Using circle hooks?

[Andre]

I know of a really top Vaal angler, and forum member, who hates circle hooks, and uses scud hooks for control flies. He then bends the point inwards to prevent hookups on the bottom. This in my mind, would be the same a fishing a circle hook.
I won't reveal who he is, but if he reads this, perhaps could explain this rationale.

[Scythe]

He did touch on this in one of the many threads about circle hooks.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Do you guys reckon the brassies i tied is waste seeing it's on circles...?

Crap, and i used tungsten's which cost an arm and a leg

Any news on flows? Spoke to lady at silwerstrome yesterday...45 cumec's according to her but it is dropping

Hi Warren,

A mate of mine being Jacques Marais ex Protea,current President's team member,record holder for most yellows in a comp session,guide in Douglas,exceptional fisherman uses circles and tungsten on all his brasses,caddis patterns.Well atleast this was when I last saw his boxes which was not to long ago.

Does that answer your question?

Remember,Brassies will mostly be fished on the top dropper imitating emerging insects and fished higher in the water column so ur hook choice there won't be as big a problem as your point/control fly.(Scud vs circles)

I say don't go smaller than #10 circles for brassies which happens to be the limit for JM as well.

G

[warren]

Thanks for the post Gerrit

Great man, Well i was told that circles are great for the top droppper and started tying some hot head brassies...since they are such an easy fly to tie and a must in a fly box. Used tungsten beads and after reading this i was quite concerned that i actually got it wrong with the circles

Think this thread comes down to personal preference... but being new to yellows on the fly, i take notice of all inputs from the guys that know(couple of you guys in this forum)

This will set my mind at ease...seeing as i tied them on #9 and #10's.

Gonna try hit two spots this weekend, wife let me off if she can use my credit card....eeeeiiiiissshhhhh

[Gerrit Viljoen]

#9

I think u meant to say #8

Personal choice,yes it seems like it.

Have a good one

G

[jock0]

I know of a really top Vaal angler, and forum member, who hates circle hooks, and uses scud hooks for control flies. He then bends the point inwards to prevent hookups on the bottom. This in my mind, would be the same a fishing a circle hook.
I won't reveal who he is, but if he reads this, perhaps could explain this rationale.

Yeah but he also leaves the water at 15:00, so how far can we trust him Think like Scythe and Michael have posted it comes down to preference/confidence as even as a lover of circle hooks I wont fish them smaller than a #10.

P.S. Bertu you're a chop

[warren]

I think u meant to say #8

Personal choice,yes it seems like it.

Have a good one

G

Been fishing suikerbos of late(last 3 weeks) but between the heavy flow and dodgy settings i won't try it again for a couple of weeks

On the topic of tying, are there any specific shop that outranks the others when it comes to materials(quality and price).I nornally buy mine from the flyshop of william nicol...maybe this is a topic for another thread

[NCBass]

Circles do work well with slight modification:
I bend the point slightly outwards (towards the side if looked at from the top). Makes hooking the fish easier whilst still maintaining the functionality of less bottom snags.
This goes especially for the smaller sizes (12 upwards).
A fish has to "bite" (close its mouth) around an unmodified circle hook to get a proper hook up, while the modified version works almost like the "van der merwe" type hooks.

[Seeker]

Thanks All

Got more of a response than I expected.

As far a hooks go I usually use GRIP- not very good with model numbers, I can usually see what I like.

By fluke I stumbled on a hook that has served me well over the years. My local tackle shop had no scud hooks in stock and I was about to leave, when I saw what I guess are carp hooks under the glass counter, they made by Stevenson (not the the van der merwe's) and the smallest two sizes are deadly for san juan worms, cadiss etc. Also you unlikly to bend them open- something yellows are particularly good at. Best of all they cheap.

Sometimes they need a touch up with a Ceramic stone but I do this regularly while fishing the vaal anyway, no matter what hook I use.

[redhumpy]

"...With a circle hook you are not supposed to strike, the fish will swim away and hook himself. if you strike, it just comes out (this is what the bank anglers and salty bait guys say)..."

NOW, I've read countless articles that stated that SM's will pick up bait and very quickly spit it out - to make sure it is edible - and apparently if you aren't in contact with your flies you will neither see or detect the take and miss the strike.
If popular belief wants to tell us that you shouldn't strike on circle hooks - as the fish will swim away with the fly and hook itself - then none of this makes sense anymore. Why would a SM "swim away" with a circle hook in his mouth but spit out anything else almost instantanious?
I personally will never use a circle on point fly - EVER!
I prefer my my control fly to be a circle hook and at times will fish one of Jacques Marais's circle brassies on the top.