Circle hooks seem to be the ticket with some of the saltwater stuff I've done. Has anyone bothered to try this with side drifting or other steelhead techniques? Hearing about anyone elses experiences would be great!

all i have read says they do not work very well for steelhead and salmon in rivers

The one time I tried them, they lasted about long enough to miss the first 4 or 5 fish, then they got filed into the wasted money tackle drawer.LOL

I'm only guessing (no actual experience) but I would guess that in a really fast river where a shorter leader is used, they might work. Reason being that the weight could quickly pass downstream of the hook when in the fish's mouth (which is how the circle hook works...the same motion as a fish turning away). I have no intention of giving it a whirl.

tried them on salmon there worth less . throw therm in the river so nobody else will be tempted to use them .

I tried these on Silvers in Alaska and I only hooked one and missed 6 or 7. I have never used them again.

Slab is right on with the fast water theary,I spent a day using them for laterun silvers. Did not hook a single fish out of 5 float/egg take downs. Missed 4 fish in the slower tailouts ,don't know if they even knew I was on the other end. Did manage to hook 1 out of 2 in the fast water at the head of a hole. Threw the entire package of gami circles away after I got home.

I experimented with the circle hooks. Only caught one steelhead on them, let that one eat the bait so long she was hooked deep ; then got the fish close enough to see it still had a rudder .
Released the fish by cutting the leader at her mouth. A week later one of the hatchery fish volunteers told me they got a fish back with a circle hook. I feel better about the fish I released,
but I'm not going to use them again.