Best Hooks For Catfish Reviewed

The Best Hooks for Catfish: 2021 Review

Catfish anglers quickly realize that these large, dangerous fish require hooks.

This can be surprising to fishermen who are used to fishing with other species. But if you have ever had a hook snap on a fat-blue, you will quickly realize that tough, thick hooks are the best.

We have already shared tips and tricks to catfishing, but now it is time to get into hook selection.

You’ve reached the right place if you don’t know where to begin or want a better hook that the one you tried before.

Below is a buying guide and reviews of some of our favorite products.

Here are some tips for catfish fishermen:

Circle Hooks

• Gamakatsu 4X Strong Octopus Hooks
• Catfish Sumo Heavyweight Catfish Hooks
• Mustad UltraPoint Demon Wide Gap– The Best Circle Hook for Catfish

Treble Hooks

• Mustad Classic 4 Extra-Strong Kingfish– The Best Treble Hook For Catfishing
• Keeshine 4X Triple Grip

Use Punch or Dip Bait Hooks

• Team Catfish TC97Q Dip Bait Trebles
• Catfish Charlie Dip Bait WormsCatfish – Best Punch Bait Hooks or Dips
• Magic 21-48 Treble Hung Wild Sponge Hooks

The Best Hooks for Catfishing Reviewed

Circle Hooks

Gamakatsu 4X Strong Octopus Hooks

Sizes available: 5/0-6/0 and 7/0

Count: 25 per pack

Gamakatsu is an angler’s friend year after year. Their hooks are known for their high quality and consistent performance. You can trust their 4X octopus hooks, with their needle-sharp tips. They are almost unbendable in strength.

These hooks are easy to use with standard knots, such as the Palomar, which is extremely strong.

Gamakatsu does not produce any size greater than 7/0. If you are looking for an 8/0 and 10/0 Gamakatsu, you will need to look at the Catfish Sumo, Mustad, or Catfish Sumo. A 6/0 is big enough to catch the majority of cats and can be used for eating fish.

These hooks are worth a penny each.

Pros

• Extremely sharp
• Extremely strong
• Excellent lock-up

Cons

• No 8/0 and 10/0 sizes
• Expensive

Catfish Sumo Heavyweight Catfish Hooks

Sizes available in 8/0 or 10/0

Count: 25 per pack

A big, strong hook is essential when hunting trophy-size cats. Catfish Sumo has your back, and no matter which hook you choose, they are both extremely sharp and strong.

These hooks can take on the fight against a large catfish!

These hooks have an offset eye and are great for snelling. Catfish Sumo’s offer is hard to beat if you prefer that knot. They don’t have sizes smaller than 8/0.

They are also slightly less expensive than premium brands, which makes them more affordable per package.

Pros

• Extremely sharp
• Extremely strong
• Excellent lock-up
• Excellent price

Cons

• No smaller than 8/0

Mustad UltraPoint Demon Wide Gap– The Best Circle Hook for Catfish

Sizes available: 4/0 – 6/0 – 7/0 – 8/0 – 9/0 – 10/0

Pack contains 6, 25, or 100 pieces

Mustad hooks are a well-known brand. I have met very few anglers who didn’t like their products over the years. Mustad hooks are a favorite among catfishermen. The UltraPoint Demon Wide Gap hook is great for whiskerfish.

These hooks come in a variety of sizes and are available in packs of 6, 25, 100 or 100. They are tough and sharp. They can puncture even the toughest mouths, so be sure to hold on! They come in a range of 4/0 to 10-0 so you can customize your hooks to suit the fish you are after and the baits that you have.

These Mustads have a straight-eyed design. If you don’t like this look, you can always search for something else. The excellent Catfish Sumo will be able to accommodate larger sizes.

Mustad’s circular hooks won’t break the bank either.

Pros

• Extremely sharp
• Extremely strong
• Excellent lock-up
• A great range of sizes
• Excellent price

Cons

• ?? ??

Treble Hooks

Mustad Classic 4 Extra -Strong KingfishBest Treble Hook For Catfishing

Sizes: #1, #2 and #4.

Count: 25 per pack

Generations of anglers have trusted Mustad treble hooks. Most of the trebles that I have used in my life have been from this brand.

These hooks are strong and sharp. They’re made from thick gauge wire and then sharpened to needlepoint.

The Classic 4X Kingfish hook is all you need for catfish fishing, provided that you are willing to jump into the size #6 or #4.

Pros

• Extremely sharp
• Extremely strong
• Excellent lock-up
• Amazing price

Cons

• No size smaller than #6

Keeshine 4X Triple Grip

Sizes: #1, #23, #3, #4 and #5, #6, #8

Count: 10 per pack

The 4X Triple Grip treble Hooks by Keeshine are exactly what catfish anglers need: strong, sharp and just the right size!

These hooks are made to last, just like other 4X trebles. They come in sizes from a #8 to a $1! Although I don’t know of anyone who fishes with such a large hook, a #6 or #5 are good choices for monster fish.

These hooks will hold no matter what size you choose.

The down side?

These big trebles will cost you a little more.

