What is the difference between circle hooks and octopus hooks? Pros and cons?

Question

I want the one that you really don't need set the hook but it just gets itself set/hooked in the fishes mouth as you reel in the slack with little effort. Also, do they come in sizes such as 10-1?

Answer 1

circle hooks a full turn of the hook point back into the shank of the hook itself the octopus does not and also the eye turn out!
With circle hooks the hook does not set itself but with tension on the line the hook follows a natural line to the corner of the mouth then with line tension (reeling to the fish) the point penetrates the mouth and with the design(circle) it is less likely to ever throw the hook!Also with a true circle hook a fish can swallow the hook and with a straight pulling of the hook it can be pulled out of the fish with minimal damage!

Pros- circle hook less damage to fish ease of hooking when used properly!
Octopus can use a few more way in rigging with soft plastic!
Cons- circle not much good for soft plastic's for bass fishing but can be used!
Octopus are more versitale but still have the J hook design and do more damage if deep hooked!
Octopus sizes that I know of are from #4 to 5/0!
Circle hooks from size #1 to 16/0 maybe even bigger!

Answer 2

From the answers here, Injun has done an excellent job covering the pros and cons of both circle and octopus hooks. Based on what you are looking for, the circle hook is the one that you want. With a circle hook, there is no need for a "hookset", the hook will end up in the corner of the fishes mouth and bury its point there. I have seen circle hooks up to size 16/0 which is MUCH bigger than what you are looking for. Some manufacturers of these hooks are Gamakatsu and Penn. From either of these you can find the hooks you want and be assured that either are of very high quality

Answer 3

Adding a split ring to the eye of an Octopus hook makes a huge difference in the way it performs. I rig mine this way for fishing big catfish and hook ups improved greatly. They are great hooks for all around use, and I have found them to be better for inexperienced fisherpersons. With a circle hook, if you set the hook you will yank the hook and bait right out of their mouths. With an Octopus hook that issue is minimized somewhat. They want to behave similar to a circle hook in that I just reel down on a fish and get aggressive once they have the rod bent over, but they are more forgiving than a circle if I get too aggressive doing reeling down. Circles are great hooks, no doubting that. But I have also found that I have to run large circle hooks for large fish, and downsize if the avg fish is smaller to improve hookups, or vice versa. I have been in blue cats ranging from 2-60lbs and had great hook up ratios with a simple 6/0 Octopus hook where a small circle would have too small for big fish and a large circle would have been too large for the smaller fish. I use them all, but more often than not I use Octopus hooks. And I don't have too many deep hook ups like one would see with a standard J-hook (meat gaff) design either.

Answer 4

Circle hooks sets right into the jaw without yanking to set the hook. I know that Circle hooks come in 9/0. Also I like Octopus hooks because their points are super sharp. Yet I like the feel of Circle hooks knowing once hooked the fish won't spit it.

Answer 5

Octopus Hook