Hook Selection

[Roscoe]

Just wondering what your opions are for the best hook while fishing for cats? I typically use Mustad UltraPoint Big Gun Catfish hooks from 2/0 to 5/0. Sometimes a Lazer Sharp Circle hook in 5/0. I have had much better success when I do not use a circle hook. What do you guys think?

[harvey lee]

I use Gamakatsu 10/0 hooks for the flatheads and Gamakatsu 4/0 for the channels. I have used the 10/0 circle hooks but my hooking percentage is a bit lower. Circle will work for me if I have the patience for the fish to take the bait.

[Mr Special]

Gama's all the way

2/0-6/0 for Circles fishing Channels and 10/0 for Flats

Tired the mustad's and they're ok but I wasn't impressed. Had some break on me and the fish weren't that big either.

Dont' count out the Khale hooks also. I know plenty of people who swears by them. My father being one of them.

[DTro]

Ah the age old question

Live bait rigging for Flatheads, my first choice is a 10/0 Gamakatsu .

It wasn’t too long ago that I was on the circle hook bandwagon. I finally saw the light and never looked back. I caught my fair share on circle hooks, but there were times I could be certain that my hook selection caused me to lose a fish. A few examples of that are. The fish takes the bait and comes straight at you, the hook point gets buried back into the side of the bait, Dummy DTro set’s the hook by mistake (doh)

Not only that, but setting the hook on a big Flatty (something you can’t do with circles) could rank up there as one of the greatest things in life

As for cut bait rigging for Channels, my first choice would be a 5/0 Gamakatsu Octopus Circle.

Channels are notorious for picking up the bait and taking off like a bat out of He’ll. Soon as that line tightens up, they are usually hooked.

Like just about every other aspect of this fishing, there is no right or wrong, just personal preferences.

[ec30_06]

The gamakatsu hooks are some of the sharpest I have ever used. That helps a lot when hooking bait and seting the hook. Gammies, and a few daichi are all I use now.

[Shack]

Currently, for flat heads I use like most others, Gamakatsu Octi 10/0 "J" style hook.

For channels, I have been partial to 6/0-7/0 Gamakatsu octi-circle. I like the bigger hooks, for bigger cut bait. I have caught enough 2-7lb fish in my life, so I like a big presentation to avoid the little guys getting on. Like Dtro said, when fishing with otci-circle, the hook is almost set when they pick it up and run. The smaller the bait, the easier for those dinks to get on and set the hook, which means you have to reel up.