Circle hook

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Difference between a traditional J-hook (left) and a circle hook (right) Pelagic Longline Hooks - J Hook by a Circle Hook.jpg
Difference between a traditional J-hook (left) and a circle hook (right)
Traditional Maori bone matau, or fishhook. The shape avoids stress concentrations which could break the bone. The hole on the underside is for attaching bait. MAP Expo Maori Hamecon 13012012 4.jpg
Traditional Māori bone matau, or fishhook. The shape avoids stress concentrations which could break the bone. The hole on the underside is for attaching bait.

A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. The hook is designed to slide out of the throat and rotate into the corner of the fish's mouth, which often results in hooking the jaw or lip of the fish during the hook-set. [3] This design lowers the mortality rates of released fish compared to J-hook (like O'Shaughnessy or Octopus hooks) which are often swallowed and can damage the gills or vital organs. [4]

Contents

Difference between J-Hook and circle hook

J-hook has a rounded throat, an upward-facing point, a straight medium-sized shank that is slightly longer than the point, and a small brazed eye. Circle hooks have a circular bend, a medium-length shank, and a sharp inward-facing point. [5]

There is also a difference in the hook-set mechanism where the circle hook's shape allows it to only hook onto an exposed surface, which in the case of a fish is typically the lip or corner of its mouth. When the fish takes the baited circle hook and swallows it, and as the hook is reeled in, or the fish swims away, it is designed to be safely pulled out of the fish until it reaches the mouth. At this point it will catch the corner of the mouth, resulting in fewer gut-hooked fish. [6]

Unlike with j-hooks, an angler doesn't need to strike to set the circle hook. [7] [6]

Circle hooks has become widely used among billfish anglers in past years because the hook generally catches more billfish and rarely hooks the gut. [8] Studies have shown that circle hooks do less damage to billfish than the traditional J-hooks, yet they are just as effective for catching billfish. This is good for conservation, since it improves survival rates after release. [9] [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Paulin, Chris (2012). "The traditional Mäori 'internal-barb' fishhook" (PDF). Tuhinga: Records of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. 23: 1–8. Retrieved 2016-09-07.
  2. ↑ Object: Matau (fish hook) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "Hooks for catching and releasing". Fish Care. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  4. ↑ Cooke SJ and Suski CD (2004) "Are circle hooks an effective tool for conserving marine and freshwater recreational catch-and-release fisheries?" [ permanent dead link ]Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 14: 299–326. doi : 10.1002/aqc.614
  5. ↑ "Most Popular 5 Types of Fishing Hooks & Their Use Explained". Reelsbay. 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  6. 1 2 "What is a circle hook and how to use them effectively". Bait Tackle Direct. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  7. ↑ "Circle hooks". NSW Department of Primary Industries. 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-11-28.
  8. ↑ Prince ED, Ortiz M and Venizelos A (2002) "A comparison of circle hook and" J" hook performance in recreational catch-and-release fisheries for billfish" Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine American Fisheries Society Symposium30: 66–79.
  9. ↑ Prince ED, Ortiz M, and Venizelos A (2002) "A Comparison of Circle Hook and “J” Hook Performance in Recreational Catch-and-Release Fisheries for Billfish" Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine American Fisheries Society Symposium 30, pp. xxx–xxx.
  10. ↑ Prince ED, Snodgrass D, Orbesen ES (2007). "Circle hooks,'J' hooks and drop‐back time: a hook performance study of the south Florida recreational live‐bait fishery for sailfish, Istiophorus platypterus" (PDF). Fisheries Management and Ecology. 14: 173–182. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2400.2007.00539.x. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

References


External videos
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