# circle hooks?



## Guest

where can i buy them as far as stores go? the closest i can find are octopus circle hooks which i have been told are not the same.


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## MIGHTY

I've never really had trouble finding them at tackel shops, however all I used is the octopus circles and I must say I can't complain.


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## Mr. A

Walmart, Dick's, Gander, Cabela's, and bait shop's have them normally.

I picked up a big pack at Cabela's and haven't had to buy them for some time though.

Mr. A


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## Guest

mr. a, i tried the first two mentioned and all they had were to octopus style. i'll go to fur, feathers and fin this week and see if they have them.


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## pppatrick

anybody correct me if i'm wrong..

but the only real difference between an octo circle and a regular circle hook is the eye of the hook. the octo would be offset out from the shank and a regular circle the eyelet is in line straight with the shank of the hook. 

if i'm assuming right you're looking for a hook like this

http://www.basspro.com/Mustad-Ultra...-Circle-Hook-Model-3994NPBN/product/10209972/

where an octo would be..

http://www.basspro.com/Gamakatsu-Circle-Octopus-Hooks/product/12081501/


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## Guest

ppatrick, would there be much difference in the two when it comes to hooksets? if not, i'll just use the octos that i have. i only fish cats a few times a year so it's really not a big issue. i do appreciate the time you put into this. i'm a bit of a rookie when it comes to hooks and bait fishing.


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## pppatrick

i highly doubt there is gonna be a noticeable difference in hook up between the two. but honestly, i'm not a big user of circle hooks. i use mainly mustad beak octos or gamakatsu octos. i like setting the hook and i keep most fish under 8-10 pounds for the table. tend to hook up better with regular point hooks so keeps more meat in the freezer for me.


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## Gone Wishin

The circle hook is designed to set itself as the fish swims off. I haven't had good luck with them. I use normal octo hooks, they work just fine. 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Mr. A

Many things can effect the information ilk give you, so keep that in mind.

Circle home and Octopus hooks are nearly the same. The biggest difference between the two is a barb that points at the shank on the Octopus hook. 

The Octopus hook is designed to set itself while the circle hook needs a hook set. With an octopus hook you let the fish run and simply start reeling in, the hook normally catches in the corner of the mouth and sets itself. The circle hook actually needs to be set. 

The test for which one I want to use is simple. Do I think the fish will bite and run (or will the conditions be such that I want them to run before the hook set) then I'll use the octopus hook. If I have to hold the rod and set the hook with little or no run then circle hook it is.

This explination is crude and basic but shows you the differences. Hope it helps!

Mr. A


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## seang22

Can u still set the hook on a circle hook?


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## Nightcrawler666

seang22 said:


> Can u still set the hook on a circle hook?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire



You'll miss a lot more fish if you set it like normal. It's more of a sweeping motion. 

Snelling them makes a WORLD of difference as well. I recommend to everyone to snell whenever possible. Especially circles. 


Sent from my iPhone using Ohub Campfire


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## Gone Wishin

I lost an awful lot of fish tonight trying circle hooks...


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## nixmkt

Mr. A said:


> Many things can effect the information ilk give you, so keep that in mind.


What kind of things? You are mis-informed and need to do better research.



Mr. A said:


> Circle home and Octopus hooks are nearly the same. The biggest difference between the two is a barb that points at the shank on the Octopus hook.


That is wrong. "Octopus" has to do with the offset bend of the eye of the hook as pppatrick noted in post #5, and nothing to do with the barb. There are both regular "J" type Octopus hooks and Octopus circle hooks. Pppatrick gives a link to an Octopus circle. Here is one for a regular Octopus: http://www.basspro.com/Offshore-Angler-Octopus-Hooks/product/10204589/ 
All circle hooks have a barb that points in toward the shank. The offset bend of the eye of Octopus hooks is for snelling them.



Mr. A said:


> The Octopus hook is designed to set itself while the circle hook needs a hook set. With an octopus hook you let the fish run and simply start reeling in, the hook normally catches in the corner of the mouth and sets itself. The circle hook actually needs to be set.


Totally opposite for circle hooks. Circle hooks are designed to help prevent belly hook-ups when a fish swallows the hook. The barb is bent in toward the shank to allow the hook to slide out until it catches in the corner of the mouth. That's why you will typically miss a hook-up if you try a regular hook-set with a circle hook. You will pull it straight out of the mouth too. Proper hook-set for a circle hook is a sweeping motion as Nightcrawler666 noted, or letting the fish hook itself, or just start reeling in.


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## nixmkt

Gone Wishin said:


> I lost an awful lot of fish tonight trying circle hooks...


It's hard to resist doing a normal hard hook-set if you're not used to using circle hooks. You have to keep reminding yourself about the slower sweeping motion to avoid ending up pulling the hook straight out of their mouths. If you're not having a problem with fish swallowing the hook, regular "J" type hooks should work just fine.


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## Gone Wishin

nixmkt said:


> What kind of things? You are mis-informed and need to do better research.
> 
> 
> 
> That is wrong. "Octopus" has to do with the offset bend of the eye of the hook as pppatrick noted in post #5, and nothing to do with the barb. There are both regular "J" type Octopus hooks and Octopus circle hooks. Pppatrick gives a link to an Octopus circle. Here is one for a regular Octopus: http://www.basspro.com/Offshore-Angler-Octopus-Hooks/product/10204589/
> All circle hooks have a barb that points in toward the shank. The offset bend of the eye of Octopus hooks is for snelling them.
> 
> 
> 
> Totally opposite for circle hooks. Circle hooks are designed to help prevent belly hook-ups when a fish swallows the hook. The barb is bent in toward the shank to allow the hook to slide out until it catches in the corner of the mouth. That's why you will typically miss a hook-up if you try a regular hook-set with a circle hook. You will pull it straight out of the mouth too. Proper hook-set for a circle hook is a sweeping motion as Nightcrawler666 noted, or letting the fish hook itself, or just start reeling in.


