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All About Florida Keys Fishing & Key West Fishing
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The Difference Between Circle and “J” Hooks
The results of a bibliographic search comparing the effects of circle and “J” hooks provide
information about the advantages and disadvantages of using each type of hook.
Although circle hooks have only recently begun to be used in some of the inshore recreational
fisheries, they have been used in the commercial longline industry since the 1970s. However, in
many cases, the “hooks” used by Native Americans most resembled the circle hook configuration
rather than the “J” style hook. The use of circle hooks is currently being touted as a more
conservative gear because they are believed to be less injurious and more effective in hooking and
catching the targeted quarry. Conservation groups believe that replacing “J” hooks with circle
hooks will significantly reduce release mortality and therefore positively impact exploited fish
stocks.
A literature search documented a limited number of research reports that addressed the
comparative effects of circle and “J” hooks. More than half of the studies found significant positive
advantages to using circle hooks while the rest found no significant differences between the two
hook types, however, four of these studies dealt with flat fishes, summer flounder, and halibut. The
remaining study looked only at using circle hooks of different sizes. If we consider the effects and
advantages of using circle hooks in the fisheries that target fishes of the Order Perciformes, (the
typical torpedo shaped, dorso-ventrally oriented fishes) then all of the pertinent studies found
positive significant improvements when using circle hooks.
Studies that compared the effects of the two hook types in the commercial longline and
recreational fisheries for tunas found higher rates of "hook and hold," higher frequency of hooking
locations in the jaw, less physical damage and consequential lower release mortality, and an
overall significant increase in CPUE (catch-per-unit-effort). Similar studies conducted in the billfish
fisheries reported that circle hooks achieved the following advantages over “J” hooks: there were
about twice as many hook ups, 85% of the hook ups occurred in the jaw, fish caught on “J” hooks
were 21 times more likely to bleed, and that circle hooks minimized deep hooking, foul hooking
and injury. Researchers found that circle hooks used in the salmon fisheries reduced release
mortality by hooking the fish in the mouth. A study conducted on striped bass found that circle
hooks reduced deep hooking fourfold and that the mean lengths of fishes caught on either type
hook was not significantly different. In studies conducted on summer flounder, there were no
differences in the numbers of fishes caught on either of the hook types. Hook type was not found to
be a significant predictor of mortality nor were there statistical differences for both hookset location
and release condition. Additionally, offsetting the points of circle hooks greater than 150 resulted in
increased gut hooking.
A single study on salmon found that circle hooks caught fewer sub-legal chinook and adult coho
salmon but resulted in decreased incidental mortality.
Overall, past research supports the hypothesis that release mortality can be reduced by replacing
“J” hooks with circle hooks and that this may result in positive impacts on the exploited fish stocks
in Florida.
Source - Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
The results of a bibliographic search comparing the effects of circle and “J” hooks provide
information about the advantages and disadvantages of using each type of hook.
Although circle hooks have only recently begun to be used in some of the inshore recreational
fisheries, they have been used in the commercial longline industry since the 1970s. However, in
many cases, the “hooks” used by Native Americans most resembled the circle hook configuration
rather than the “J” style hook. The use of circle hooks is currently being touted as a more
conservative gear because they are believed to be less injurious and more effective in hooking and
catching the targeted quarry. Conservation groups believe that replacing “J” hooks with circle
hooks will significantly reduce release mortality and therefore positively impact exploited fish
stocks.
A literature search documented a limited number of research reports that addressed the
comparative effects of circle and “J” hooks. More than half of the studies found significant positive
advantages to using circle hooks while the rest found no significant differences between the two
hook types, however, four of these studies dealt with flat fishes, summer flounder, and halibut. The
remaining study looked only at using circle hooks of different sizes. If we consider the effects and
advantages of using circle hooks in the fisheries that target fishes of the Order Perciformes, (the
typical torpedo shaped, dorso-ventrally oriented fishes) then all of the pertinent studies found
positive significant improvements when using circle hooks.
Studies that compared the effects of the two hook types in the commercial longline and
recreational fisheries for tunas found higher rates of "hook and hold," higher frequency of hooking
locations in the jaw, less physical damage and consequential lower release mortality, and an
overall significant increase in CPUE (catch-per-unit-effort). Similar studies conducted in the billfish
fisheries reported that circle hooks achieved the following advantages over “J” hooks: there were
about twice as many hook ups, 85% of the hook ups occurred in the jaw, fish caught on “J” hooks
were 21 times more likely to bleed, and that circle hooks minimized deep hooking, foul hooking
and injury. Researchers found that circle hooks used in the salmon fisheries reduced release
mortality by hooking the fish in the mouth. A study conducted on striped bass found that circle
hooks reduced deep hooking fourfold and that the mean lengths of fishes caught on either type
hook was not significantly different. In studies conducted on summer flounder, there were no
differences in the numbers of fishes caught on either of the hook types. Hook type was not found to
be a significant predictor of mortality nor were there statistical differences for both hookset location
and release condition. Additionally, offsetting the points of circle hooks greater than 150 resulted in
increased gut hooking.
A single study on salmon found that circle hooks caught fewer sub-legal chinook and adult coho
salmon but resulted in decreased incidental mortality.
Overall, past research supports the hypothesis that release mortality can be reduced by replacing
“J” hooks with circle hooks and that this may result in positive impacts on the exploited fish stocks
in Florida.
Source - Fish and Wildlife Research Institute