absolutely...

used them for years fishing shallow for walleye in the weeds in Canada, eh?

 

I have not got the hang of it yet. too many missed fish. I'm sure it is on me...learning curve.
tried on crappie and lake erie perch.
EB

 

I like to exaggerate the bend of the hook... the bend that does NOT allow the hook to lay flat on a table that is

 

Try some no.6 kahle hooks. Not a better hook out there for float fishing.

 

If I'm fishing for crappie with a plain hook it's a eagle claw 214 el ( extra light wire). It can be pulled from brush piles and bent back to shape in seconds. I've landed big cats and walleyed with it. No need for circle hooks just my 2 cents

 

I've caught a few crappie on circle hooks while fishing for saugeye and catfish. I personally love circle hooks and as long as you give the fish a little time, it has increased my hookup rates by quite a bit. And it always hooks them in the side of the mouth. With circle hooks I was told not to set the hook and just start reeling which is what I do. I wait about 20-30 seconds after the fish takes it though.

 

That's the beauty of using circle hooks, no hook set needed. I won't use anything else for catfish. They also eliminate swallowed hooks and injured fish.

Truthfully, I hated Circle Hooks when I first started using them. Missed fish after fish.

THEN I learned some valuable tips.
1. Make sure you Offset the hook. Bend it to the right or left.
2. Snelled hooks work much better. (for me)
3. Train yourself to wait a bit like Be Like Water stated...then just start reeling. Once your rod loads up, there's no way that fish is getting off that hook.

 

I use size 4 hooks for crappie. Dont matter whether they are circle. Just make sure its a big hook.

 

The greatest part of crappie fishing is feeling the thump and setting the hook hard. You can keep those circle hooks. They would take the fun out of crappie fishing for me.

 

i agree 100% i wish i could find some light jigs with some really fine hooks. what i do when fishing snag areas i take pliers and open the hook and bend it back a few times ,to weaken it sometimes it bends enough and i get my jig back.

 

Ya i dont see any real benifits to circle hooks for crappies. Especially if you have to let them "run with it". I use light wire hooks an just straighten them out of brush/hangups.....
And agree. The initial hook set on a big slab is what its all about for me.

 

Glad I posted this, never thought of the light wire hooks and jigs with the same. (bendable hooks)

 

Try Curtis he's got some fantastic stuff!

 

When I fish crappies, and not using artificial, I use the Tru-turn hooks, never a problem with them.

 

I love the Tru-turn hooks for catching gills too...lots a shank sticking out to help with hook removal.

 

I'm surprised the sickle hook guys didn't jump into this conversation. On a tip from a top-notch crappie guy, I bought a few sickles late spring this year. Impressive results for hook-ups and retaining fish. Haven't used them long enough to provide commentary on pros and cons with snags. Opinions anyone?