snell vs palomar on circle hooks

[Lowerider]

Looking for some opinions from the cat guys who drift for blues. I missed several possible tourney winning fish over the weekend and a good cat fisherman told me I may have had a couple more hooked up if I snelled my hooks. I use the 8/0 octopus circles (offset eye) and palomor knots. He thinks the palomar on the offset hooks are not a good combo. Any thoughts?

[mhall]

I to have heard this before but we never use circle hooks either. I don't like them and neither does riverrat12 because they will sometimes cost you fish. Fishing with him for about four years now we have never gullet hooked a fish yet with regular hooks, just my opinion.

[riverrat12]

Yes what Mark said, We use 9\0 catcatchers, and 9\0, 10\0 True turns with a palomar. Now the true turns will get an eye sometimes. Chuck

[Trophycats]

I guide for cats and I use the Mustad, Demon Wire..Circle hook, 10/0 and I snell mine. My hookup ratio is about 98% and this is with clients who sometimes dont know how to fish a circle hook, i.e..Let the fish load the rod..

[Lowerider]

I leaning toward thinking it had more to do with the new rods I was using than anything. You need some bounce in your rod for the fish to load with the circles and I brought out the heavy gear I use for anchoring in fast current with up to 16 ozs of weight.

I will be snelling from now on too.

[Trophycats]

Lowerider...A heavy rod is the circle hooks worst enemy..You need a rod with some play in the tip. Give me a PM and I will tell you what rods I use, and where you can get them at, as I am not sure I can do that on here..thanks warren

[steve douglas]

Looking for some opinions from the cat guys who drift for blues. I missed several possible tourney winning fish over the weekend and a good cat fisherman told me I may have had a couple more hooked up if I snelled my hooks. I use the 8/0 octopus circles (offset eye) and palomor knots. He thinks the palomar on the offset hooks are not a good combo. Any thoughts?

dude! you didnt miss any fish, the fish werent committing to the bite! i also had a few massive take downs this week end with now hook ups, ive been driftin for bout 10 years now and ive seen this alot! you just cant catch them all! they were playing wth it! i call it a (slight bite) the fish arent active but you drift it by there face and they play with it, they swim off with only the bait and not the hook, if the fish is feeding you will hook up with the circle hooks, no matter what rod you got or how you tie it! altho the snell is the better option!

good luck