Js or Circles

ive never had much luck on circles...but i use either mustad 7732 which are stainless or 7731D which arent stainless. i use them for all my shark rods

Thanks Joe,

Seems like I hear a lot about guys using 20/0 circles now but they say they have to be fished differently. I mostly want a good hook up ratio but don't want to gut hook fish I plan on releasing. Any suggestions on timing things to keep Js in the mouth would be appreciated.

Chris

Only about 20 per cent of the time will sharks get gut hooked and a dehooker helps with that .Most of the time the hook will set close to the jaw or just inside the mouth.You want your hook up ratio to go up use J hooks,you want your hook to set deep and hold tight while you fight that world record shark for 2 or 3 hours use a j hook.Trust me you want a hook that will take a big bite because you are exerting lots of pressure on a hook if you're using 80 to 130 lb test and the deeper the hook the more secure it will be.Some species of sharks are hard enough to hook on j hooks;for example my 11 ft 2 inch hammer was not hooked until the fifth set up because it kept dropping the bait.Hammerheads have very small mouths and many times will mouth a bite without swallowing it which makes them tough to hook.I personally will use J hooks every time.With a good dehooker you can take out the hook if you are worried about the shark surviving the event.Good luck no matter which type of hook you decide to use.

i have tried cricles and i cost me some big fish but wen you fish j hooks the hooks give you a better hookup %

Circle hooks have their place but for big sharks J's are the way to go. I like to use Mustad 10/0 7731D or Eagle Claw 11/0 9011...I stopped using stainless hooks a while ago, especially since I leave 50% of the hooks in the shark...rig two of those 10/0 or 11/0s in a 15-20lb ray or one in a 10lb jack head and you'll usually have a good hookup ratio. This picture below is the 9/0 7732S stainless that straightened...it actually straightened both hooks!..not buying them again

I can only speak from my personal experience. But I use Mustad 12/0's and they work just fine for me. Don't have alot of experience using circles for shark fishing.

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Somebody was telling me about making rigs like that the other day and I didn't know what to say. I'm not doubting your method but, is there a reason why you do it like that apposed to crimps? Also specs on the wire your using man.

I've never heard of crimping wire. Haywire twist is the only way I've ever done it.

I've never heard of crimping wire. Haywire twist is the only way I've ever done it.

Same here.

Okay let me reword that, I don't use wire, I use 3/32 cable with crimps. Why is it that you prefer the wire over the cable. Is there a wrong or a right way between cable and wire or is it personal preference?

Personal preference for me
49 Strand cable is made 49 strands of tiny wire that can be easily cut through on a big shark. I stopped using the cable when I caught my hammer. It was 600 pound cable and he had chewed through about half of it. Lucky it didn't break, but it easily could have.

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I believe its a matter of preference,we all have different ways of doing things & we continue doing them cause it obviously works for us. I also use 3/32nd's cable,a swivel snap at end of leader,then depending on how many hooks I'm using 1-3 mustad 12/0's. The nice thing about this set up is at the end of the shift,you can unhook from your snap & grab the hooks & pull them out of your bait or catch. All my cable is back braided & only one crimp is needed to secure ends. Alot of the guys I shark fish with over here use wire or have switched to it..but I guess I'm still old school. The method I use & others I shark fish with is nice cause your bait is never the same size & with the stationary hook placement there always seems to be to much or not enough cable sticking out to put that 2nd hook where you want it. But back to the original question,J hooks all the way!!