# Circle hooks for flounder



## eaglesfanguy

Ive totally switched to circle hooks for all my fishing.Other then bait fishing.Ive come to notice that circle hooks arnt very effective on flounder.When you do hook one it seems the circle likes to grab the gills.I figure because the way a flounder is proportioned.With one corner actually being where the gills are.Im wondering if anyone else has experienced this.I also seem to miss alot more fish.
I always liked the kahle hooks but have had too many mortalities.Gut hookings.
Wondering what everyone else thinks.
Im guessing if im headed out for flounder mainly i got to deal with gut hookings of small fish as well as other unfortunate species to find my bait.
If anyone has a tactic on using circles for flounder id appreciate the tip.Cause all i use is circles.


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## Fish4Food

*Kahle Hooks?*

Eaglesfan - I also bleed Green - I'm from Philly and love the Eagles. 

What are kahle hooks? Just curious. I also haven't had too much luck on circle hooks in the past. I seem to catch the best flounder using the Flounder/Fluke rigs and the J-type hook that come with them. I'm not sure what these hooks are called maybe kahle? Anyway, I attempted to use these J-type hooks, carolina rigged in the surf this weekend and missed alot of bites. Not sure if 2/0 wasn't big enuff or what. Maybe they were too big for what was biting, but I lost a nice fish and missed atleast 5 or six good bites.


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## Flounder Pounder

I use a 2/0 Mustad Wide Bend hook. Only time I get a gut hook is when you let them suck on the minnow to long. 5-10 seconds is long enough after you feel the tap. If using finger mullet I give them a little longer, but then again a flattie that hits a nice big finger mullet is usually in the cooler when it hits the pier. Most gut hooks I see come from the accidental flounder caught by a croaker fisherman who just let it sit and digest the bait.


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## BigJeff823

Circle hooks are very sticky on Flounder they don't seem to get hooked;I 'll stick to Wide Gaps(Kale-English wide bend).The Circles aint so bad if you just use a minnow with no weight on the rig at all.Minnow/Squid takes up too much of the hook when using Circles.


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## eaglesfanguy

*E-a-g-l-e-s*

Go birds!.. 
Thanks for the info ill stick to the wide gap "kahle" hooks then.
The kahle hook is the goofy wide gapped hook you usually see on most flounder rigs.undefined


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## Jake Ace

I continue to use the circle hooks mostly. 1/0 red ones are my favorite and they work especially well with strips of cutbait ... but you can not set the hook like Bill Dance and expect them to work.

It's more of a raising and reeling of the rod simultaneously and not a jerk & yank. If you try to set the hook like a double-bottom-rigger, you probably won't ever catch a fish.

That's the hardest thing to learn about using circles and the hardest habit to break. 

That being said, I struggled with 1/0 and 2/0 circle hooks while using live-bait like this past week in North Carolina.

I don't know why, maybe because I was catching 10" and 11" flounder on 2" mullet and minnows this week, and perhaps the bait was almost too large for the fish for the circle hook to work effectively. 

More likely, fisherman's error ... it's the poor workman who blames his tools.

I caught / tagged about 60 this week in NC and nearly all of them were on live-bait; and I did switch to the Kahle 1/0 hooks and didn't gut hook a single one.

The only gut-hooks all week were from my brother, who doesn't fish often and was letting the minnie sit on the bottom; and from my neighbor who only fishes from a boat ... and he did the 30-count before setting the hook into an 11" fish.

Between them though, they only caught about 6 flounder. So gut hooking 2 out of 6, I didn't think was such a great ratio.

A tap-tap-tap-tap means a little one is trying to negotiate your minnie and you might have to count to 5 to wait for him to get it situated correctly. A thunk or dead-weight means a big one has simply inhaled your bait.

And a 13" flounder can easily inhale, with one gill flare, a 4" Saltwater Assassin with no tap-tap-tapping.

