Collection: Circle

Circle hooks in black nickel across the size range, for bait fishing inshore, offshore and in the surf.

The circle hook is the most important piece of conservation gear in saltwater fishing, and it happens to also catch more fish for most people. The inward-turned point cannot find purchase in soft tissue, so as a fish moves off with the bait the hook slides to the jaw hinge and rotates home there. Gut hooking essentially stops, which means a released fish that lives.

Federal rules require circle hooks for reef fish in Gulf and South Atlantic waters. Check your state regulations too, since several add their own requirements.

The one adjustment is technique. Do not set the hook. Let the line come tight, start reeling steadily, and the hook does the work. Every angler raised on J hooks loses a few fish learning to keep the rod down.