What size circle hook do you use. I have decided to start catfishing on Lake Proctor and Palo Pinto since retiring. Been fishing Proctor since getting my first boat in 85 but mostly Hybrids and Sandies. I have decided how I am rigging everything except the hook size. I am leaning towards a Mustad Demon Circle Hook either 6/0 or 8/0.

What are you using?

Double Action 8/0's for cut shad in the winter. This time of year I'll downsize but it's not required, 6/0 or so.
Live bait for Flatheads I like a 8/0 Gama Oct Circle or 9/0 Gama Oct. Also like the Mighty Wide in 9/0.

I'm going to give those Charlie Browns a try also. They look pretty mean.

I use 6,8, and 10, Whisker Seeker Triple Threats. 6 and 8 in the winter, 8 and 10 when it warms up

I do things the opposite of Z. I run small hooks when it warms up and large hooks when it’s cold.

We use 8/0 for med to large sized cut baits when targeting blues in the 5-50 lb range. I’m running these from October 1st up until June 1st.

June 1st I switch all mine to 6/0 with small chunks of cut bait This is when we seldom catch fish over 10 lbs so I match the hook with the sized bait and fish were catching. As soon as we get that first cool fall rain which is usually right around October 1st I upsize to 8/0 and we start catching big fish again.

October 1st is when I also start using big to magnum sized baits on my planer boards and I run either 10/0 hook on my large chop baits but mostly I run an 8/0 with a 10/0 stinger hook on my whole 8-10” baits. I quit running the Stinger rig at the end of February and use all 8/0 until June 1st when I downsize everything back down to 6/0.

I run Whisker Seeker Triple Threat hooks and also Whisker Seeker Octopus Circle with offset eye.

If you will match the hook with the sized bait you are using and for the size fish you are catching your success rate will increase. You can catch a trophy with a 6/0 but you’ll also miss a bunch too. The hook doesn’t sink in deep enough and big fish can rip a 6/0 out a lot easier then an 8/0 or 10/0. You can catch eaters with a 8/0 but you’ll also miss quite a few. There is a trade off for hook size.

If you are using these hooks, learn how to tie a knotless snell, if you don't already know how.

Go with El Gato advice

I had used the Team Catfish double action in 5/0 and 8/0 for a number of years. They have become increasingly difficult to find in stock. I switched to the Whisker Seeker Triple Threat in 8/0 and 10/0. Very happy with the Triple Threat hooks. I have caught some big fish on the 5/0 hooks but I'm much more confident with the 8/0s. Chris, interesting that you switch up June 1st. I don't catch much of anything in June, they are mostly on the nest on Lavon. But July has been a very good month for me for big fish in the past. I stay big in July they seem to be feeding up after being on the nest and we've caught numbers of 30s in July. Food for thought though. I might try splitting rigs and see which produces better...

I’m gonna come fish with you in June or July and show you that you can still fill the boat any month of the year Tim. We hammer eaters in June amigo and still catch the occasional big fish. If there is a storm you can bet I’m probably gonna be fishing around it. We hammer em in July too. You gotta get up early cuz the bite usually turns off by 10 to 10:30 am. We fish mid depth structure on a Sandbass pattern. The only time of year we really struggle to put up good numbers is during the Fall turnover.

I use anywhere from 3/0 to 10/0 depending on the size of the bait and the size of the fish I am targeting. I have had a heart break or few using the small 3/0 to 4/0 hooks but the hook up ratio on eaters is incredible with the smaller hooks. I have also landed some big fish on the small hooks but once I know if it’s big then I will back the drag off some to hopefully keep the hooks from pulling out. Just in the past 6 weeks we landed a 38 and a 43 on 3/0 hooks. I was very nervous though knowing the hook can pull at any second. I have also caught some tiny fish on 8/0 hooks, it just takes them a little longer to get the bait in their mouths. But over all this time of year I am mainly using 5/0 to 6/0. Eaters can still get them in their mouth easy enough and I have a little more confidence if I hang something big

I use nothing but Mustard Demon Circle fine wires 7/0-10/0…......My decision on hook size is determined by the size of bait I'm slinging.Back on winter/early spring I stuck with 7/0's......since it started warming up here in north Texas I changed to 8/0's and up due to bigger cut baits being preferred.Most of my live bait fishing I use 7/0 or 8/0, don't want to kill my bait.That being said the Mustard Demons just work.............period

I'll look forward to that!

I found a big display of these at Walmart last week. I bought some 6/0 and 8/0. Gonna try them out. Lots of out of stocks on all sorts of tackle, no matter where you look.