Hook Placement on Live Gills

[chuckd67]

Where do you hookem for good hook sets on circle hooks? And where they live longer? I would just like to here everyones opinions and why they do it this way.

[Skyline1506]

right behind the fin on their spine. right where it dips to the tail

[Skyline1506]

doesnt inhibit their swimming and they live all night

[Catfishrollo]

If you hook them more forward behind the dorsal fin, a lot of times when the fish takes the bait, you can result in the hook turning, and hooking back into the meat of the bait! rollo

[Catfishrollo]

Good points Jordan! rollo

[katfish]

Hook placement is dictated by a number of factors.

If you are fishing a bait under a bobber, you want the bait hooked on the dorsal fin in the center.
The balance will enable the bait to swim upright with the least effort and threfore last longer.

When fishing in surrent you would want the bait hooked in the mouth. This will enable the bait to stay facing into current and live longer.

I almost always hook suckers in the bony part of the head. The rest of a sucker is soft
and they will be torn off hooks before the fisherman can get a hook into a flathead.

If bottoms have some vegetation, I may hook baits on bottom below the anal fin.
This causes them to swim up off the bottom as they struggle and make them more visible.

Normally I hook baits just behind the dorsal fin and use the cartilage of the fin to help hold
them on a hook. On baits I cast I will hook them just a bit deeper to make sure I don't cast
them off.

I guess you should just assess your situation and decide which hook placement is best
for what you want from the bait.

[chuckd67]

Jul 26, 2013 8:22:42 GMT -5 katfish said:

Hook placement is dictated by a number of factors.

If you are fishing a bait under a bobber, you want the bait hooked on the dorsal fin in the center.
The balance will enable the bait to swim upright with the least effort and threfore last longer.

When fishing in surrent you would want the bait hooked in the mouth. This will enable the bait to stay facing into current and live longer.

I almost always hook suckers in the bony part of the head. The rest of a sucker is soft
and they will be torn off hooks before the fisherman can get a hook into a flathead.

If bottoms have some vegetation, I may hook baits on bottom below the anal fin.
This causes them to swim up off the bottom as they struggle and make them more visible.

Normally I hook baits just behind the dorsal fin and use the cartilage of the fin to help hold
them on a hook. On baits I cast I will hook them just a bit deeper to make sure I don't cast
them off.

I guess you should just assess your situation and decide which hook placement is best
for what you want from the bait.

Do you see any difference in your hook up ratios between the back and mouth. I've had two in the last week turn back into the bait using #10 circle hooks and large Gill. Could hooking them in the back keep the hook from turning and setting properly.

[chuckd67]

One of the ones I missed could have been a fish of a lifetime. I don't know what happened and exactly how long I had him he took a run up river taking drag. He let off a little and I tried to turn him around and he spit it out. The hook was turned back in the bait. Is it possible a flathead can hold on to bait that long without being stuck or did the bait get hooked after he spit it. Another one around 40ish drove after he surfaced beside the boat after I cut on my head lamp. When he drove the bait and hook came free. Same thing hook was double backed into the bait. They where both hooked through the back behind the fin. I don't see a flathead fighting with that much force just holding it in their mouth.

[banksidebandit]

I think the hook went back into the bait after the fish got off the hook. I hook from the bottom of the bait if on the bottom and from the top if under a bobber. Chubs and suckers always in the mouth. I've seen people using a stinger hook for blues when they use big hunks of skipjack but I've never used one myself.

[Chuck]

I have come to hook mine about exactly as Robby has described. The worst cases of the hook turning back in my experience have been when I tried nostril hooking them. I have experienced only a couple of cases of the hook turning back in since I started using the Team Catfish double action hooks. It usually happens when I mess up on the dark and hook them a little too deep below the dorsal fin.

[CatfishHunter]

I'm going to be fishing the Missouri River this weekend. I'm assuming since its such a strong current I should nostril hook them or is there another way to keep them facing upstream?

[Skyline1506]

Aug 5, 2013 0:00:18 GMT -5 CatfishHunter said:

I'm going to be fishing the Missouri River this weekend. I'm assuming since its such a strong current I should nostril hook them or is there another way to keep them facing upstream?

through the eyes is fine but if its really heavy i would come up from bottom lip then either out through nostril or eye socket. keep the mouth shut so they dont drown. i come out between nostrils in the boney cartlidge. I like to always have the hook through solid stuff

[CatfishHunter]

Aug 5, 2013 15:47:05 GMT -5 Skyline1506 said:

Aug 5, 2013 0:00:18 GMT -5 CatfishHunter said:

I'm going to be fishing the Missouri River this weekend. I'm assuming since its such a strong current I should nostril hook them or is there another way to keep them facing upstream?

through the eyes is fine but if its really heavy i would come up from bottom lip then either out through nostril or eye socket. keep the mouth shut so they dont drown. i come out between nostrils in the boney cartlidge. I like to always have the hook through solid stuff

Alright thanks. that's what I was thinking but I wanted to be sure.

[Skyline1506]

no prob in low current i go through the eyse. almost 0 chance of hook turning back into bait but on big baits through the lips is fine. behind the dorsal is my go to move 90% of the time our current at normal pool isnt bad enough to kill bait. on big drum and bass though i do through the face