What hook and why

[sportskiff]

Howdy folks,
Tell me, what hooks everybody use in salt water and why. I use cheap carbon hooks, and it's just because if the fish snaps the line, he's got a better chance of living than a stainless hook would give him. Not shure how much of a better chance, but mabe some of you "old salts" can give me a bit of guidence.
Thanks, Reggie

[Fillet1]

I use alot of the Gami octopus style style hooks in various sizes. I make flounder and seabass rigs with them as well as clam and bunker rigs for striper fishing. They are coated steel that will rust out. I used to use wide gap english style hooks that were stainless but found that the Gami's worked better and were much sharper out of the box.

[Slim to None]

For live shrimp on the bottom I use #1 or #2 EagleClaw Live bait hooks. For shrimp under a cork I use a Kale hook (similar to a circle hook) and hook the shrimp thru the head. For live pinfish its a EagleClaw hook, usually a 3/0 or 5/0 depending on bait size. Jigheads on all my soft plastics.

[FishEater]

I use mostly Jigs and circle hooks And soon long shank hooks for the mackerel. I hope the hooks I use will rust out I want the fish to live as well, thats one of the reasons I use circle hooks and I crunch down the barb with pliers as well. I also wet my hands before touching fish.

[chumhead]

I use circle hooks almost exclusively while bait fishing.....9 out of 10 hook-ups are in the corner of the mouth. For me at least (I have been fishing them for so long I don't do the samurai hookset) my hook-up ratio is also better, not to mention fewer gut-hooked fish. I mostly fish for fun, and release the fish.....so a gut hooked fish was (and from time to time, still is) a real heart breaker for me. If I do manage to gut-hook a fish, I keep it and give to someone that will enjoy it.

chumhead