After reading Marlin's "Circle of Life" article in the August/September issue, I thought you might be interested in how we rig circle hooks for use with live baits here in New Zealand.
We start by sliding a circle hook (sized to match our bait) onto our leader and doubling up the last foot or so by wrapping the leader around itself and securing it with a crimp. This twisted section of line is fairly stiff and almost impossible for the fish to break or saw through with its bill.
Next, make a 7-inch bridle out of 50-pound Dacron. Attach a docking ring - a small rubber doughnut used to castrate hogs or sheep - to one end of the bridle. (You can find docking rings in almost any weed and feed store.) Attach the other end of the bridle to your live bait as you normally would - either through the eyes or the nostrils. You can now slip the docking ring over the point of the circle hook and start fishing.
We get tremendous hookup ratios with this rig, and since it's quick and easy to slide the docking ring onto the hook, you can keep several baits rigged and ready to go in the live well.
Bill Wright
Tauranga, New Zealand
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