THROW THE BIG ONES BACK

Jake Ace


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## Jigmaster

*Circle Hook Trick..............>not really*



Jake Ace said:


> I continue to use the circle hooks mostly. 1/0 red ones are my favorite and they work especially well with strips of cutbait ... but you can not set the hook like Bill Dance and expect them to work.
> 
> It's more of a raising and reeling of the rod simultaneously and not a jerk & yank. If you try to set the hook like a double-bottom-rigger, you probably won't ever catch a fish.
> 
> That's the hardest thing to learn about using circles and the hardest habit to break.
> 
> That being said, I struggled with 1/0 and 2/0 circle hooks while using live-bait like this past week in North Carolina.
> 
> I don't know why, maybe because I was catching 10" and 11" flounder on 2" mullet and minnows this week, and perhaps the bait was almost too large for the fish for the circle hook to work effectively.
> 
> More likely, fisherman's error ... it's the poor workman who blames his tools.
> 
> I caught / tagged about 60 this week in NC and nearly all of them were on live-bait; and I did switch to the Kahle 1/0 hooks and didn't gut hook a single one.
> 
> The only gut-hooks all week were from my brother, who doesn't fish often and was letting the minnie sit on the bottom; and from my neighbor who only fishes from a boat ... and he did the 30-count before setting the hook into an 11" fish.
> 
> Between them though, they only caught about 6 flounder. So gut hooking 2 out of 6, I didn't think was such a great ratio.
> 
> A tap-tap-tap-tap means a little one is trying to negotiate your minnie and you might have to count to 5 to wait for him to get it situated correctly. A thunk or dead-weight means a big one has simply inhaled your bait.
> 
> And a 13" flounder can easily inhale, with one gill flare, a 4" Saltwater Assassin with no tap-tap-tapping.
> 
> THROW THE BIG ONES BACK
> 
> Jake Ace




As ive said in another post before somwhere.... these things really work, i like to use 3/0 Eagle Claw Bleeding bait Hooks from wal-mart~ whether your hooking a soft plastic,SQuid, Mud Minnow or Mullet. Offset the Hook on the lower third of Hook with pliers. Totally increases Hookups 110% remember never set the Hook on Circles. As for the Flounder they like to hit a Bait & swim 6-10 feet then lay back Down before they swallow it -this is why we wait the 5 seconds. .


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## RuddeDogg

*Circle hooks*

I use circle hooks exclusively. From flounder to black drum. If you use circles right ya hardly ever gut hook a fish. I find with flounder as soon as ya feel a "good" tap just reel a little bit and lift up on your rod and fish on.


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## Tom Powers

John Lucy did the mortality studies on flounder several years ago. I talked to him regarding cale and circle hooks and he recommended cale hooks for flounder. 

He did not recommend them for everything just flounder.

Tom


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## Fishman

The kale hook is the circle hook for flounder. It is a semi circle hook. It might be one of the most used hooks for flounder. If you use it right you can get away with using a long shank J hook.


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## harry buggs

I use short-shanked J-hooks with squid and almost always get a lip hook because I'm always moving the bait and am in touch with it. My gripe is the way fish are released. Can't tell you how many flounder I've seen squashed under feet, thrown in the sand, squeezed til they're eyes pop, etc., etc. I always carry a sturdy pair of needlenose pliers and grab the hook (any style) right in the middle of the bend. If you then aim the hook's point straight down, gravity will pull the fish off the hook, if it's heavy enough. If not, a firm up/down shake will do it. This way, you don't even have to touch the fish (which can harm it by removing some of its protective slime). Once learned, this method is quick and easy and often the fish doesn't even come out of the water. What good does releasing a fish do if its mortally wounded? To me, a successful release means I've not touched the fish and it has departed in a vigorous manner. I interpret a good tail-splash in the face as a thank-you ;-) .


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## rattler

for bigger live bait i like circle hooks(dead sticking)...when i'm dragging bait i like a kahle...i use a 4/0 or bigger circle with 6"+ live bait...no gut hooks yet...


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## NewMaN

I've always used Aberdeen, but have read somewheare that circle hooks are also brilliant for flounder fishing. So yesterday i've bought Mustad Demon Circle to try and it is written on the package that you should let fish take the bait and reel slowly... Nearly Flounder Pounder said 

By the way, i've got the question. In what way do you put minnow to circle hook? And how do you put it on aberdeen (if you use it)?


