Circle Hooks and Lever Drag

They seem like a mismatched pair, as if they would have nothing in common. But would you be surprised to know that circle hooks and lever drag reels were made for each other? OK, probably not intentionally, but in this era of advanced angling technology, the game has a come a long way from Penn Senators and J hooks.

These days, lever drag reels have taken over as the go-to conventional reel. With their smoooooth slide lever and convenient gear-shifting mechanism, once you’ve worked with one of these, it’s common to wonder how you ever got by without it. But then here comes the circle hook and, all of sudden, the days of the bone-shaking hook-sets have moved into the rear view.

When I first asked a skipper I was fishing with what the deal was with these weird hooks, he was quick to set me straight. “Son,” he said (he was really only a few years older than me but I let it slide), “circle hooks are the key to getting that proper placement right in the side of the mouth. You do this right and you’ll never go digging around for a swallowed hook again.”

Sounded great, but I was skeptical. Then a friend tuned me into the other side of the story. “Circle hooks are great and all, but they really come into their own when paired with a lever drag reel.” OK, now I was really confused. How does one accentuate the other? Well, I’m about to tell you.

For those used to a conventional reel having a single on/off bail switch, the concept of a “lever drag” can seem a little foreign; but, over time, with practice, it will make the old system feel antiquated. The beauty of the lever drag reel is in its ability to give you master control over the tension you put on the fish. The level of tension is set along a 180° arc that the lever follows; when pulled fully back and set on “free” (yes, it’s usually written on the reel), the drag is completely disengaged. As you slide the lever forward, toward “strike” (yup, it’s written there, too), the drag slowly increases. When you hit strike at the halfway point (50%), the lever will generally stop here.

But this isn’t the end of the story, most reels also have a little button you can push here to keep going. Engage the button and now the lever will move forward even more. Eventually, if the lever is pushed all the way forward, in theory, you will reach 100% or zero drag. Yes, this probably sounds a little scary, as we are usually taught not to touch the drag when a fish is on. But this system gives the angler a much higher degree of control over the fight. Under normal circumstances, the strategy employed by seasoned anglers is to slowly creep that lever up as the fish wears out and gets closer to the boat.

Now, it’s important to note, this mechanism should be pre-set prior to fishing to match your line test. In a perfect world, everyone would use a tensioned scale to set the drag, but if you don’t have one, just do your best by hooking onto something stationary, stepping back and getting a feel for how tight the drag is with the rod bent. With tension on the rod and line, set the drag accordingly

Now, when you do get to the “strike” point in the dial, if things are set properly, you’ve now reached the point at which the drag is at its perfect spot for the test your using. Be aware, if you haven’t bothered to set this ahead of time and you do hook up to a fish of size, things can get a little wonky. So, it’s best to pay attention and, as mentioned, set this prior to getting into the action.

OK, so what does this have to do with circle hooks? Good question…

Circle hooks, by design, tend to turn in the fish’s mouth as tension is applied. It is this weird quirk of the design that makes circle hooks so special. As the fish is taking off with the bait in its mouth, by using the lever drag to apply increasing tension, you cause the hook to turn and lodge in the corner of the fish’s mouth.

To summarize: By pairing these two specialized pieces of gear, the circle hook and the lever drag reel, you eliminate that allmighty hook-set your grandpa taught you at the carp pond when you were a kid. With this rig, going full Bill Dance is a thing of the past. These days, when you feel the fish take off, it’s all about sliding that lever forward and coming tight on the fish. As you do, that hook locks into place and the fight is on. And, let me tell you, when you do come tight, that is one heavenly sensation!

Sure, not everyone is going to rock this set up. But if you’re like me and love fishing conventional reels, pairing these two items together can be a real game changer. Once I got a taste of this rig, the notion of violently setting a J hook just seemed outdated. Even with fish like tarpon — whose mouth is virtually impenetrable bone — when properly fished, circle hooks will have just as much success locking in. And by eliminating that big hook-set maneuver, you most certainly up your chances of that hook locking into the perfect spot rather than getting yanked out the fish’s mouth or sucked down into its throat.

Still skeptical? It’s OK, don’t take my word for it, get out there and give it a try. And even if it takes you a few shots, I guarantee once you get that sensation of coming tight on a fish and feeling that circle hook locking into place, you’ll never “set” another hook again.

Tight lines!!

Source: https://floridasportfishing.com/circle-hooks-and-lever-drag/