Question to you all butt hunters

Again it is important to match the rigging to the rod IMO. 

Normally I would totally agree, but with butts its not as critical since they don't fight worth a damn.  The heavy leader is a must though, I have had several saw-off, they have serious teeth.

Most important is a soft rod for butts. They do have softlips and will rip the hook unless they swallow it.

A soft rod with a lead ball is not going to set the hook well.  I use a pretty fast rod with a loose, smooth drag.  That way when I wind down on them I can add a little with my thumb and it gets burried, but once thats over the drag keeps the hook from pulling.  Revo Inshore with my Kunz has turned out to be a dreamy combo for the job.

I've recently started using circle hooks for halibut and I've found that when paired with a very soft action rod, the combination is deadly. I've only been out twice since I switched to this tactic, but on both trips I never missed a fish. As soon as I get that little tap-tap-tap I'm stripping line until I've got a couple feet of slack in the water, then I put the reel in gear and let the line come tight due to my drift. With the soft rod the circle hook never gets a sharp jerk, the rod just slowly loads and FISH ON. 

Just 15# Floroclear to the swivel, heavier mono from there to the hook. That's never given me a problem on any fish; the rig is a spiral-wrapped Seeker CLBF708 live bait rod and Avet MX-J with drag set at 5#. You can feel a keeper 'butt on that, and enjoy a bit of fight. Next season's rig will be on a SuperSeeker, SSCLB804, with an Avet SX - and still no more than 15# line.