Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)

The Circle For Life
From billfish baits to trout flies, circle hooks can be employed to increase the odds of a successful catch and release.

By Dr. Russell Nelson
TIDE
Jan/Feb 2007

In today’s managed fisheries, the release of large numbers of fish is a common occurrence. We release undersized fish, fish during closed seasons and frequently we practice catch-and release fishing as a matter of pure personal preference.

Given this high release rate, it is a must that we all strive to catch, handle and release fish in a manner that maximizes their survival. A critical element to achieve this goal is the use of circle hooks with live and natural baits. A recent regulation proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will require the use of such hooks with baits in billfish tournaments, and many of us expect that the future will likely bring more such management measures. Why? Well simply put circle hooks do very little damage to hooked fish. Many anglers already swear by these hooks and it is time for more of us to give them a try.

EARLY ORIGINS

Looking at the natural spiral in a clam shell, one can easily imagine how the earliest aboriginal peoples in the Central Pacific and across North America could grind these bivalves into a simple, primitive hook. On this continent, a similar circular shaped hook was constructed from cross sections of deer and elk horns.

In the first part of the 20th century, Australian commercial hook-and-line fishers came up with the precursor to today’s metal circle hooks when they invented a design that would catch fish and not snag on the coral outcroppings of the Great Barrier Reef. Soon after anglers fishing tuna and billfish around the islands of southern California experimented with the newly designed hooks.

As head of marine fisheries in Florida, I remember how quickly news of circle hooks swept among guides in the state. Most of the guides in South Florida quietly and completely switched voluntarily to circle hooks for tarpon, snook, snappers, groupers and most other target species. While not entirely a pure conservation move, these professional anglers appreciated the fact that clients who were often very inexperienced anglers greatly increased their hook-up rates on this terminal gear.

Capt. Bouncer Smith of Miami was an early advocate of circle hooks – as much for the fact that they did so little damage to the fish as well as the real increase in sailfish hook-up rates he experienced after the switch. Today, most southeastern guides and charter captains use circle hooks for a wide variety of fish.

EASY FOR A NOVICE – A PAIN FOR PROS

Many a fine angler has tried circle hooks and immediately dumped them after seeming to pull the bait out of every fish’s mouth. The problem? You cannot strike to hook a fish on a circle hook. Upward arcing of the rod will invariably pull the hook free. Instead one must simply point the rod tip directly at the bite and slowly reel in until a hook-up is felt. That is it.

Luring snook from under the mangroves, casting live bait for stripers, soaking mud minnows for flounder, pitching to billfish or tuna - the basic working technique is the same: just let your rod tip point directly at the fish that has just taken your bait, give the fish a few seconds to swallow the bait, and slowly begin reeling until you tighten up.

Small baits such as sardines or shrimp can be hooked directly as with the use of any type hook. For pitching or trolling larger baits – ballyhoo, menhaden, mullet – it is best to tie the hook onto the top of the head using wire, floss or line. Once you have mastered the slow approach to hooking up with circle hooks, you will be amazed at how efficient they are.

SOLID SCIENTIFIC PROOF

Scientists have tested the use of circle hooks angling for billfish, tunas, red drum, speckled trout, flounder, striped bass, walleyes, trout, salmon, largemouth bass and a number of other species. In all cases the circle hooks yield hook-up rates equal to or greater than traditional “J” hooks and death or injuries to fish are dramatically reduced.

A recent test was conducted on white marlin in the western Atlantic using satellite pop-off tags to monitor post-release behavior and movement. Survival of released fish in total was 76 percent, but of the fish taken with circle hooks 100 percent survived. The results of most saltwater research indicate that offsets in circle hooks on the order of 10 degrees or more will increase injuries in hooked fish as these hooks perform a bit more like “J” hooks. Most major hook manufacturers produce low or no offset circle hooks.

Typically a “J” hook is swallowed and enters the stomach and then is jerked forward in the attempt to set the hook. When this occurs the point is easily capable of tearing into the kidneys, liver, heart, gills or even the brain. Because of the circle in a circle hook, the point is not placed in a position to tear tissues and is almost always hooked into the corner of the jaw as the line pulls the hook up into a closed mouth.

ALTERNATIVES FOR LURES AND FLIES

A lot of world class anglers and captains have experimented using circle hooks with trolled lures and flies, to mixed success. The new soft plastic “flavored” lures that are increasingly popular can be efficiently rigged with circle hooks rather easily.

The new NMFS’ rule on billfish tournaments has drawn the ire of many Atlantic and Gulf offshore veterans who troll at relatively high speeds with lures and ballyhoo or mackerels. The argument that such rigs rarely gut-hook a billfish are sound, but internationally known captains like Peter B. Wright and Skip Smith have successfully rigged such tandems with circle hooks – it just takes a little experimenting and some imagination.

As for fly fishing with circle hook flies, Baja hotshot Capt. Gary Graham has been tying saltwater flies on circle hooks for a decade and believes that they perform as well as “J” hooks while providing the extra measure of protection that can make the difference between a healthy release and a pending mortality.

“Flies tied on circle hooks may look a little odd,” advises Gary, “but they can be very effective on everything from freshwater trout to marlins and tunas – it is important to make sure there is no offset as this will cause an unnatural wobble on retrieve and do not strip strike, just let the line come firm to the fish and the hooks will set themselves.”

SIZE SELECTIVITY

State and federal fishery managers increasingly impose minimum size limits while raising concerns about the large numbers of undersized fish that are being caught and released by anglers complying with the regulations. Curiously, a ‘Catch 22’ of improving fish stocks seems to be that as spawning biomass and success increase and yield more and more juvenile fish, we end up having to release many small ones for every keeper we land. Circle hooks can certainly help reduce the stress on these released fish, but CCA also strongly recommends that the National Marine Fisheries Service fund some work on the potential for larger circle hooks to both reduce the catch of smaller fish and increase the survival rate of all fish released.

Dr. Bob Shipp and students at the University of South Alabama have done some preliminary work that indicates the use of larger circle hooks can effectively increase the average size of red snapper hooked. Try this yourself if you tire of sorting through a lot of small fish to keep a few legal-sized snapper or grouper.

Wherever and however you fish, give circle hooks a try. We think you will find that they serve the best of two worlds – hooking up and releasing alive!

Dr. Russell Nelson is CCA’s consultant to the Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council and a 20-year veteran of marine fisheries management and research.