Circle Hooks

[BigAl85]

Does anyone know where to get circle hooks for cats and or sturgeon. I hear how great they are but nobody seems to sell them. Are they worth the hassle of tracking them down?
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[jeremypeace]

snake river outfiters in pocatello has them.. As well as ace and K mart..
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[Bassin_Blitz]

This one should work for you and it has the biggest size range.


http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu...GFWGH.html

Just have them Delivered lol
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[BigAl85]

I'm in Boise. Cabela's doesn't even carry them.Wal-mart doesn't have any either. Will try K-mart. I never thought of them for fishing tackle.
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[BorntoFish01]

try sportsmans warehouse in meridian also turners on state st. if all else fails....howards in nampa.
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[StacyR]

I buy mine off of eBay. You can get good, quality hooks for about $10 per 100. When you fish for cats, you lose a lot of hooks to snags, so it's good to get them cheap.
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[wormsinker]

call me dumb i dont care but what is a circle hook. Are they a lot like the gamagatsu octopus hooks[]
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[MMDon]

[quote wormsinker]call me dumb i dont care but what is a circle hook. Are they a lot like the gamagatsu octopus hooks[][/quote]

No an Octopus hook is a member of the J hook family and can be set upon getting a bite. A circle hook will not grab the insides of a fish and is made to catch in the corner of the fishes mouth as it turns away. You simply tighten the line and reel. Jerking the hook will miss the mouth. It's a safety hook to preserve most large game species fish for C&R.
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[SmartWeed]

[quote BigAl85]I'm in Boise. Cabela's doesn't even carry them.Wal-mart doesn't have any either. Will try K-mart. I never thought of them for fishing tackle.[/quote]
Howards in Nampa probably has the best assortment of hooks in the Boise Valley.
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[McGinty]

When I was young man we learned through experience that Eagle Claw hooks used with single salmon eggs hooked better than any other hook. We had a high percentage of front of the mouth hookups. A few years ago I was fishing Brownly for cats. I am pretty much a fly fisherman now so I was digging around in my old tackle box and pulled out some # 2 Eagle Claw hooks. Every cat I caught that day was corner of the mouth hooked! That started me thinking and examining the hook more closely. They seem to be a circle hook and have been for years. Not quite as extreme as some models today but the " beaked design" sure looks like it. If you have trouble finding those expensive "real circle hooks", give good old Eagle Claw try.
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[MMDon]

Yeah, for fine wire circles we use and Eagle Claw 024 Bait hook and bend the point in.
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[Mojo1]

[quote BigAl85]I'm in Boise. Cabela's doesn't even carry them.Wal-mart doesn't have any either. Will try K-mart. I never thought of them for fishing tackle.[/quote]

Big Al, Cabelas does carry them. I bought several packages of 8/0 circle hooks 3 weeks ago. Most folks look for larger (12/0, 13/0 etc.) for sturgeon. The problem with halibut size hooks is they are larger gauge wire, and rip the fish up. 8/0 to 9/0 are plenty large enough for even large sturgeon. As stated above, Sportsman's, Howards etc all carry them as well. Try looking in the Gamakatsu section near the octopus hooks.
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[Belasko]

Just thought that I'd throw this in as well. They are definitely worth the hassle of tracking them down for sturgeon. As of this last year they are required for sturgeon. You're looking at a citation if you're checked fishing for sturgeon without them. And as stated you can always order them online from cabela's. Another would be barlows tackle online. They have a pretty big selection.
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[MMDon]

The regs don't say anything about circle hooks for Sturgies that I found. Just barbless:

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/rules/info.pdf
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[thebug]

belasko where did you find that rule? as i sturgeon fish allot i have looked through the regs and can't find it but if you can please post it up for us
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[Belasko]

I stand corrected. I looked over the information again on the F&G website about fishing for sturgeon. It says that barbless hooks and a sliding sinker rig are required. It then goes on to strongly push the circle hook option. But it does not require them. I can't remember for sure but I think that that requiring circle hooks was an option that was originally considered a year or so ago. Apparently they don't currently require them. Anyway, here is the link to the F&G page specifically referring to sturgeon fishing and gear. Sorry for confusing the issue [blush]

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/fish/wt...urgeon.pdf
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[thebug]

i had heard that as well but i am very glad they did not go to the circle hook only for idaho sturgeon i HATE HATE HATE those stinking hooks because i loose the fish every time i use them. to high tech for me or something
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[StacyR]

Their are two things to remember when using circle hooks. The first is not to set the hook, because you'll jerk it out of the fish's mouth. The second is when you bait the hook, the area between the point and the shank of the hook MUST be clear. Otherwise the point won't catch.

If you let the fish move away and hook itself, and don't load up the hook with so much bait that it obstructs the point, you'll do fine with them.
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[Lundman]

Another 2 cents....

I've been using the Octopus Circle Hooks for severals years on CJ for sturgeon - I use the 0/6 & 0/7 size.

[url "http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Octopus_Circle_Hook_Offset_Point/descpage-GOHOP.html"]http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gamakatsu_Octopus_Circle_Hook_Offset_Point/descpage-GOHOP.html[/url]

You DO have to set the hook even with circle hooks - at least I find you have a much better hook'in them.

These hooks have tiny barb that is easily bent - in fact they brake when you press them with pilers.
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[drowning_flys]

I have always set the hook also but maybe thats why i have missed a few fish. Ive always ordered my hooks from offshore angler as i can get 100 for under 20 bucks
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