Catch and Release Yellowtail

[JohnMckroidJr]

Originally Posted by monstahfish

One thing to remember when using circles that has turned a lot of people off to them; don't set the hook. Just let the fish swallow the bait for 3-5 mississippis and engage the drag, the hook will set itself right in the corner of the mouth.

Absolutely! The fish also needs to be swimming away from you. If your line goes slack and one tries to wind tight, there is a chance you will wind the bait out of the fish's mouth. Sadly learned the hard way -- bait flew out of the fish's mouth air bound and landed 10ft in front of the kayak. The wahoo lite up, dashed over, grabbed the bait again, and took off! Having seen this, I free spooled and the line started peeling off fast! Adrenaline caused old reflexes to kick in and I swung to set the hook. Had I stayed calm, waited one more Mississippi, and just clicked the reel into gear, the circle hook would have set itself. It hurts to lose a fish that I maybe get a shot at once or twice a year