Post by joeyfri13 on Feb 6, 2012 21:16:53 GMT -5
I figured i would type this up for anybody that had any questions about the type of tackle most of us use for catfishing. I am aware most are all ready well aware of the information in this post but there might be someone that is newer to catfishing that might find some of it useful
I will start with the only piece of gear that comes into contact with the fish and thats the hook. There are many different types of hooks but i will focus on the ones most cat guys are using.
The J-hook is one of the most commonly used hook styles and is a great hook for big catfish. I like to use size 8/0 - 10/0. The best thing about J-hooks is that you decide when to set the hook, that means that no matter what direction the fish is swimming with your bait you can still set the hook. They usually have a good hook gap which is good when fishign with big live bait as it allows you to have planty of hook exposed for good hook sets. there are plenty of variations of the J-hook as you can see from the pic below.
One variant of the J-hook that is pretty popular is the Kahle Hook the is a j-hook with an extreme hook gap, which make it popular with guys that use large baits, as far hook sets it is used the same as a normal J-hooks but with the bigger hook gap you may be able to use bigger baits.
The second most popular type of hook is the circle hook. These hooks work much differently than J-hooks. They are designed so that the fish can take the hook into it's mouth and not get hooked right away, the fish gets hooked when it swims away the hook moves to the corner of the mouth where it gets hooks most of the time. There are a couple different ways to set the circle hook. The easiest way is to Lock the rod down into a solid rod holder engage the reel And back the drag off a little, this method you will wait for the fish to hook itself, you will see the rod bending as the fish is hooked then all you have to do is pick up the rod and start fishting the fish, you can also have the reel in free spool and as the fish is going on it's run engage the reel and let the fish load up the rod hooking the fish, it is important not to try to set a circle hook the same way you would set a J-hook. You will pull the hook right out of the fishes mouth before the hook gets a chance to be set. One of the problems that you may run into when using circle hooks is that it is very difficult to set the hook if the fish takes the bait and runs towards you. You can use a slow wide sweeping motion to set circle hooks as well, this may take some practice expecially when you get the adrenaline rush of your clicker going off!
There are some hooks that i consider hybrid hooks, one of these is called the charlie brown octapus hook. It is my favorite hook, and is a cross between a hahle and a circle hook and can be used like either one. I like it because it gives me the flexibility to set the hook how ever i want and can change from situation to situation. They have planty of hookgap for big baits as well which i like a lot.
you can see how it is a cross of the two types of hooks, the charlie brown hook is in the middle between a kahle hook on the left and a circle hook on the right.
There are many different hooks out there for catfishing just make sure you know how to properly use the ones you choose or you could lose some big fish!
Lets talk about sinkers or weights. There are also many different types of sinkers for different areas and situations.
sinkers that are good for holding big baits in the current of the river tend to be flat to have less drag for the curent to grab and move the sinker around very easliy, the size of the sinker will be determined by the size of the bait you are using and how deep and strong the current is where you are fishing. The way you rig up sinkers is limited only by your imagination. I have seen hundreds of different methods, one of the most popular is to use a slip sinker where the line runs through the sinker itself or to attach the sinker to a sinker slide to allow the line to move freely so that the fish will feel no resistance when it takes the bait. You may choose to secure the sinker to the line for different fishing situations like near a dam or something like that.
Some sinkers are designed with drift fishing in mind. These sinkers are designed only to get the bait to a certain depth to to hold the bait in one place, with this in mind they have to be designed no to snag up. So they tend to be long slender weights and somtimes curved or flexible. these are great when you are trying to cover a large body of water rather quickly.
As far as the type of overall rigs this again is a personal preferance i almost exclusivley use a carolina rig system with a slip sinker on my main line 80lb braid, then a large barrel swival, then my leader usually mono or flourocarbon 80lb test 10-20 inches long ending in the hook of my choice. Becuase we use such large sinkers and bait the slip sinker can have a lot of force and can damage the knot at either the hook or the swival depending on the type of rig you choose to use. to protect the knot we usually use beads , rubber beads, or if you can get those a small piece of rubber hose, between the sinker and the knot.
