Siwash, Octopus, or Treble?

I've gone through the different types of hooks in a lot of different situations and I've found that some work better than others in certain situations. One major thing I have realized is that I use one type much more often than the others and I completely leave one out altogether. (I'll leave my opinion out for now.)

So my question to y'all is: Is there a style of hook that you favor in a certain type of fishing and is there a style of hook that you shudder to use?

Z

I use all kinds of diff hooks for differant situations My go to hook is probably an octopus the hook I hardly ever use is the hook we all grew up on the Bait holder(sproat) I'll list a few, Stay away from Cheap Treble hooks

Steelies, Halibut,Mooching,Dino's     Octopus
Live Bait                                     Live Bait hook
Lures                                         Siwash or Round Bend Treble
Bass                                          Wide Gap,Circle, Worm hooks 3 or four diff styles
Jigs                                           Jig Hook
Rockies                                      Octopus or stinger
Catching Bait                              Carlisle or sabaki
Drop shotting, live bait SMB            Mosquito

Z - I hate treble hooks! Not only do they tear fish up, I've seen a lot of good fish lost because of the relatively small gap on a treble. I usaually fish the bay with barbless jigs or flies but sometimes I use plugs and I change out the trebles for Siwash hooks. The Siwash has a kinda long shank though and that dosen't always work on a plug. I just started using a Gamakatsu 510 Single replacement hook that I like better - it has a short shank - big open eye - and a small barb that is on the outside of the hook bend instead of the usual spot on the inside. I'm talking about striper fishing mainly. I want to target halibut this year and there it's Octopus with barbs for sure. My $.02   Tom

I don't really know my hooks very well, but I do have one rule:

hooks that don't lie on a plane, have a kirb, are usually better for bait.

hooks that are flat and lie on a plane are better for lures.

the reason is that a hook with a twist to it will tend to make the lure turn or twist when pulled through the water.

if you are using a baitholder with a grub, and it has a little twist, it can make the grub spin more than it would otherwise. if you take pliers and straighten it a bit, the grub will spin less.  I do this perch fishing or when trolling a grub. less tangles.

like Tom, I don't like trebles very much and I like the 510 for use on a lure. I like those on irons.

I also do worry about barbs getting stuck in my fingers or my kids and I have found that a lot of hooks are dull so it's good to have several sharpeners around.

J

 

While I agree with T&J about treble hooks tearing up fish and people some plugs like shad raps and wee worts won't run right with single hooks, sure with long hours of adj your lure you might get some of them to run right you hook a big fish and then you have to start over. I have read a lot of articles were they say trebles lose fish that's because of cheap hooks not design if you have 2 or 3 points in a fish you have a much greater chance of landing them.

 Siwash hooks were designed for commercial fishing where they needed  a very strong hook  with a long point to keep fish hanging on the troll for longer periods of time. They were originally designed with a short shank for strength compared to their very long point which also facilitated multiple sharpenings when hooks weren't disposable as they are now. Modern hook makers have shortened the point which make the shafts seem longer than they once were.

Z here is a link to Cabela's hook guide basic but informative.http://www.cabelas.com/story-123/ross_hook_bg/212/Fish%252Bhook%252Bbuyer%2527s%252Bguide.shtml

The book Hook,Line and Sinker by Gary Soucie is a book no fisherman should be without a little dated but still has a lot of great info.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0671661523/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1205639196&sr=1-9

 Zee, I use a lot of different hooks. I buy mostly "sharp" modern Japanese hooks, octopus, circle, siwash, wide gap finesse, wide gap worm, treble, and gamakatsu 510 obverse barb are my favorite types.
 
Since they are tools of the trade, I use the ones most suited for the task at hand. That being said I probably use more octopus hooks, because they work on more of the bait rigs that I tie up for Salmon, Steelhead, Halibut, and Sturgeon.
 
I keep good treble hooks on hand because a lot of lures come with junk hooks, but I avoid them if possible. Like Mickfish said it's sometimes hard to get a lure tuned right.
 
I like the wide gap finesse for "wacky" plastic rigs and for minnows or shad when striper fishing.

The gama 510 is great for tying your own assist hooks and on the bottom of a jig.

For rockfishing,  I replace all treble hooks with siwash.

I used to be loyal to gamakatsu but now sport the owner cutting edge hooks for everything else.

That's just how I roll baby 

The book Hook,Line and Sinker by Gary Soucie is a book no fisherman should be without a little dated but still has a lot of great info.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0671661523/ref=dp_olp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1205639196&sr=1-9

It BETTER be good Mike. I just spent 20 cents for it plus shipping!!!!!

Best 20 cents you ever spent if you don't like it I'll give you 40 cents for it. Double your money back

I never use treble hooks. Too difficult to catch-and-release without injuring the fish.
They also have a tendency to get caught in anything near them, including me.

Likes:

Octopus for mostly all my bait fishing (esp. live bait fishing) and for baits like mussels, you can't go wrong with bronze bait holders w/ magic thread. 
Siwash hooks for spoons, trebles for plugs, but I will try to avoid trebles in obvious hang up conditions such as kelp beds.  Circle hooks have worked great for me when live bait fishing for salmon and halibut. 

Dislikes:

Kale hooks:  I've lost lots of fish due to the poor hook sets of these.
Live bait hooks:  Really disappointed with the poor hook sets with these but they are strong.
Kirby hooks:  Long shank is nice but really weak and don't hold a point well.

Nice discussion. Lots of good info here.

Now for me. The hook I dread, the treble. I really don't like using these since I've shredded some fish because of them. Made an 8" LMB a massive bleeder and been bummed on them ever since. Mc is so right, some plugs don't run true w/o them. I have found you can replace the rear hook w/ a siwash and most will run true. So can't totally abandon them on plugs, jerks, and cranks but can at least cut them in half.

I use siwash in almost every other occasion since I don't use bait. I find that their hooksetting is their strength. They seem to penetrate well and stay in a position that leaves the least amount of chance to release.

Z

I also use siwash on all of my jigs for easy C&R and WAY less snags.   Octopus for steelies, live bait for stripers, and circles for live baiting pelagics.

Some hooks also get replaced because they simply suck.  The trebles on Kastmasters for example...even if I loved trebles, I have straightened out these lousy hooks enough times that they have to go no matter what replaces them.

My 2 centavos... I like siwash on all my spoons and rockcod jigs. Mosquito hooks by Owner are great for dropshot and live minnow. Gamy octopus work for this too. Octopus and light wire trebles for halibut. Plugs with barbless trebles don't mess steelhead up, at least not in recent memory. Plugs with barbed trebles do mess up largemouth. My senkos are rigged carolina weedless style with wide gap super braid hooks, though I use normal worm hooks too as they are lighter, for a slower, more enticing drop.
I've tried siwash hooks on Kwikfish for salmon and I haven't made up my mind on this. Someone does make a single hook specificaly for these lures, rounder than a siwash, and I sort of like it. Topwaters for striper boils, I leave the rear treble on and pinch the barbs. Stripers in the surf I keep all the trebles on and sharpen them often.I like long shank aberdeens for panfish and such as they make for easy hook removal.
When drifting bait for steelhead and salmon in a river I am always sharpening the hook. You'd be surprised how quickly they dull up.
Octopus seem fine for the sturgie.

The siwash is great for jigs and lures you move around a lot.  Since the point doesn't point at the eye it catches on things (IE fish) better.  The long point does require more of a hookset, but also tends to make them hold a little better.

Maybe I'm weird, but I don't mind treble hooks on many lures, and they're useful as stinger hooks on live bait.