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Feedback From Our Readers
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 COLD HANDS, BAD WEATHER, BIG FISH
Many readers wonder how the In-Fisherman staff keeps their hands warm while out fishing until the bitter end of open water and into first ice.
Doug Stange: I get cold hands quickly. Thin polypropylene gloves are the key to my basic system. I keep at least four pairs on hand and replace wet gloves as needed. (Polypros dry in about 10 minutes on the heater fan in your vehicle.) Two pairs of the gloves will have half the fingers cut away. In modestly cold weather I begin with these gloves. If it's colder, I slip a pair of the full-fingered polypropylenes over the fingerless gloves. When it's even colder or if it's raining, I slip a pair of Fleece-Lined SealSkinz (800-868-2629, sealskinz.com) over the polypropylenes. SealSkinz are waterproof and windproof, yet thin and perfectly pliable. In still colder weather I wear a pair of polypropylenes under a pair of 952BK Full Fingered Glacier Gloves (800-728-8235, glacierglove.com). Glacier Gloves also sell poly-propylene gloves if you can't find them at a local outlet. Running to a spot, I wear a pair of the same mittens that I use for ice fishing. Add chemical hand warmers to the mittens or to your pockets in the coldest weather.
CIRCLE HOOK HOOK-UPS
In-Fisherman reader Tony Du Bois of Rockford, Michigan, says he has done better with circle hooks with a straight eye when he has used a palomar knot. He hasn't done as well with snell-eye circles when he's used a snell knot. In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange responds briefly:
Stange: The use of circle hooks was much refined by saltwater anglers before they began to become popular in freshwater. One of the most common connections in saltwater, especially with a leader heavier than the main line, is a uni-knot, which tests at about 90 percent of main-line break strength. The key is to tighten down the uni-knot just enough to leave a small loop connection, line to hook. The loop allows the circle hook to pivot, then the loop pulls tight under pressure. This knot system is particularly effective with the original "full-circle" circles, which have the hook point turned in and almost touching the hook shank.
We have done well with snelled circles, especially the Gamakatsu Octopus circle and the Eagle Claw L702 and L7228. On a recent spring television trip to the Niagara-Buffalo area of New York, we filmed a smallmouth segment using the Eagle Claw L702 and L7228 hooks. Using shiners, we caught over 30 smallmouths, missed only two fish and hooked every fish in the lip. The two missed fish were entirely operator error: We couldn't resist setting the hook, which is a mistake with circles. Let the line come tight and the rod load as the hook point bites flesh. The hook sets itself under pressure. We'll have much more on this topic as we get into our spring issues. |
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