Deep Hooking and Angling Success When Passively and Actively Fishing for Stream-Dwelling Trout with Baited J and Circle Hooks

Abstract

Circle hooks are becoming commonplace in recreational fisheries because they often reduce deep hooking, but there has been little evaluation of their effectiveness in trout fisheries. To compare the occurrence of deep hooking and angling success rates for stream-dwelling trout, we used three baited hook types (i.e., inline circle hooks, inline J hooks, and 4°-offset J hooks) fished with two angling methods (i.e., active fishing, using a traditional bait fishing hook set; and passive fishing, with no sharp hook set). Of the 583 wild trout caught by anglers, 20% were deep hooked. The deep hooking rate varied by hook type and angling method, but the interaction term hook type × angling method was statistically significant, indicating that the effect of hook type could not be interpreted separately from fishing method. Accordingly, the occurrence of deep hooking was significantly greater for offset J hooks fished passively (28 ± 9% [95% CI about the mean]) and inline J hooks fished actively (27 ± 9%) than for offset J hooks fished actively (9 ± 6%) and inline circle hooks fished actively (10 ± 6%). Fish length affected deep-hooking rates, such that trout smaller than 250 mm were less likely to be deeply hooked than trout 250–350 mm in length. Hooking success (i.e., successful hook-ups divided by strikes) was greatest for actively fished inline J hooks (75 ± 7%), lowest for passively fished inline circle hooks (45 ± 6%) and passively fished offset J hooks (48 ± 8%), and always greater for actively fished hooks than for passively fished hooks of the same type. We found deep hooking was nearly twice as likely for inline circle hooks when fished according to manufacturers’ recommendations (i.e., passively) than when fished actively. These results and those of others suggest that fishing circle hooks actively when bait fishing for stream-dwelling trout will result in less deep hooking than fishing circle hooks passively.

Received May 25, 2012; accepted September 17, 2012

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank the following individuals for their help in this project: S. Elle, E. Herrera, A. Dias, T. Lamansky, and A. Sievers. Funding was provided by the Federal Sport Fish Aid and Restoration Act.