Where do I start?

[BreadFlake]

Note of warning, smaller pike are often much harder to unhook than their bigger brethren. That's where barbless or semi barbless hooks are more beneficial.

I'm sure the majority I'll hopefully catch will be small jacks lol, just like trebles, I detest barbed hooks as it is so no problems there

[Grumpy]

Re circle hooks,I use the Mustad Demon circles in sizes between 3/0 and 5/0.They sound big but they are not really.I crush the barb down.Avoid like the plague circles with an offset point,they do cause deep hooking.
To fix the hook to trace I pass the wire 2 or 3 times through the eye then twist the wire back on itself using forceps to spin the tag end around the main wire.As Olly mentioned,crimps also work well.

[BreadFlake]

Re circle hooks,I use the Mustad Demon circles in sizes between 3/0 and 5/0.They sound big but they are not really.I crush the barb down.Avoid like the plague circles with an offset point,they do cause deep hooking.
To fix the hook to trace I pass the wire 2 or 3 times through the eye then twist the wire back on itself using forceps to spin the tag end around the main wire.As Olly mentioned,crimps also work well.

They do sound big but I'll take your word for it as I have no experience. Your approval gives me the confidence to try them out.

I did notice the warning regarding offset hooks in the thread linked previously but again, it's always good to be reminded.

I think I'm going to experiment with both methods of tying traces and see which one works best for myself.

[Tizer]

I agree with grumpy 100%, I use the same hooks in the same sizes and crush the barb and in 99% of the time you can unhook the pike with your fingers ,big or small, how good is that ? I also make my trace the same way as he does, the same way as I have been doing for 50 odd years, Also as Grumpy says do not use the offset hooks, they are just asking for trouble

[BreadFlake]

I agree with grumpy 100%, I use the same hooks in the same sizes and crush the barb and in 99% of the time you can unhook the pike with your fingers ,big or small, how good is that ? I also make my trace the same way as he does, the same way as I have been doing for 50 odd years, Also as Grumpy says do not use the offset hooks, they are just asking for trouble

Well they're clearly very good books if they've received multiple recommendations. Are they okay to just use as a single hook at the end of the trace? Also, where would you hook a live bait with them?

[Grumpy]

Just use one hook in either the tail or mouth of the bait.I don't use lives for Pike anymore but no reason why circles would not work with them.I would nick the hook through the tail root and secure with a small piece of elastic band slipped over the hook point.Others may have better ways of doing this.

[Tizer]

I use a single barbless circle with a braid hair(just like the carp fishermen) it comes off the bend off the hook, instead of a boilie on the hair you have a half herring or similar up to about 6",I will never use livebait again,Using a circle instead of trebles has added so much joyment to my pike fishing knowing I have kept them out of the water for the least amount of time,I have said it before and I will say it again, anything under 10lb ,99% of the time I just lift them half out of the water and get the hook out of the scissors with my fingers, it takes seconds, If I want to weight it and take pictures I have a timer set for 2 minutes, as soon as i net the pike i start the timer and most of the time I can put it in the cradle that I made, unhook it weigh it take a picute of one side and then the other and then a picture of it with my old rod/reel and put it back in the water before the alarm sounds on the 2 minute timer, most people I see who use 2 trebles are still trying to get the hooks out when 2 minutes have long gone.

[Tizer]

Just use one hook in either the tail or mouth of the bait.I don't use lives for Pike anymore but no reason why circles would not work with them.I would nick the hook through the tail root and secure with a small piece of elastic band slipped over the hook point.Others may have better ways of doing this.

You have to do what suits you but in my opinion the whole idea with circles is that they need to be able to turn on the way out to catch hold, hence the hair, if the hook is in the bait it might not be able to turn so easily.

[Mercman]

Some great advice on here, yes you can use a circle or single hook, I have caught pike on both.
Tizer is a good mate of mine and a very experienced pike angler he has tried to convert me to circles.
I think they are great, especially if you are not too confident in unhooking Pike. I had a 22lb 10oz on a single hook through the tail of a sardine so they work. Always crush the barbs whatever you use.
Always remember they are a very delicate fish and fish care is paramount when pike fishing.