minnow fishing with Circle hooks?

would circle hooks work well with live minnows? if so what would be a good size hook to use? been using 1-2" minnows/bluegill and am after bass and eater size channel cats.

I've been using an Aberdeen hook but ended up missing several fish tonight when i was up getting a drink of water or checking my other catfish lines. got me to wondering if a circle hook would be a better option.

thanks!

Aberdeen hooks are great hooks for minnow dunking as they are light and allow the minnow to swim around in a more natural state. Circle hooks, even the small ones in the same size as your Aberdeen hooks, are stouter and heavier than the Aberdeen wire hook.
The idea of the circle hook is you let the fish take the line, and you don't set the hook, you just start reeling.
Someone new to circle hooks, it can get frustrating trying to get used to letting the fish take the bait and not setting the hook.

I use a variant of this for minnows, the Gamakatsu split shot drop shot hook. It has a bend similar to the Octopus circle hooks but is a thinner wire that helps keep the minnow alive. It also is good for catching bait stealing perch.

As you can see below, it will put both perch and some big boys in the ice chest.

nice!

what size do you use?

Size 4

the middle one is beautiful

thank you!

I use circle hooks with minnows all the time, especially under a float. Eagle claw lazer sharp are a good cheap alternative for gatsu. I use from size 6-10 depending on the size of the bait. I hook them through the nose from one nostril to the other, easy to do with these thin wire hooks, and that keeps them alive the longest while allowing for easy casting. As a side note, shad hooked in this manner last forever and work great under a slip float.

There are some very light wire circle hooks available these days.