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## rattler

i hook them from the bottom up...through both lips...don't set the hook...reel slowly... good luck and welcome


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## Warden

*Kahles for me*

... I've tried circle hooks for flounder here in Va. and found I didn't like'em. As soon as I got a bite- and ,yes I waited and just reeled slowly instead of setting the hook, I missed the fish. As soon as I switched back to a 3/0 kahle, bingo!, back in business. I tend to stick with what works best, I trust you will too. Tight lines!


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## NewMaN

Unfortunately i haven't seen kahle in our shops  but I hope that i just didn't notice them.  
By the way, I've tried salt water hooks from several manufacturers (Mustad, Trabucco) and each time I notice that sea water destroies the hook after several fishings. Maybe it is counterfeit production?


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## rattler

i like circles for dead sticking...kahle if i'm gonna keep the bait moving...from what i understand, the "salt water are designed to rust/ rot faster to help save any fish that breaks off...


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## Caught Myself

*well...*

If it's about flounder and Jake Ace said it, I believe it since he's caught more than most of will in our dreams. Nuff said...


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## Nicstr28

Jake Ace said:


> I continue to use the circle hooks mostly. 1/0 red ones are my favorite and they work especially well with strips of cutbait ... but you can not set the hook like Bill Dance and expect them to work.
> 
> It's more of a raising and reeling of the rod simultaneously and not a jerk & yank. If you try to set the hook like a double-bottom-rigger, you probably won't ever catch a fish.
> 
> That's the hardest thing to learn about using circles and the hardest habit to break.
> 
> That being said, I struggled with 1/0 and 2/0 circle hooks while using live-bait like this past week in North Carolina.
> 
> I don't know why, maybe because I was catching 10" and 11" flounder on 2" mullet and minnows this week, and perhaps the bait was almost too large for the fish for the circle hook to work effectively.
> 
> More likely, fisherman's error ... it's the poor workman who blames his tools.
> 
> I caught / tagged about 60 this week in NC and nearly all of them were on live-bait; and I did switch to the Kahle 1/0 hooks and didn't gut hook a single one.
> 
> The only gut-hooks all week were from my brother, who doesn't fish often and was letting the minnie sit on the bottom; and from my neighbor who only fishes from a boat ... and he did the 30-count before setting the hook into an 11" fish.
> 
> Between them though, they only caught about 6 flounder. So gut hooking 2 out of 6, I didn't think was such a great ratio.
> 
> A tap-tap-tap-tap means a little one is trying to negotiate your minnie and you might have to count to 5 to wait for him to get it situated correctly. A thunk or dead-weight means a big one has simply inhaled your bait.
> 
> And a 13" flounder can easily inhale, with one gill flare, a 4" Saltwater Assassin with no tap-tap-tapping.
> 
> THROW THE BIG ONES BACK
> 
> Jake Ace


Well I fish hard and have my whole life. I personally lose a lot more flounder on circle hooks. I've fished florida for 58 years, since I was.6yrs old. I'm hardly a poor fisherman and have been told by charter captains and others that if 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish....I'm a 10%'er. Not bragging just making a point that I very well know what im doing and I have lost many more flounder on circle hooks than I ever did with Khaled. That's not blaming the tool Its using the tool for the wrong application. You disagree. That's fine.


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## slosh

Nicstr28 said:


> Well I fish hard and have my whole life. I personally lose a lot more flounder on circle hooks. I've fished florida for 58 years, since I was.6yrs old. I'm hardly a poor fisherman and have been told by charter captains and others that if 10% of the fishermen catch 90% of the fish....I'm a 10%'er. Not bragging just making a point that I very well know what im doing and I have lost many more flounder on circle hooks than I ever did with Khaled. That's not blaming the tool Its using the tool for the wrong application. You disagree. That's fine.


Jake Ace posted that in 2004.


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## River

Used to use jigs with Gulps for Flounder and gill hooked a lot of fish because the flounder would take the whole rig in putting the hook right at his gills. A friend and I decided to start using a double hook bait rig with 1 or 2/0 circle hooks and a 1.5 or 2 oz flat drag sinker attached. We hook the gulp or z Mann grub thru the nose right where the eyes would be ... that way the flounder takes the whole grub in and the hook is at his lips ... Since we started this several years ago, I have only gill or gut hooked 1 or 2 Flounder, same for my friend ... and we've caught a lot of Flounder especially before they cut our season in NC. Sorry for the long rant ...


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