The argument is in how the hook lays when attached to the line and the hook should always pull forward as this helps you catch more fish. You might have even heard that you need to cover the hook point because the fish will see it and not bite.
When baiting a circle hook you want to shallow hook the bait keeping the hook gap open and also make sure you hook the bait in a way that keeps the hook from getting fouled. A fouled hook occurs when the bait flips around on the hook , fills the gap, and covers the hook point. To get recommendations on the best circle hooks to use for catfish as well as all of the other suggested catfishing tackle and gear check out the Ultimate Guide To Catfishing Gear. This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know to choose and use the right catfish tackle and gear and save money in the process.
I use circle hooks exclusively for blue catfish and flatheads and very often for larger channel catfish. I rely on treble hooks when fishing prepared bait channel catfish with the Secret Catfish Rig and rarely have a need for any other form of hooks.
To get on the fast track to catching more and bigger catfish check out some of the Catfish Edge products. These in-depth guides available in ebooks and online video are like a guided catfish trip online at a fraction of the cost of hiring a guide. Topics cover everything from learning how to locate and catch shad , techniques like drift fishing or splat fishing , and seasonal guides that cover everything you need to know to catch fish at certain times of the lear like Spring Blue Catfish Techniques , Summer Channel Catfish Techniques , and Transition Cats.
There may be some trial-and-error involved in choosing the best hook for catfish. A size 6 treble may be composed of hooks that are smaller than a size 6 J-hook. Your best bet is to compare for yourself. See what you have the best luck with and buy your catfish hooks accordingly. Treble hooks are standard catfish hooks for any kind of fishing.
Because trebles are so common you need to be careful about where you get yours from. You can find cheap treble hooks as any fishing supply store or website. You can even pick them up at places like Walmart. You want to avoid a cheap hook whenever possible. If the metal is of poor quality, you risk both bending and rust.
Worse, unique to these catfish hooks, the three parts could come apart. A cheap treble hook may not list what it is made from on the package. These are best avoided. You want to stick with catfish hooks made from high carbon steel, or Teflon-coated stainless. A number two hook is a good size treble for very large catfish and the largest you want to go with. A number 6 hook is a reliable, standard size. Trebles are ideal for punch baits and dip baits.
The extra hooks allow it to hold better. Simply push the treble into the bait and it will latch on. The large loop means you can hook a good-sized chunk of bait. Anything smaller may not hold.
Kahle hooks are best for medium to large catfish. Small catfish like channel catfish would be better caught with smaller treble hooks. The largest channel cats can be caught with kahle hooks. Smaller blue catfish and flathead catfish also do well on kahle hooks. Offset circle hooks can be one of several kinds of hooks. Kahle hooks are a kind of circle hook, for instance. What makes it offset is how the hook end twists away from the eye onto which you tie your line.
Offset circle hooks curve away. Offset circle hooks are not always legal to use. They may gut hook the fish and cause serious harm. Most fishing competitions ban the use of offset circle hooks. Unfortunately, many stores still sell them more often than non-offset.
A non-offset circle hook forms a straight loop. If you lay this hook down on a table, it will lay flat. Inline circle hooks hook the fish in the lip or jaw. This is safer for the fish. It ensures that if the fish pulls free, it will not swallow the hook. Likewise, it causes the least amount of damage when it pierces their mouths. In a fish's mouth, that cam action increases the chance the hook point encounters flesh for a solid hook-set.
Circle hooks are another type of hook designed to increase hookups. At first glance, the inward-turned point the hook point is pointed inward perpendicular to the hook shaft looks like it would never catch and penetrate a fish's mouth. But if you steadily pull a circle hook between two fingers on a length of line attached to the hook, it pivots as it moves over a finger or over a fish's jawbone in a position to embed.
The resistance of the fish pulling embeds the hook, usually in the corner of its mouth. The fish takes the bait, the rod loads as the tip bends almost to the water before you pick it up and start reeling. Don't set the hook in a traditional sense. The other way is to hold the rod and let the fish pull against you until it's a steady pull, then start reeling.
The main thing to understand with circle hooks is that if you do a traditional hook-set with a sudden jerk of the rod, you may jerk the hook out of the fish's mouth before it has time to rotate and set. Circle hooks were originally designed for saltwater fishing, but hook manufacturers are responding to demand and now design them specifically for catfishing. Because circle hooks are somewhat finicky about the way they're "engaged," variations have appeared, such as Eagle Claw's patented Kahle-style hooks, and modified circle hook designs such as the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle and Eagle Claw Lazer Sharp L, which have a wider gap than true circle hooks yet still have an inward turned point.
In addition to fishing them like a true circle hook, you can also set modified designs with a long sweep, so they're more forgiving for beginners who set hooks in a traditional way. Matt Davis, founder of Whisker Seeker Tackle, also finds that you can fish a hook such as the Triple Threat like a traditional circle hook by letting the rod load or reeling down on a fish, or by using a long, sweeping motion of the rod instead of the traditional hard, sudden jerk.
While circle hooks and variations on them have gained popularity with catfish anglers, J-hooks remain solid options in many situations. They're sort of a universal catfish hook that works under a lot of conditions, but circle hooks offer extremely high hook-set percentages if they're used correctly.
Setting quickly after a bite or using circle hooks helps reduce deep hooking. While circle hooks have recently dominated tournament catfishing, and J-hooks are traditional favorites, legions of catfish catchers still use treble hooks. The metallurgy, tempering, point design, barb options, and other variables of treble hooks mirror those of single hooks. The only difference is that most trebles are made by adding a single hook to a double hook and brazing the three shanks together to create three times the hooking potential—and improved bait-holding opportunities for anglers who fish punchbaits.
Punchbait enthusiasts jam bare treble hooks into tubs of thick fibrous baits and pull them out at an angle to load the hook with a dollop of pungent catfish-catching concoction. Dipbait aficionados opt for treble hooks outfitted with silicone tubes, corrugated rubber worms, or other arrangements to hold semi-liquid dipbait on their hooks.
An option with dipworms is to replace the treble hook with a single J-hook or circle hook. Trilene, Palomar, improved clinch, and uni-knots work well on catfish hooks. Snelled circle hooks have gained popularity in recent years, and "snelling makes a strong hook-to-line connection on hooks with offset eyes," says Stallings. Offset hookeyes come in two styles: "up" eye, where the eye of the hook is at an angle away from the hook point, and "down" eye, where the eye bends toward the hook point.
If it's snelled so the hook arches away from the bend, it might not be as efficient in catching the fish's mouth. Gamakatsu's Quiocho says the biggest thing to remember when standing in the aisle of a bait shop in front of racks of hooks is to select the right tool for the job. In any system incorporating multiple components, there's always a weakest link. Give a Gift Subscriber Services. See All Special Interest Magazines.
0コメント