Techniques


Circle hook bass rig, top water

Here’s a creative way to fish circle hooks and plastics with topwater lures:

Select your favorite topwater poping, or “dog walking” lure.  Remove the front set of treble hooks (you don’t ever need these on topwater lures anyway).  Tie a 24″ piece of 10# line to the bend of one of the hooks.  Tie a 1/0 eagle claw circle bait hook on the other end, and hook on a gulp 3″ plastic minnow.  Make sure you just barely hook the very tip of the plastic minnow. You’ll catch fish on the popping lure, but probably 4-1 on the 3″ plastic minnow, with the benefit of a 96% lip hook rate.

One tricky part is that the popper requires an immediate and “hard back” hookset while the circle hook requires you to “freeze the rod” and reel like crazy.  Good luck, and be patient.