Hiya folks,

I got a question recently from a viewer. And it was a really smart question, one I’ve never been asked before. The gentleman who sent me the e-mail said, “I love fishing with circle hooks when I’ve live bait fishing for Walleye, Smallmouth, Perch and Crappies. Why don’t I put circle hooks on my Trout and Salmon spoons?”

Now, I would never recommend that you actually do that. Circle hooks are specialized—they’re actually made for live bait fishing, when you can actually allow the fish to take the bait well into its mouth and then when you tension-up, the hook slides and catches on the fish’s lips. When you’re trolling for Salmon or Lake Trout with spoons, it’s usually a hit-or-miss kind of an effort; they don’t take the hook deep down into their throats.

So I would always leave those standard trebles on your Lake Trout and Salmon baits and use the circle hooks for live bait only.

Happy Fish’n,Gord “The Doc” Pyzer