While researching info on circle hooks, I came across a very interesting post on another board by a guy who works for Mustad, by the name of Jeff Pierce. He maintains that not all circle hooks that may be labeled as such by the manufacturer are true circle hooks. Thus, the fishing result you get could be strongly influenced by the (incorrect) hook design. This could be the reason that some people have strongly different results using hooks they thought were circle hooks when, in fact, they were not. This is probably more info on circle hooks than you ever wanted to know, but after I made a couple of "research" trips to my local W-M, Sports Authority, and Oshmans I discovered which brands and styles of circles were available locally. Sports Authority and Oshmans merged a couple of months back so their stocks should be pretty similar by now. According to an assistant manager at SA, Eagle Claw has signed an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart, so SA can no longer carry Eagle Claw, although they used to.
The Four Major Types of Circle Hooks (see figure below)
1. Upper Left
The hook in the upper left is NOT a true circle hook (even though it is sold as such), because the front angle is too narrow, resulting in a gap that is way too large between the point and shank. This results in hookups in soft tissue and the gut that you are trying to avoid. The hook that has this design is the Gamakatsu Octopus "Circle" hook that SA carries in 3/0 to 8/0 sizes (locally anyway).
2. Upper Right
The hook in the upper right is an example of a true circle hook with a wide front angle and narrow gap. Also the point is longer, with a fairly sharp downward angle pointing towards the shank. Both of these features allow the hook to slip out of the stomach without hanging up on any soft tissue when the slack is gradually taken out of the line (presumably by either you or the fish). This results in the hook ending up in the corner of the jaw more than 90% of the time. Upon checking at my local SA and Oshmans, I discovered that the bright Mustad hooks 11/0 to 14/0 had this design, but neither SA nor Oshmans seemed to carry any of the smaller size circles in this style for some reason.
3. Lower Left
The hook at lower left also has a good front angle, but because the point is not at such a sharp angle, there is a slightly larger gap. This permits easier baiting of the hook, and also results in good performance as a true circle hook. SA carried these hooks in 4/0 to 8/0 sizes (blue finish) as the Mustad Demon Circle Ultra Point.
4. Lower Right
The hook at lower right is a "modified" circle hook made of a lighter wire-type design. It has a larger gap than the hooks at UR and LL, and a relatively short point with not as much of a downward bend as the one at upper right. However, the front angle is still large. Thus, it will function as a good circle hook, but will tend to gut hook more fish than either of the hooks at UR and LL. Upon checking my stock of circle hooks, I found that my bright Wal-Mart Eagle Claw, Lazer Sharp, Circle Sea 3/0 to 5/0 hooks all had this design.
Size of Hook in Relation to Size of Bait
Jeff also has some pointers for the correct size of hook to use in relation to the bait you are using and the size of the fish you are targeting. He says that the bait size is more important in choosing your hooks than the fish you are going after. The gap of your circle must be at least as wide as the thickness of the bait at the point where the bait is located on the hook. If you use a large bait on a small hook, the bait will clog up the gap of the hook and you will miss a lot of fish. He says that you can use a 5/0 circle to catch 200 to 300 lb. fishes if you use the correct size hook in relation to the size of the bait.
So there you have it. Don't forget that with a good pair of pliers (and maybe a bench vise), you can experiment with the front angle and gap size to see what might work best for you and your prey. I also know some folks are tying flies on circle hooks, so they seem to work there as well.
