that's another thing actually, and i'm glad you reminded me about it.
while the hook size is usually dependent on the size of the fish you're after, hook style is, at least for me, dependent on what bait you're using and the size of said bait.
my favorite bait, hands down, is fresh cutbait from local prey species. for me and my cat spot, that means small green sunfish or bluegills. thus, the octopus hook. the wide gap allows plenty of room for the point to clear the cutbait when setting the hook, even when using the heads of the really small 'gills.
whenever i fish with nightcrawlers, i love to go with a 1/4 oz. long-shank ballhead jig. when you get them cheap, the light wire will bend if you get snagged, rather than losing hooks over and over, because if i'm fishing with nightcrawlers, i'm looking for active fish or fish that will grab a bait that's dropped right in front of them. so, i'm basically flipping big gobs of nightcrawlers next to logs and under overhanging limbs. the jighead gives me that accuracy that the usual carolina rig wouldn't.
and, on the rare occasion that i use them, chicken livers are strictly treble-hook baits. whatever contraptions i've come up with; be it elastic thread, squares of nylon stockings, or a length of yarn, in my experience chicken livers just don't cooperate until they're combined with a treble hook. i really hate fishing them because they're messy, don't last long at all, and the necessity of a treble makes them ridiculously prone to snags. that said, if i'm fishing over a plain muck, sand, or gravel bottom, and bites are coming fast and furious, liver will do nicely and the treble will almost guarantee a hookup on swiping bites that may be missed by a single hook.
really, it all depends on your style of fishing and what you're comfortable with. i love fishing with cutbait because i spend a few hours catching sunfish, then fish them until i run out, lather, rinse, repeat. it's all fun, and i don't have to deal with keeping crawlers cool or cleaning up a nasty liver mess.
stink baits and paste baits aren't really available in my area, so i have no insight there.