I fish circle hooks exclusively for catfish and redfish, but I have not had as much success when fishing with circles on downrods, live bait of course. I have more success with the J Hooks.
I mainly use the “Gamagatsu” (Spelling??) circle hooks (8/0 for cats & 3/0 - 4/0 for reds)
I read reports where a lot of you guys are using circles.
What type and size circle hooks are you using?
Also size of lead, leader length and lead?
I can use all of the help I can get. 
Thanks
I will never use circle hooks . but I use eagle claw j hooks 1/0 and 2/0 for all my striper rods. They work great
On down rods I use 2 ounce lead , 3 foot 10 pound flouro carbon leader
…Sundance b22 …
140 Johnson
TEAM LAID BACK
I may catch a lot of crap for this haha. I use number 2 or 4 circle hooks all the time. I use 10-12 lbs Flourocarbon leaders. Above that is the smallest swivel possible a clear bead and 3/4-1.5oz weight. With a 10-12 lbs flouro topshot. …I may be nuts but it works for me. Haha. 6 people will tell you a lot of different ways…this is mine.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
U will laugh. (I did) but Striperskiff sold me on them. He uses Owner Mutu light: size #1 or #2. I personally dont like the light wire and use owner mutu 1/0. I have yet to lose a fish on a DR using these. They are small but they catch fish. Biggest I hooked last summer after switching to them was a little over 10# and it never budged one bit.
20# main line 14# flouro leader about 3’ long…2oz lead. I like the 2oz to get it down quick and i can bump around a little quicker sometimes w/ the TM and the rods stay straight down.
My .02
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Man AQ # 2 and 4 …
…Sundance b22 …
140 Johnson
TEAM LAID BACK
I know Weston its crazy. But I found those hooks fit in even a small stripers big mouth. On the shy days.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
As long as they work for you that’s all that matters
…Sundance b22 …
140 Johnson
TEAM LAID BACK
I generally use #1 to 1/0 Gamkatsu red octopus hooks. With small baits, I have used as small as #4’s. With big gizzards, I have gone as big as 6/0. It’s bait size that dictates hook size to me.
I am not a big fan of circles but have used them as a guest on other boats. My team mates use them all the time. The reason I’m not a fan is a fish that swallows a circle is toast. With j- hooks, I can go through a gill slit with needlenosed pliers and back the hook out without bleeding the fish. Most of the time, the fish I release that way dart off like rockets.
My. 02.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
My hook s being swallowed stopped with circles. I also would prefer to leave a few inches of line out there mouth and cut it than go thru gills. Been in conversations about that too. Different strokes for different folks! But we all like releasing fish I hope.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
Never had a problem going through the gills. I’m very careful not to put pressure on the gills. It’s minor surgery:sunglasses: When pulling, circles work fine. But with dowrodding and cutbaiting, I’ve seen too many small fish swallow them and bleed all over the boat. The curvature causes this. My experience-- what can I say?
This has become more of a chat than a message board tonight… I love it! I’ll standby before navigating away:smiley:
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
My phone has been going crazy with CF emails…lol… i was like what is going on over there. Funny you say circles for pulling. I have yet to land a fish on a circle pulling. I tried 2 trips of pulling and losing every fish that bit a circle before going back to J hooks for pulling.
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Circles for pulling, for downs, and for cuts…for me that is.
Wellcraft V20, 175 Yamaha
Formula 25 SC Express, Mercruiser 260
But yea if I was gonna use a circle it would be a gamagutsu I’ve hear lots of good things about them
…Sundance b22 …
140 Johnson
TEAM LAID BACK
I use both trying to judge wich is best! I seem to have more hookups with J’s but small fish tend to swallow them deep, when that happens I always cut the leader as close as I can. I have never had a fish swallow a circle hook seems all are hooked in side of mouth. I have always set a hook, it hard to let the fish set its self as you need to do with a circle hook! Its hard to teach an old dog new tricks!
A lot of fed. reg for saltwater fish require circle hooks tho.
I don’t like em, but my buddy Rick K. has landed a lot of 20 to 30+ pound fish pulling with circles over the past few years.
Xpress HB-22
175 Yammy Jammer
I use small circle hooks for downrods and pulling baits, but I do still use larger J hooks if I double anchor and cast out cut baits. I don’t cut bait fish as much as I use to, but when I do, I like to put a couple of chunks on the hook and it’s hard to do that with the small hooks and keep the tip exposed. I hadn’t thought about it much till now, but I guess a bigger circle hook would do the trick too. I also go to a short leader with cut bait…makes it a lot easier to cast accurately.
Originally, one of the turn offs for me with the circle hooks was that if you hook your bait in the nose from the side, they are worse than J hooks about the tip of the hook coming back and sticking in the head of the bait. Now I just get them to say “aaahhh”, then come in the mouth and out the top and it’s not an issue.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
Wow! Thanks for all of the replies and conversation.
Like I said, my circle hook experience has been mainly with catfish and redfish. That’s all I’ll use for them.
I have found that the gamagatsu cirles produce the best for me. Much sharper point from what I can tell.
The large 8/0’s that I use for cats will catch a 2 lb cat all the way up to a 50 lb cat (my largest so far).
For the reds (Mainly slot size), the 3/0 & 4/0’s work best.
The smaller fish will “gut hook” themselves more often though.
I think it may be because the circle hooks are swallowed, as supposed to, but get caught in the smaller fish’s gut.
I’ll be experimenting with both circles and J Hooks this Spring at Santee. Will let you know which works the best for me.
Also appreciate the inut regarding leaders and line sizes too. 
Don’t forget most of the replies about line size and all were talking about Lake Murray, which is a big open lake and we get away with alot lighter line than you can at Santee…but then again, since you have landed a 50 lb cat at Santee, I guess you are aware of that.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
I dont think line size has as much to do with the setup when cutbait fishing as it does with live bait fishing.I do think you need heaver leader when fishing cutbait on the bottom especaly in the rive!
keep fishing circles and keep missing too many fish…do you think circle hooks were invented to catch more fish? no, they were invented to reduce the number of gut hooked fish… Small stripers are notorious for swallowing a hook, even circle hooks but most of the keeper sized fish I catch on live bait with my Eagle Claw L042 do not swallow the hook. In fact, i even catch some fish outside of the mouth, like around their eye. I caught one like that this weekend. I have never seen a circle hook catch a fish outside of the mouth…
Team Shad Up & Fish
If you’ve had fun catching fish on the transom bait, you are welcome…
I’ve spent about 85% of my life’s wages on fishing, the rest I just wasted…