Pros

• Extremely sharp
• Extremely strong
• Excellent lock-up
• Great sizes

Cons

• Expensive

Use Punch or Dip Bait Hooks

Team Catfish TC97Q Dip Bait Trebles

Hook size #6

Count: 3.

Team Catfish created a great tube for holding dip and punch baits. These cylinders have three holes and are large enough to hold nasty, stinky punch baits.

This design is something I love, and it’s easy to use with my #6 red triplet.

This product has one problem. It is standard strength. It’s possible to use a Mustad 4X instead, which makes them ideal for prepared baits.

Pros

• Great design for holding gooey baits

Cons

• Hook of standard-strength

Catfish Charlie Dip Bait WormsCatfish – Best Punch Bait Hooks or Dip Bait Hooks

#6 Hook size

12

Dip baits and Catfish Charlie’s dip baits worms make a deadly combo.

These long, chartreuse tubes have ridges and a central cavity. Dip baits stick to these features like glue. These are the perfect solution if you have ever struggled to get your dip bait to stay in place.

Guaranteed to impress!

This design works best for punch baits, according to me.

You can expect 12 sharp #6 triples per pack. However, I prefer to replace mine with an aftermarket option.

Pros

• Great design for holding gooey baits
• A 12 pack is a good price

Cons

• Hook of standard-strength

Magic 21-48 Treble Hung Wild Sponge Hooks

Size of hook:

Count: 3.

Sponge hooks work well with dip baits and can also be used to catch over-warm punchbaits that are too loose to stick to a tube.

They are nothing more than a little sponge mounted on a large treble. However, with the right stink they can be quite effective.

Magic’s Hog Wild sponge hooks can be big and ugly, but they are also very nasty.

They work, there’s no question about that. However, I don’t think they’re worth the price. Sponge hooks can be made at home and there is no reason to purchase them.

Hog Wild sponge hooks are a great choice if you’re in hurry or just want to save time.

Pros

• Great design for holding gooey baits

Cons

• Hook of standard-strength
• It’s easy to make at home

How to Choose a Hook for Catfishing

Extra strong construction

Catfishing can be difficult if you are new to the sport. Mother Nature provided the catfish with coarse, bony pads that feel similar to rough sandpaper in place of sharp teeth.

The sides of a catfish’s mouth are made up bone, sinew and tough flesh. Not the thin membrane found on crappie or bass.

As if that weren’t enough, large cats can easily reach 50 pounds. The stress of a fight against a nasty flathead can also cause a break in a standard hook.

Gamakatsu’s 4X round hooks are tough!

Most anglers use 4X or 2X hooks to deal with these problems. This is a measurement of the thickness of your hook’s material. These hooks are extremely tough and very rare to break.

It’s hard to believe that a large cat can snap a hook like matchsticks!

Standard hooks won’t take the abuse of big blue or monster flatheads, so be careful!

Size

Although eating-sized cats can take small hooks, anglers generally agree that larger hooks are better.

Most fishermen will choose 6/0 or 7/0 circle hooks. Sometimes, they may even go up to 10/0 for truly monster fish.

For treble hooks the dominant preferences for dominating preference are #5 or #6.

It is because catfish have large, bony mouths. Larger hooks with larger gaps provide a more secure lock-up.

Cost

You’ll find the hook often lodged in the bone of a monster cat when you bring it to your boat to fight.

Although pliers are an important tool for catfishing, they can also be detrimental to the integrity of your hooks.

Jeff Williams is perhaps the most well-respected voice in catfishing. He says, “We can discuss the type of hook an angler uses and the size of that hook, the metalurgics and all of the other factors that go into making quality fishing hooks. But one of our biggest problems is how anglers handle a fish when they release it. Catfish have tough mouths and using a pair pliers to remove hooks from catfish’s mouths is one of the leading causes of hook failure You can damage or scar the hook by nicking it or bending it to see shiney metal. This could make it vulnerable for you next big catch.”

What does all this mean?

You are compromising the strength and durability of the hook every time you use pliers to remove a hook.

It is important to replace or re-tie damaged hooks.

Williams also notes that “damaged” can be defined as cases with shiny metal, deep scratches or even deformation.

You’ll have to use a lot of hooks which can lead to high costs.

Use circle hooks instead of J-hooks when catfishing.

The majority of tournament anglers now use circle hooks. There are many reasons for this shift.

It takes years, sometimes even decades for monster cats to grow to their incredible size. More anglers, especially those who are on the tournament circuit, are doing their best to decrease fish mortality in order to protect the sport’s future.

Catfish often swallow baits with traditional J-hooks, which can cause deep and deadly gut hooks. The “octopus” or circle hooks, on the other hand, self-hook in the corner the cat’s mouth when it wrestles with bait.

This results in almost complete elimination of gut-hooked fish.

Pros have switched to circle hooks for many reasons. Circle hooks are more secure than J-hooks when properly sized and rigged. They almost always grab the corner of your mouth and then bury themselves in the tough tissue.

A better lock-up will result in more fish in the cooler or on the scale.

Last Thoughts

We hope you found this article helpful in choosing your next catfish hooks.

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