As it was explained to me, the circle hook was designed as a bait hook which
could be swallowed without hooking the fish until the hook was drawn up out
of the gullet and into the mouth again, apparently hooking only as the angle
of pull changed. It's pretty hard for me to visualize, but it seems to
work. It would certainly seem to be a boon to C-and-R fisheries where bait
is allowed but wouldn't have a whole lot of application to fly fishing. Ah!
Mooching; that recalls some memories. In the "good old days" ( which I
guess I can safely refer to now), back when there were still good runs of
salmon coming into Elliot Bay and there were many boathouses which rented
wooden rowboats (Yes, children, there very few people with powerboats in
those days) for only a few dollars a day. Early in the morning, running
lights sometimes consisted of an upright dowel with a flashlight taped to
it. A light rod, a baitcasting reel, or sometimes a Heddon Winona, or a
large fly reel, or even a true knucklebuster centerpin (centrepin for our
Canadian friends) mooching reel, light monofilament line, a 1 to 2 ounce
crescent sinker and some herring were all that was needed. The plug- or
strip-cut herring was trailed behind the boat with the rod usually propped
up over the stern. A few pulls on the oars followed by a pause kept the
herring working at a variety of depths and speeds; quite a sporting method
really. Certainly moreso than dragging a flasher, especially with a
downrigger. By the way Leland, John T. and I were at Lincoln Park this
morning and I had quite a bit of activity on the popper. Many rises, but
only two hookups: one a discouragingly small cutt and the other a
long-distance-release. I had one fair-sized fish follow almost to the rod
tip boiling on the popper every foot of the way. Whaddaya mean you didn't
hook 'em on the popper using circle hooks; I can't hook 'em on the popper
using conventional hooks.
Preston
