circle hooks

an e-glass like a king kat will work better than some of the rods you mentioned for self setting YES. if you set the drag to slip just right on stiffer rods they will work but e glass is better

 

Andy, when I first started using circle hooks all I used was quantum bigcat rods...They worked just fine..I now use rods with a softer tip just to make sure, but I dont think it is required.

 

Andy,I use a diawa beefstick (cheap rod) and it is very stiff and have no problem with circle hooks.....hope that helps

 

Keep the rods you have and loosen up your drag slightly. The amount will depend on the fish you are trying to catch and the type of rig you are using. If it is a fixed sinker rig then the size of the sinker will be more important than the action on your rod. Too much weight could cause the fish to drop your bait.

 

Your rods are fine. If anything after owning everything from whupping sticks to surge and everything in between. I am coming to the conclusion that a stiffer rod works best. By the time that hooks rounds into the corner of the fishes mouth he is in trouble anyways no matter what rod. The question is will your rod have enough tip to set that hook. Or is the rod going to have to bend a good 6-10 inches before it gets into the section of rod that can make the hook penetrate. By that time the fish is feeling resistance before the hook penetrates. I would hate to know how many times I have missed a good take down on a surge or other soft tip rods because the rod just has to go down so much farther to get a good penetration on the fish.

 

The best cirlce hook rod i have ever used would be the berkley powertip rods kinda light right the fight is good made for channels but have caugght 40's and 50's on them so i know they work and the tip is super light but now ive graduated to the olde jerk hook i think i catch more this way.

 

If the Big Cat rods your talking about are mh action, then I can speak about them, because I use these along with the Surge Elite rods in mh action. They work good! I like both of these rods!:wink:

 

You shouldn't have a problem with the rods. I have a couple of Okuma rods with stiffer tips that work fine.

 

Adding on to what has been saidoooh::wink: The angle of the rod holder makes a difference..bigger than most folks think...To low of an angle will kill ya on hook setsoooh:

 

From what i understand of circle hooks you are supposed to let fish run with bait and swallow ....when it pulls out of stomach is when it is "supposed" to hook the fish. No offense to eagle claw but i never caught any fish with their circle hooks. I think mustad hooks have been much more productive a shape.
I really think how you hook bait is just as important. If used bigger bait hook just sticks back in bait when fish bites youll miss em every time.

 

e glass with faster tip works much better ,my opion beef stix are just way to stiff ,just my opinon

 

I have always preferred a J hook or a Kahle hook...but recently have used circle hooks. And I must say I have not missed a fish yet on the circles. I use medium/heavy rods and just let the fish load up good and reel him in.oooh:

 

rob and sam made some good points :wink:

 

That has more to do with the circle hook being to much of a circle for the bait. Take the demon circle hook. It's point is just as close to the shank as eagle claws. They both how ever make more of a wide gap circle that helps this problem with bigger baits. The best one out there though is the Team Catfish double action circle hook. It has a wide gap plus a notch in the circle part of the hook that will keep the the bait down and out of the way.

 

Andy you will get better results using a rod with a softer tip when using circle hooks but its not a must the rods you have will still work. For the ideal situation you would wont a softer tip though.

 

I have 6 big cat rods, 2 mh and 4 m action. I use cirlcle hooks on the 4 m action rods, they have a softer tip. The big cat rods are e glass rods too. You should be fine with what you got.

 

Most of my rods are MH and I have no problems really with circles. As for eagle claw, I like their hooks. I used them on my jugs last year and they did outstanding job. The 3/0 Lazer Sharps worked wonders on the channels on my jugs and had no problem dealing with 8-10lb channels.

For rods, as long as there is some elevation vs straight out, you should be okay. Granted, sometimes you don't get a hookup, but more times than not you will get them on any rod you have.