10 replies to this topic

[Betta132]

There are a number of green sunfish in the river I like to fish, and greens aren't shy. They basically just eat your entire bait. Yesterday, one big green was bleeding profusely from the gills after someone pulled it in, and I had to kill another one because it swallowed a hook and some idiot decided to get the hook out of its stomach. Poor thing was barely moving, bleeding all over the place, and smelled like fish guts. 

I've heard that circle hooks can help prevent this sort of thing by hooking the fish in the side of the mouth. Problem is, I can only find bass-sized ones. Where can I get itty-bitty circle hooks, or at least small-sunfish-sized ones? I'd prefer if they have eyes, especially if they're small, but I can snell larger hooks.

[don212]

aren't salmon egg hooks circle hooks?

[olaf]

I see them down to about size 8 at Bass Pro, Cabela's, Gander Mountain, etc. Eagle Claw (I think) brand, in little boxes of 50. I always keep a box each of sizes 8 and 6 in my pack.

[don212]

so do they function like circle hooks? i have some, but since they are made to land large fish, they are not thin wire kind of tough on tiny baits,

[BenCantrell]

I honestly wouldn't use circle hooks for sunfish.  Keep using standard hooks (I really like Gamakatsu Octopus or Owner Mosquito), and keep increasing the size of the hook until you don't have issues with gut hooking.  Jigs work really well too, maybe because the line attaches to the hook perpendicular to the shank.

[Betta132]

I haven't had any problems with gut hooking, yet, it's just something I really want to avoid. And the large-hook thing won't work terribly well, as I'm trying to catch a variety of sizes to get the best species number approximation. 

I've heard they work well on sunnies, though. Did some research, and it seems like they decrease the odds of gut-hooking things in general. A couple of people did studies. 

I can go get some little jig hooks, too. 

[Matt DeLaVega]

I like long shank hooks for sunfish.

[Betta132]

How long? I have some with a shank slightly over 1", and a hook that takes up about a third of it. 

[don212]

i also like long shanks for small fish, with thin wire, crush the barb, easier to reach hook and remove, holds small bait, makes small hole in fish, and if it is stuck you can just snip it off , and the thin wire will rust out quickly

[Betta132]

I don't think snipping off a hook and leaving it in a fish's stomach is going to do the fish much good. 

I think I came up with a way to make a hook un-swallowable, though it wouldn't work so well on big/suspicious fish. Is there such a thing as clear wire? 

Basically, the hook is more or less perpendicular to a section of something stiff, like wire. That way, the fish can get the lure into its mouth enough to get hooked, but it can't suck said lure into its mouth like a piscine vacuum cleaner. I don't think a fussy bass or such would take the bait, but a sunny might. Since circle hooks work on bass, I could use this for just the less picky stuff- the kind of stuff that's prone to slurking your lure up without a second thought. Any thoughts?

[Matt DeLaVega]

That will work if you want to catch less fish. Or be very vigilant and set the hook very quick with live or natural bait, or use artificial, you have to set the hook quick or the fish will spit it.. Get a fly rod. Fish flies and you will catch plenty of sunfish and every one will be hooked in the mouth.