great on little black-fin tunas and wahoo. So a fly like that should probably work too. 

As for the the slight offset in some circle hooks, I've had good success gently bending them back straight with a pair of pliers. As was mentioned, the path of the fly doesn't seem to be effected by the offset, but it does tend to catch hackles so I straighten mine. Doesn't appear to effect the strength best I could tell by yanking on them with 100lb mono.


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## the_shadow (Jul 24, 2008)

i use circle for my 1/0 and bigger epoxy shrimp flys


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