7 hours ago, WRB said:

atching those fish are very low % with crank baits with circle hooks.

Give it try,

 

What's "very low" percentage? 

 

OP caught 17 bass on this set up.

 

And, for example, if I have 10 blowups...how many fish do you expect me to get? 1? 5? 

 

I'll find out next week! (If the weather cooperates)

@RRocket what set up are you going to try? Topwater, jerk, square bill? 

1 hour ago, GRiver said:

@RRocket what set up are you going to try? Topwater, jerk, square bill? 

Yes, topwater crankbaits. OSP Buzzin' Crank, Deps Buzzjet Jr., Spro Rat 25, etc

 

I have duplicates of each, so I can test as close to side-by-side as possible. But as you know, so much variability in topwater bite (at least in these parts).

 

So I'm just trying to have some way of quantifying if they work, what deceased odds is supposed to look like, etc

@RRocket  Some results from yesterday:  Caught several bass but only 4 were on jerkbaits with circle hooks, the others were on jackhammers.  3 were hooked on the rear hook in the corner of the mouth.  One was hooked on the outside of the mouth, under the jaw by the rear hook.  Also caught 3 crappie, all on the rear hook, one in the corner of the mouth, one in the tongue, and one on the outside on the gill cover.

On the baits with 3 hooks I left off the middle hook when I replaced them.  I may move the front hook to the middle.  So far the rear hook has resulted in most of the catches (I realize this is early in this experiment).  The lakes I fish are not what I consider to be the best jerkbait lakes.  Water visibility of 12-15 inches.  Water temp has been 45 to 50.

Looking forward to hearing results, thoughts, and experiences from you and others.

20 hours ago, WRB said:

Never had a bass choke a crank bait in the throat, always in the lips or inside the mouth. Watching MLF I have seen several bass choke jerk baits and few smaller crank baits so it happens.

What I am saying LMB engulf prey and reject it fast catching those fish are very low % with crank baits with circle hooks.

Give it try,

Tom

@WRB  I agree when you say LMB engulf and reject fast.  That is one concern I have in this experiment.  More hook points (3 with trebles, one with circles) will result in higher % of catches.

Again, my goals were to reduce hooks in my hand and increase success in removing hooks from a throat hooked bass.  If this experiment results in a poor catch rate I will go back to trebles.

Only caught 1 on a circle hook bait yesterday.  Rattlebait had a hook on each side of the mouth.  Securely hooked and easily unhookd.

@Lottabass what that your only strike? I mean did ya miss any bites but couldn’t  them hooked? Nice fish by the way.

 

@GRiver Thank you! I'm pretty sure that was the only strike I had on the rattlebait, of course you never know for sure.  I'm not an expert but pretty confident in my fishing.  The bites were "just there", not "thump", you know what I mean, so it's quite possible that I missed some.  All the others were on a jig in 5 ft or less.  Water temp was 52.  

1/4 oz trap, #2 circle hooks, lure was entirely in fishs mouth but only rear hook was stuck.

Wow! Really nice! 

I have a question that I simply don't know the answer to as I don't have a wide array of crankbaits and this is literally the first time I've changed hooks. So I need insight to help with my ignorance.

 

Thus far, no problems changing hooks on my Rat or Buzzjet Jr.

 

However, on the OSP Buzzn, the snap ring is in line with the eye of the new hook. That is to say, when put on the snap ring the new hook is turned 90 degrees rather than pointing up.

 

Is there a work around or solution for this? 

@RRocket  Yes, I see what you mean.  If the circle hook is pointing to the side I would think the lure would be more likely to snag.  It seems to me that it would still grab a fish but it don't look right that way!  I have 2 ideas. 

#1. Put another split ring on the one that's there, then the circle on the new split ring, that should turn the hook 90 degrees.

#2.  Tie a split ring with braided line and maybe the braid would allow the hook to turn in the proper position as the lure comes through the water.  Maybe, IDK...I like #1 best.  There are YT videos on how to tie this (it is way beyond my abilities!).

I have never tried either of these ideas.  Just trying to help.

@Lottabass & @RRocket , do they make one with the eye turned 90 degrees? If ya had a vise or a couple pair pliers you could twist the eye, but the might weaken it.

@GRiver @RRocket  Gamakatsu makes another circle hook, the octopus offset point, that has the eye sideways like a traditional hook eye.  This might work.

