I don't think you would get a strong enough pull on a tip up fishing trout for a circle hook to penetrate and work properly.  Besides if they are inhaling a treble, they will inhale a circle in a similar size as well.  Don't know what bait you are running, but a larger single light wire hook will probably work better and be less likely to gut hook them while still hooking up. 
Circle hooks work on the principle of hanging up in the fishes mouth as they try to swim away from a tight line and go to spit the bait, the angle of the hook catches them in the corner of the mouth. 
I didn't understand that and left one in the gut of a 5lb flathead on the Ohio this summer fishing cutbait under a float next to a logjam. Fish took it and swallowed it without sinking the float till I checked the bait 15 mins later.

I have had many bites on tiny slip floats this year on a minnow rod.  However, I've only been hooking about 30% of them and landing 10%.  I have been nose hooking the minnow and using #10 salmon egg, thin wire hooks to keep the minnow lively. 
Anyone having a better bite/hookup/landing ratio?  Doesn't seem to matter how long I let the fish hold it under, even 5-10 sec. doesn't help. Thoughts appreciated.

very nice, I use a crate to hold my sonar and DIY rod case, may mod a sandspike holder to fit on it as well.

I'm bettin on A&C's advice, he may know a thing or two about bait   I know he has trained his fatheads to live for almost a month in horrible conditions i my bait bucket.  Now if he would just wholesale them to his dealers trained to hook the fish that swim off with them no matter how long I let them take it first.

Another thing to remember is that juvenile fish tend to occupy different parts of the lake than mature fish because their source of prey tend to change throughout their lifetime.  The bigger reservoirs versus a small pond versus Lake Erie will all have parts of the habitat that mostly juvenile fish reside in.  If they have no where to hide they become prey before growing up.  Habitat is just as important as population management as SS mentioned.  Good gill lakes have good weedbeds.  But when forced to leave those weedbeds gills become snacks for larger predators.  There is obviously a turning point somewhere in the size of a body of water since we all know that a "farm pond" has a total biomass of fish it can support with oxygen levels, forage availability etc.  Just like you can't just feed a largemouth in a 55 gal. tank all the food it will eat and expect it to reach 10-15 lbs. 
The same argument occurs every year when it comes to keeping trophy 'eyes out of Lake Erie.  Truth is, you never know when you are keeping a potential trophy fish unless you look at it's genetics.  I don't think you can do signiificant culling on our public water with a few rods and jigs.  In the end, keep what you want to eat, fill your compost pile with dinks, they make great fertilizer, stay within the law and PLEASE don't leave fish out on the ice to rot in the spring.
I personally could care less about all but a few species, but also respect the role that they are playing within the ecosystem they are in.  If it is a lake known for big crappie and gills then it is obviously doing okay without our "help"  I just don't think going over to c-5 for example and culling 25 5" gills is going to do anything in a lake that probably has 1 million individuals present. 

I could be wrong but I don't think waxies eat in that stage, I haven't seen anything about feeding them.  Freezing is definetely bad, room temp storage is best. 
Spikes will keep longer in the refrigerator and also adding a bit of orange or lemon peel, the citrus oil somehow prevents them from pupating (turning brown or black).

And I am not doing any fishermans version of the old Fear Factor, if its that bad I'll go with the plastics first.

Ha! this blows.   it will be tough out there.  Shanty anchors and a partner to hold the shack while you get it held down.  Pick locations where you can catch a break from the worst of it.

Doubled the recipe and served with cocktail sauce last night.  Shared with our 2 neighbors after he helped clean my fish from Sunday.  Works with any fish, gills, perch, walleye etc.  1 lb makes about 8, 4 inch cakes.