big cat hooks

[atreyu44]

I am looking for hooks for big river cats but i don't know what kind to get. Any info on hooks?

[bearcat]

Get Some gamakatsu 8/0 to 10/0 octupus hooks. Non circle. They work great for me on the Mississippi river. Catfish connection has them.

[GaryF]

How 'bout some Gamakatsu Big River hooks?

http://catalog...................com/itemdetail.php?itemnumber=G225-12%2F0

[M.Magis]

The proper hook style will depend on what style of fishing you plan to be doing. If fishing in current with a tight line (from a boat), circles work well. If long lining from the bank, they don't. The Gamakatsu Octopus hooks work well, though I found that they didn't have the sharpness that I can get with a cheaper hook that I sharpen myself. Just like there are many styles of fishing, there are many styles of hooks. Try a couple out and see what you like. Just try to match the hook size to the size of fish you realistically will be catching. It's usually better to be on the small size rather than the big size, unlike what many anglers tend to do. 1/0 to 3/0 for channels, 4/0-10/0 for flatheads should be a good guideline.

[GaryF]

Too small can kill you with circles, which are what I use 95% of the time. We were looking at the thickness of the jaw plate and the mouth corner of a 54lb blue earlier this year, and came to the conclusion that we would have missed the fish on a slightly smaller hook. The gap simply would not have been sufficient to go around the jaw plate. Since circle hook sizing is so inconsistent, I won't say look for a 7/0 or such, but do look for a bigger hook with a wide gap if you are hoping to land big fish.

With J style hooks, I try to match the hook size to the bait size somewhat. If the bait is a 2lb carp, a very big hook is warranted.

[willisjj]

Quick question here; Is the "Gama octopus circles" and "Gama octopus" 2 different styles of hook? One is a circle and one isn't? If so, what is the difference between an octopus (non-circle) and say a kahle?

[RMXmitch]

Gamakatsu Octopus 4x Strong hooks, seem to be the best. They are hard to find, but definatley worth the extra time and money.

[GaryF]

I've never figured out how the name "octopus" in reference to hooks came to be, but it refers to hooks with the bent back eyelet, and the rest of the hook could be most any style. You could have an octopus circle, octopus kahle, octopus aberdeen, etc. The main advantage I see is with an octopus style hook is that the bent back eyelet accomodates a slightly cleaner line path with snelled hooks. Maybe there are other advantages?

[Desperado]

I was thinking what gary said. I also use circle a 5/0 for channels and 7/0-10/0 for flatheads depending on the size of fish and bait used. Just what I do.

[willisjj]

Thanks Gary. Appreciate that info.

[wolfman]

Gary's right, the eye of the hook is bent is what is considered "octopus". You can get them in circles or J style hooks. Also the 10/0 and 12/0 Gamakatsu Big River hooks would be the best in my opinion for the big boys.

[muskie_hunter]

if you like to set the hook....... the eagle claw kahle hook in 7/0 size is a great "big cat hook" and much cheaper than the others mentioned. last time i bought some, think i paid around $10 for a 50 pack!

[Hardware]

Well the circle hook is just round, but the octopus is off-set to the side. Lay it flat and you will see this to a circle. I use #6 and #8 here. We fish the Ohio river and lakes around Southwest Ohio.

[Abu]

Well the circle hook is just round, but the octopus is off-set to the side. Lay it flat and you will see this to a circle. I use #6 and #8 here. We fish the Ohio river and lakes around Southwest Ohio.
There are several different brands and styles of Octopus Hooks, Octopus Circle Hooks and Circle Hooks. You can get any of them with an offset or without an offset, without an offset they lay flat. Many of the brands measure their offsets in degrees so you know how much of an offset you will have. I only wish the companies would get a standard for their sizing of the circle hooks. One brand of 8/0 circle hook can be much larger or smaller than another brand of 8/0 circle hook. Your best bet is to use the Catfish Connection catalog and the hooks are shown actual size and the description of the hook will tell you if the hook is offset or not. Abu

[Desperado]

Hardware where are you located? I fish southern ohio from time to time on the Ohio river. I grew up around Ironton. Maybe we could hook up when I'm down that way.

[Hardware]

I am down in the Middletown area near 63 and cincy-dayton Rd

[Hardware]

Well thought I knew something there that would help. Sorry I was wrong, guess I better just stick to looking on here.

[Abu]

Hardware. Welcome the BOC. Glad to have another Ohio brother. Don't think anything about your post and keep on a postin'. I bought a new spinning reel online not long ago and ordered the wrong one. Wondered why I got such a great deal. :) It was on closeout with no returns. How is that for a mistake? :) Abu

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

I agree with muskie_hunter that the Eagle Claw Kahle hook is an excellent choice for Flatheads. Size of hook depends on size of bait. I use anywhere from a 3/0 up to a 10/0 with the 7/0 being my usual choice when using Bluegills for bait. I still like to set the hook so I havn't given the circle hooks a try yet. Old habits are hard to break and I know I would be settin' the hook with the circles and missing all the bites, lol.

[BassMassey]

ive had great luck with the mustad ultra points.. they're suppossed to be the sharpest hook out of the pack.........when using big goldfish or blue gill i use a size 8...........they're not cheap..........about 16.00 for a 25 pack......but i bought some and got my money's worth already in good hook-sets on nice flatties..................good luck.....

[three_rivers]

We use Eagle claws King Kahles. I tryed circles and didn't care to much for them but a couple members here that fish the muddy gave me a few hooks and thats pretty much all she wrote. I use 8/0 or 9/0. They do make a 10/0. So iffns you don't like them circles give the king kahles a try. You won't be disappointed. I like the fact that i know i've got a good hookset. ;)

[mudcat_xpress]

There is no set standard on the type or size of hook that you should use. Everytime I go to the river and prepare to fish I put all circumstances into place. Yes, you may use the same type of bait every outing but I guarantee that if you catch the bait yourself it is never the same size, so there is the frist thing to look at THE SIZE OF BAIT. Next, you need to see how much current is in the area where you are fishing. If there is alot of current then a circle hook will work better on setting the hook before you can even reach your pole. If you are fishing a dead hole or a big turn hole maybe a circle hook is not your best bet. Maybe just a traditional hook so when he starts to run give him a little line, whether with a clicker or just open spool and then croos his eyes, so thats the second thing to look at CURRENT. Finally, the size of fish that you normally catch should give you a decent area to start at the size of hook. I know you are thinking well that contradicts what you said above about the size of bait is how to tell hook size, well just use common sense if you are using 3" bluegill you don't need a 11/0 hook hanging out of it even if you are catching 40# fish. You can average it out fairly easy by the size of fish and size of bait after a few trial fishing nights. Trust me there are plenty of guys out there that have caught 50# plus on 7/0 hooks so take everything into consideration when deciding on your hooks.