Spot on.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Mr. A

nixmkt said:


> What kind of things? You are mis-informed and need to do better research.


First off, when I spoke about "many things can effect the information" I gave, it appears I was correct. We both made assumptions, but you appear to be taking things a little personal?

I made the mistake of believing we were talking about regular circle hooks and Octopus circle hooks so I didn't post anything about the "J" style octopus hooks. 

Technically the barb on both hooks DOES point toward the shank, but you are kidding yourself if you can't see the difference between the two.

Lastly, I made absolutely no reference to what type of hook set, but if you reel down and jerk up, sweep the tip to the side, or in some cases just start reeling, IT'S STILL A HOOK SET. 

Either way, hope the person that missed all the fish has better luck next time......

Mr. A


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## Salmonid

I firmly believe once you figure the circles out, you will do 100% better on your hookups, they do seem to work best in situations where your using cut baits and can use a firmly placed rodholder in the ground, from a boat, there is no other option then a circle. Its that simple, perhaps you could tag up with someone who uses them and see the differences for yourself. That's how I got hooked...LOL ( thanks Dinkbuster and H20Mellon) 

Salmonid


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## TomC

Circle hooks all the way for me, Thanks to Salmonid! A few trips out with him and well, I saw the advantages of them. And Yes, you can use them if your fishing a slip bobber!


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## nixmkt

Mr. A said:


> First off, when I spoke about "many things can effect the information" I gave, it appears I was correct. We both made assumptions, but you appear to be taking things a little personal?
> 
> I made the mistake of believing we were talking about regular circle hooks and Octopus circle hooks so I didn't post anything about the "J" style octopus hooks.
> 
> Technically the barb on both hooks DOES point toward the shank, but you are kidding yourself if you can't see the difference between the two.
> 
> Lastly, I made absolutely no reference to what type of hook set, but if you reel down and jerk up, sweep the tip to the side, or in some cases just start reeling, IT'S STILL A HOOK SET.
> 
> Either way, hope the person that missed all the fish has better luck next time......
> 
> Mr. A


Nothing personal about it. It appeared your post was between circle and regular "J" Octopus hooks but if you were discussing between regular circle and Octopus circle hooks so be it. Even if that's the case, info. in that post is still wrong. You need to go back and re-read it.

You said the barb was different between a regular circle hook and an Octopus "circle" hook. That's not true. The barb on a regular circle hook also points toward the shank, the same as an Octopus circle hook. You are the one kidding yourself if you see any appreciable difference in the barb between them. The only significant difference is the Octopus has an offset bent eye. There are some subtle differences in the exact curve and/or angle of the beefy portion of the barb of various circle hooks between manufacturers and intended usage but those have nothing to do with "Octopus". Again, the term Octopus has nothing to do with the barb, it is an offset bent eye.

You also said that the hook-set, whatever type, (or letting the fish run) to use was different between an Octopus "circle" and a regular circle hook. That's not true either. The method is the same for both. It's the same for all circle hooks.


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## Mr. A

nixmkt said:


> Nothing personal about it. It appeared your post was between circle and regular "J" Octopus hooks but if you were discussing between regular circle and Octopus circle hooks so be it. Even if that's the case, info. in that post is still wrong. You need to go back and re-read it.
> 
> You said the barb was different between a regular circle hook and an Octopus "circle" hook. That's not true. The barb on a regular circle hook also points toward the shank, the same as an Octopus circle hook. You are the one kidding yourself if you see any appreciable difference in the barb between them. The only significant difference is the Octopus has an offset bent eye. There are some subtle differences in the exact curve and/or angle of the beefy portion of the barb of various circle hooks between manufacturers and intended usage but those have nothing to do with "Octopus". Again, the term Octopus has nothing to do with the barb, it is an offset bent eye.
> 
> You also said that the hook-set, whatever type, (or letting the fish run) to use was different between an Octopus "circle" and a regular circle hook. That's not true either. The method is the same for both. It's the same for all circle hooks.


Ya, um.....ok.

Mr. A


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## katfish

Not sure why anyone should get upset about differences in hooks but I will input my experience.

Circle hooks work best on a tight line. In current, drifting, or suspended straight down. Rod and reel in a rod holder and reels locked into gear.
Cats take a bait and as they turn to move a circle hook will slide until the eye exits the mouth. Then the inward turned point becomes turned to correct angle to penetrate the fish and usually the fish is spooked and moving fast enough to set the hook itself. They are most successful for blue cats in big rivers. They are often the tool of catfish guides who cannot determine their clients experience at setting other hooks and need to catch catfish to be deemed successful.

Straight J hooks and kahles are best used in slack current. Reels are left out of gear and clickers on to alert fishermen when a bait is taken. A catman uses his best judgement on when to engage reel and set the hook.

A frequent problem is that a fishermen blames the hookstyle (or line-reel-rod) for not hooking fish. There may be a dozen other reasons why the fish aren't hooked. The most common reason is that an undersized fish (species unknown) attempts to eat a bait and cannot get it into its mouth and merely carries it a ways. This appears to signal a bite but the fish is simply too small to get the bait in its mouth or is carrying it without swallowing it.

Often if you downsize baits and hooks, these smaller fish will be hooked and identified.

We should all look at a problem rationally and deal with the proper solution.
Remember we have an opportunity to catch fish---not a guaranteed right that they will cooperate.


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## Guest

what more can be said? thanks, robby, and to all who taught me something about hooks. i appreciate the help.


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