BY GREG JAMES
Twenty years ago, my brother and I went on a long-range Tuna fishing trip out of San Diego. It was something we’d both been planning for years, and a dream come true. We’d fished the Northwest for Salmon, Trout and rockfish for years, but going after big Yellowfin on the legendary 120ft long-range boat Royal Polaris was a dream come true. The trip was 5 days and very successful. We caught Yellowfin Tuna, Albacore, Yellowtail, and several other species.
It was on that charter that I first saw a circle hook. The shape seemed to defy logic. How could a hook with a sharp point curved inward possibly catch fish? I was used to the traditional U-shaped design. A chat with one of the crew cleared things up for me. He explained that with a circle hook, you don’t jerk the rod back quickly to “set the hook”, but instead slowly increase the drag as the fish runs with the bait. This results in the hook ending up in the corner – or lip – of the fish’s mouth. This means that the fish is not damaged internally from a swallowed hook in its gut. I was a bit skeptical at first, but the fishing was great on that trip and I decided to give the circle hooks a try. To my surprise and amazement, the circle hook worked. Sure, you have to train yourself not to jerk back on the rod, but after a few missed fish I figured it out and started landing Tuna. All were hooked in the corner of the mouth and had no internal damage.
Why is this important? A few months ago I was fishing for Pez Gallo (Roosterfish) on a Panga out of the new marina in San Jose Del Cabo. The action was good that day and I caught several on my flyrod. All were released unharmed. When you fish artificial lures, the fish are invariably hooked in the mouth as they don’t swallow the lure and it’s easy to release them with little or no damage (beyond a sore mouth). However, one of the other people on the boat wanted to use live bait and heavier gear (the typical fishing scenario). He also had good luck. The difference was that the fish caught on bait and allowed to swallow the Sardine invariably had severe internal damage from a hook embedded in their gut. I watched one beautiful Rooster that was landed and released swim in circles on its side because of mortal damage caused by internal tears. It was not going to survive. If my friend had used a circle hook, it would’ve been a completely different scenario.
In 1991, the U.S. banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting. Studies have shown that lead shot poisons waterfowl who accidentally ingest it while feeding. Hunters complained loudly at first, as is usually the case whenever new rules are put in place. However, over time duck hunters realized it was the right thing to do and these days it’s the law in the U.S. to hunt waterfowl with steel shot or another non-toxic type of load. I’m not going to hold my breath that circle hooks will become the law for bait fishermen anytime soon.
However, I write this because switching to circle hooks (especially if you’re planning on catch-and-release fishing) makes so much sense. Countless fish would be saved and not damaged internally if circle hooks became the standard for bait fishing, and it would be one more small step in the conservation of our oceans and fish stocks.