# circle hooks vs J hooks



## twitchintofish (Feb 21, 2008)

What is best for Pompano fishing circle or J hooks? If using circle do you still go with a #1 or #2? I am a midwest person who has not tried circle hooks up to this point.


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## mack_attack2 (Nov 24, 2007)

i prefer using circle hooks for pompano, but i use them for everything, its a preference what you like really, and #1, 1/0 circles work good for pompano


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## sniper (Oct 3, 2007)

If using circle hooks you can get a better hook up ratio on any fish. You just gotta remember. "Crank don't Yank!!!"


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## twitchintofish (Feb 21, 2008)

thanks I think I will try the circles seems less stressful for releases also, just have to remember no yanking reel only I will be down by Perdido Key visiting beginning the 29th hope to post some pics


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## User1265 (Oct 15, 2007)

The hardest thing for me when I switched to circle hooks was not setting the hook. Hell I still do it sometimes and for some reason it never works. :banghead


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## j_purdy (Oct 9, 2007)

I second what everyone says about circles. If you feel like you have to set the hook, go with a Kahle hook(#2 or #4). They are pretty forgiving if you don't set it well, and the fish hook themselves a lot of the time. As for circles, I use them almost exclusively from the surf. A trickI tell people who have never used circles is to leave the rod in the pole holder and reel like hell. When you take the rod out of the holder, the fish is on-no setting ever involved. The way a circle hook works has to do with the inverted hook point. A violent motion(i.e. setting) pulls the hook straight out of the fish's mouth. By reeling only the hook slides along the side of the mouth until it reaches some ridge for the point to catch(the jaw and surrounding muscles) and rotate around. Many more gut-hooked fish survive using circles, because with the smooth sidesin the throat and stomach there is very little to snag the point. Sorry for the physics lecture. When you get down here, let us know how many you caught. Tight lines

-Jason


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