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I've used several different types of hooks for catfish and have determined that I like circle hooks best. However, the more I check into them the more
I get. What is the difference between a circle and an octopus circle hook? Can anyone help me out by being specific about what works best? Please name brands and sizes if you can. Thanks in advance for the help.
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The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
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The difference I see between a circle and an octopus is the bend on the point. A circle hook curls more towards the shank or body of the hook. When I am chasing cats I run either a 4/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook depending on what bait I am using and the general size of the cats I'm catching. The 4/0 works good for cut bait and when I use liver I run the 6/0 cause I can loop and keep hooking the liver onto the bigger hook like you would a worm and it holds it a little better than the smaller hook.
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[quote castnshoot]It all depends on what size cats are in your water and what kind of bait you are using. Last week I use a larger kayle style long shaft semi circle hook to to catch these cats. Almost all hook ups were to the top lip or the corner of the mouth. [/quote]
I think your making all the catfish contest guys a little shaky in the knees. [laugh]
Do you mind filling use in on a general area of where your catching these monsters. I have family in Moab and were headed towards cisco this weekend to do some camping. You ever fished up that way.
You can PM me if you like.
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I use 4/0 circle hooks. I could probably go bigger, but they work fine for me.
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Fishnfool, those were taken in lower Colorado River waters not far from the Mexican border in California.
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From what I’ve seen and used while mooching for salmon in the ocean is that the circle is designed to hook the fish in the side of the mouth, don’t set the hook just reel or you will most likely pull the hook out of their mouth
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Here’s a write up on the how and why
Difference between a traditional J-hook (left) and a circle hook (right)
A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely used among anglers in recent years because the hook generally catches more fish and is rarely swallowed.[3] Since the circle hook catches the fish on the lips at the corner of its mouth, it usually decreases the mortality rates of released fish as compared to J-hook (like O'Shaughnessy or Octopus hooks) which are often swallowed by the fish, causing damage to the gills or vital organs.[4] The circle hook's shape allows it to only hook onto an exposed surface, which in the case of a fish means the corner of its mouth. The fish takes the baited hook and swallows it, and as the hook is reeled in, it is safely pulled out of the fish until it reaches the mouth. At this point it will catch the corner of the mouth, resulting in fewer gut-hooked fish.
It is important to not strike (or set the hook) when the fish bites, but rather just reel in. The act of striking while using a circle hook often results in the hook being pulled out of the fish altogether.
Studies have shown that circle hooks do less damage to billfish than the traditional J-hooks, yet they are at just as effective for catching billfish. This is good for conservation, since it improves survival rates after release.[5][6]
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The first circle hooks were designed for commercial fishing. Back in the 1980s when my family started commercial halibut fishing, we used your typical "J" hook, however it would often foul hook a sub legal sized halibut down in the gullet and kill the fish when trying to unhook it. The circle hook was designed to only hook the fish when it came out of the gullet and would then curl around the lip of the fish.
Catch rates increased quite a bit and the number of foul hooked sub legal fish dramatically went down.
An octopus hook is NOT a circle hook. It is simply a short shank "J" hook with the tip slightly facing towards the shank and generally has an eye bent away from the hook. A circle hook has a tip that points toward the shank and a straight shank and eye and the hook should not hook the fish until it twist around the lip of the fish as it begins to exit the mouth. In most cases it will self hook the fish and does not require a "hook set" when the fish bites. In most cases it will hook the fish in the lower jaw in the same place 90% of the time.
When I started working for a halibut charter operation out of Homer, Alaska in the 1990s we instructed the fishermen NOT to set the hook. The hook sets itself and drives in under tension.
Mustad makes large circle hooks and you can find them in sizes from 4/0 and up. We use 8/0 for halibut. Eagle claw makes a nice circle hook for smaller game fish and I like the 1/0 and 2/0 L197 CIRCLE SEA HOOK for cat fishing. Sharp and effective. Plus you can make a nice set line with them. They come is size 6,1, 0 and 1/0 to 8/0. I looked on Eagle Claw online and there is a L702 CIRCLE SEA HOOK down to size 14.
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