Let me say this about this circle hook experiment.  If I was fishing for money I would never take off my treble hooks.  If the advantages (Less hooks in my hands, and easier to unhook a throat hooked bass) outweigh the disadvantages (A few more lost fish, or a few more missed strikes) I will keep trying this.  Now if it gets out of hand I'll go back to trebles.  I don't fish tournaments, and I love catching bass but if I lose one here and there it's no big deal.  I don't land every fish I hook anyway, treble hooks or not.  Now, truthfully, I expect to miss or lose more fish with circles.  We'll see, this is just an experiment, but I appreciate your interest and your input.

It seems to me that an octopuss hook would stick them better than a circle hook but  I'm wrong a lot.

18 hours ago, scaleface said:

It seems to me that an octopuss hook would stick them better than a circle hook but  I'm wrong a lot.

@scaleface  It seems that way to me as well so I will try that.

Ichikawa flat shad 45 with #1 circle hooks caught a pile of bass yesterday.  It was a day when color seemed very important.  I had white, red, and yellow.  I didn't hook any on red and yellow although got lots of bumps and whooshes.  They were piledriving white!  Hookups were no problem

May have caught some of those whooshers on the red and yellow if they would've had trebles.

@Lottabass first nice fish… second we’re they all lip hooked? Bet it was noticeable easier to unhook. 
I think you’ve sold me on the circle  hook thing. 

1 minute ago, GRiver said:

@Lottabass first nice fish… second we’re they all lip hooked? Bet it was noticeable easier to unhook. 
I think you’ve sold me on the treble hook thing. 

@GRiver Thank you, it was a great day, pretty sure I caught over 30 bass.  Majority were hooked inside the mouth, in the tongue or in the throat, and majority were easily unhooked (not all).  One concerning thing was several times the front hook would be flopping around not stuck on anything.  Remember, I am not presenting any hard data, just sharing my experiences.  I don't take notes nor do I have a fish counter in my boat.  

Please share your experiences.

3 hours ago, Lottabass said:

Majority were hooked inside the mouth, in the tongue or in the throat, and majority were easily unhooked (not all). 

This is the most suprising thing of all from this "study". Circle hooks were designed to prevent hooking fish in the tongue or throat, but it seems like combining them with a hard bait has nullified that advantage. Makes sense when you think about how that bait has changed the pivot point of the hook. 

 

But my question now is, if you're hooking them in the tongue or throat anyway, why not just use a J Hook? I'd think it would increase the hook-up percentage on fish that swipe or nip at it and still be just as easy/safe to unhook as a circle hook. 

@JHoss  You make a good point.  I will expand this project and try J hooks.  I also ordered some Gamakatsu Offset Octopus hooks to try.

It will be interesting to see how the size of the crankbait affects the outcome.  Typically, in warmer water, I use 2.5, 4.0, and 8.0 size baits to fish through wood.  So far I've only used jerkbaits or smaller flatsides.

Thank you for your input!

@GRiver @JHoss @scaleface @RRocket  On my last trip I was catching them on the Ichikawa Flat Shad 45 on channel banks with a drop into about 5 fow.  I would make a pass with the white one and catch a few, then go back down the same bank with red and have some slaps but no hookups, then go down again with the yellow, get slapped but no hookups, then go again with the white and catch a few more.  The fish were so "on" that little, white bait that is what resulted in the tongue or throat hookups even with the circle hooks.

3 hours ago, Lottabass said:

@JHoss  You make a good point.  I will expand this project and try J hooks.  I also ordered some Gamakatsu Offset Octopus hooks to try.

It will be interesting to see how the size of the crankbait affects the outcome.  Typically, in warmer water, I use 2.5, 4.0, and 8.0 size baits to fish through wood.  So far I've only used jerkbaits or smaller flatsides.

Thank you for your input!

I look forward to seeing the different results. Thanks for continuing to update us. 

Yesterday I found a wad of bass on a shallow channel bend.  Fished a jerkbait and a small sqarebill both with circle hooks.  Several fish hit those baits but I hooked NONE of them.  

I fished a trap with circles over a grass bed.  Same results.  Several bites but NO hookups.

A hybrid hunter with trebles and a swimjig in these spots produced lots of fish.

I expected to have some misses with circles but 100% misses is not acceptable.  I will keep trying.  

@GRiver @JHoss @scaleface @RRocket