Roadkillwarrior

I have been useing a hook simular to this style for fishing on bottom for flathead catfish useing bluegill for bait. I have been out twice useing this hook and got a nice bite both times but miss the fish both times. I dont set the hook because I know that you are just supposed to pull and the hook sets its self. I was wondering if any of you catfish fisherman on here had a better style of hook that is effective for hooking flatheads while fishing on bottom.

thundermug

A circle hook will set itself. Give the fish time to swallow it. Then reel it in. Although if you are using baitfish the bait might keep the hook from setting.

conner_condor

Also if the fish is swimming towards you with the bait or if the hook starts to come out of the fishes mouth the back side first doesn't work so well.. I myself like the tug and set method type hooks...

Oneshot7

a j-hook works much better for the big cats

mauser06

the ultimate hook (IMO) is a Kahle hook. i had trouble hooking up with cats as well...missed probably 75%. switched to kahles and the hook up ratio went up to dang near 100%. i couldnt get over NOT setting the hook with circles..just didnt seem right...thats the fun of fishin...

they cured my problems though...

oh ya.....if im waitin for a bite im most likely sharpening hooks if its still daylight....catfish mouths are pretty tough and boney...sharp hooks help

Kyle_Hamm2

I've never used circle hooks for big cats but I dont buy the idea of not setting the hook. Cats have tough mouths plus you are using bluegill for bait. I'd set the hook, though maybe not as hard as if you were using a regular hook

conner_condor

Actually the circle hook catches the corner of the cats mouth where it is softer. I think you loose more cats with a circle hook than traditional hooks.. If you use the right size hook and a cat swallows the bait your not going to loose that cat.. It's all about the hook sizeand bait size for the size of fish you are targeting.. If you use 6 inch gills for bait and you got a small cat who thinks he can handle it and runs off with it most likely you will rip the bait out of its mouth no matter what kinda hook you use... Now a larger cat will fit that whole bait in it's mouth and when you set the hook you are going to hook up.. I target large channel cats in the 10 to 20lb range and use large baits and large hooks of 4/0 and bigger.. The larger baits discourages the smaller fish from hitting it most the time..This let's me concentrate on larger cats..

lilbassman

earlier today i was fishing and I put on a very small sunfish it was probably 4 or 5 inches. i had my bail open and when I got a bite i let the fish have it for like a whole minute then I set the hook and didn't hook it if you have any sugestions on how to make it work better like where to hook the bait or other things like that I'd really appreciate it.

conner_condor

The thing is, It's not about hook placement as much as hook size and bait size. What ever was on the end of your line was to small to eat your bait all at once. Catfish that can handle large baits will gulp them down right on the spot and run most the time in warm weather. As for smaller cats they just grab the meals that are to big for them to gulp down and run off with the bait hanging out of their mouths. This has happened to me and I watched it happen in the shallows. But the thing is, Turtles and pike and bass sometimes will hit your bait also. Try smaller baits if your missing fish just to see the size of who the culprits are. I hook my gills thru the tail,This causes blood to drip out a little to help with the scent better. What kinda cats are in the waters you fish?

sandilands

I use both circle hooks and octopus hooks. I only use octopus circles hooks tho and only when the bite is really on. If U want to set the hook with a circle hook, have the rod parallel with the water and use a sweeping motion. I also found that using the proper rod helps too, you don't want to go too stiif and if the rod is verticle in a holder it helps too. Hop that helps, if not go back to just the J-hook.
The other thing I just thought of is when hooking the bait, try using different methods. Sometimes if your hook is too low the hooks tip won't catch on to mr. whiskers properly.