What Is The Best Size For A Catfish Hook?

Many factors influence the size of the hook an angler uses. It is also worth knowing that each and every angler may also have his or her personal preferences. The specifications may be based on the size of the catfish being targeted, techniques an angler uses to catch catfish and the time of the year when they are fishing.

I often get questions from anglers about deciding on the right size of a hook for catfish fishing. Having the right size of a hook when going for a catfish fishing spree is an advantage to any angler. To answer their question, I have written this article so that they can have their fishing for catfish as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Factors To Consider When Selecting a Hook

To select the best hook for catfish there are two primary factors to consider, that is:

STYLE

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There are several designs used to fish for catfish. Anglers use the hook design that suits them best. I have illustrated several catfish hooks available in the market used for cut-bait and live-bait fishing.

Wild.life® Lot 200pcs Sport Circle Hook Freshwater SaltClick to replace anchor textwater High-carbon Steel Fishing Hooks Mix Size 7381. Via: Amazon.com

Types Of Hooks

Circle Hooks

These are intended to penetrate the mouth of a catfish as fast as possible as it struggles to fight against the tension of the line. The hook penetrates at the corner of the mouth, and due to this the catfish stays hooked despite its struggles.

In instances where you are fishing for catch and release purposes, the circle hook works perfectly since it prevents the catfish from deep hooking or gut hooking, whether the fish is of a bigger size or a smaller size.

Circle hooks work well with channel catfish, flatheads, and blue catfish since they are large and bite aggressively. The best size for a channel fish which is of medium size is approximately of size 5/0 or 6/0.For it to work suitably, it needs to have room to turn and slide towards the corner of the catfish’s mouth.

Flathead Catfish

Some Examples Of Circle Hooks Are:

TEAM CATFISH DOUBLE ACTION CIRCLE HOOK

Team Catfish TC81Z8/0 Double Action Nickel Hook, Black. Via: AmClick to replace anchor textazon.com

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DAIICHI CIRCLE CHUNK LIGHT

Daiichi D84Z-7/0 Circle Chunk Light, 3-Pack Ziplock Sz7/0 Bleeding Bait, Red. Via: Amazon.com

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Kahle Hook

It is also a good choice for fishing for channel catfish and blue catfish. It has a wide gap which allows the use of large baits as well as both cut and live baits. It is a great hook for alternative baits such as grasshoppers, crickets and any other than prepared bait.

The size of a hook used for fishing an optimal channel catfish of about ten pounds is of a size of around 2/0 to 3/0.

Channel Catfish

O'Shaughnessy Hook

This one has been used for a long duration of time. It is a firm, excellent and multi-purpose hook. It can be used to catch all types of catfish like the flatheads, the channel catfish and the blue catfish which comes in a wide variety of sizes which range up to 10/0.

Treble Hooks

Often used on stink bait holders. They have a single shank and three hook points. I do not prefer it since catfish swallow it most of the time, causing them too much injury. They cannot be used for catch and release fishing.

J Hooks

They are J-shaped just as the name suggests. They are popular for both large live baits and cut baits. To ensure that the fish does not throw the hook, it is important to set the hook in a suitable way. The hooks are available in a variety of sizes, ranging from very small ones to the huge ones.

Categories Of Fishing That Will Help In The Selection Of Hooks

To explain this better, I will break down the fishing into three categories which are:

Bait fishing

You should use slightly bigger hooks for big fish which prefer larger baits. For smaller fish, the size of the hook starts at the size of four to ones that are of the magnitude 4/0 and corresponds to the size of the bait used. The styles of the hooks do vary for live or cut baits. The most common forms are the circle hook and Kahle hook. A treble hook works appropriately for dough baits.

Pan Fishing

Anglers use pan fishing for all the fish which are small enough to fit into a standard frying pan. They include perch, white bass, bluegill, bullhead and the rock bass. You can use a bobber and hook to present baits to the fish which include earthworms, red wigglers, meal worms and crickets.

The hooks used for pan fishing range from the size of eight for a smaller fish to six to ten inches long to a size six hook for a fish which is a little large. Examples of these hooks are the standard bait keeper and the Aberdeen.

Fishing With Plastic Baits

The type of fish you are after determines the size of the hook you will use. Plastic baits require a different style of hooks which can range from size 8 to 7/0.Hooks of sizes 1/0 to 4/0 are used for sticks and worm baits. For fishing tubes and creature baits, hooks which have three to five inches and are of sizes 2/0 to 4/0 are the most preferable.

What Size Hook You Should Consider?

I hope that you have had the answers to your questions concerning choosing the most appropriate hook for a catfish fishing spree. It all depends on your preferences of the shape of the hook, the size of the hook and also the type of the fish you intend to capture.

Let go of the small catfish which are not mature enough for fishing by using the right size a hook. Leave them for another day or for another angler who might also get lucky.