The rubber beads and heavy duty sinker slinds as well as any kind of catfishing sinkers and hooks can be found online at www.bottomdwellerstackle.com your one stop catfishing stop, the prices are out of this world and Dave's service and shipping are unmatched!
Feel free to add anything i might have missed or photos of your favorite rigs and why they have worked for you.
I will start with the only piece of gear that comes into contact with the fish and thats the hook. There are many different types of hooks but i will focus on the ones most cat guys are using.
The J-hook is one of the most commonly used hook styles and is a great hook for big catfish. I like to use size 8/0 - 10/0. The best thing about J-hooks is that you decide when to set the hook, that means that no matter what direction the fish is swimming with your bait you can still set the hook. They usually have a good hook gap which is good when fishign with big live bait as it allows you to have planty of hook exposed for good hook sets. there are plenty of variations of the J-hook as you can see from the pic below.
One variant of the J-hook that is pretty popular is the Kahle Hook the is a j-hook with an extreme hook gap, which make it popular with guys that use large baits, as far hook sets it is used the same as a normal J-hooks but with the bigger hook gap you may be able to use bigger baits.
The second most popular type of hook is the circle hook. These hooks work much differently than J-hooks. They are designed so that the fish can take the hook into it's mouth and not get hooked right away, the fish gets hooked when it swims away the hook moves to the corner of the mouth where it gets hooks most of the time. There are a couple different ways to set the circle hook. The easiest way is to Lock the rod down into a solid rod holder engage the reel And back the drag off a little, this method you will wait for the fish to hook itself, you will see the rod bending as the fish is hooked then all you have to do is pick up the rod and start fishting the fish, you can also have the reel in free spool and as the fish is going on it's run engage the reel and let the fish load up the rod hooking the fish, it is important not to try to set a circle hook the same way you would set a J-hook. You will pull the hook right out of the fishes mouth before the hook gets a chance to be set. One of the problems that you may run into when using circle hooks is that it is very difficult to set the hook if the fish takes the bait and runs towards you. You can use a slow wide sweeping motion to set circle hooks as well, this may take some practice expecially when you get the adrenaline rush of your clicker going off!
There are some hooks that i consider hybrid hooks, one of these is called the charlie brown octapus hook. It is my favorite hook, and is a cross between a hahle and a circle hook and can be used like either one. I like it because it gives me the flexibility to set the hook how ever i want and can change from situation to situation. They have planty of hookgap for big baits as well which i like a lot.
you can see how it is a cross of the two types of hooks, the charlie brown hook is in the middle between a kahle hook on the left and a circle hook on the right.
There are many different hooks out there for catfishing just make sure you know how to properly use the ones you choose or you could lose some big fish!
Lets talk about sinkers or weights. There are also many different types of sinkers for different areas and situations.
sinkers that are good for holding big baits in the current of the river tend to be flat to have less drag for the curent to grab and move the sinker around very easliy, the size of the sinker will be determined by the size of the bait you are using and how deep and strong the current is where you are fishing. The way you rig up sinkers is limited only by your imagination. I have seen hundreds of different methods, one of the most popular is to use a slip sinker where the line runs through the sinker itself or to attach the sinker to a sinker slide to allow the line to move freely so that the fish will feel no resistance when it takes the bait. You may choose to secure the sinker to the line for different fishing situations like near a dam or something like that.
Some sinkers are designed with drift fishing in mind. These sinkers are designed only to get the bait to a certain depth to to hold the bait in one place, with this in mind they have to be designed no to snag up. So they tend to be long slender weights and somtimes curved or flexible. these are great when you are trying to cover a large body of water rather quickly.
As far as the type of overall rigs this again is a personal preferance i almost exclusivley use a carolina rig system with a slip sinker on my main line 80lb braid, then a large barrel swival, then my leader usually mono or flourocarbon 80lb test 10-20 inches long ending in the hook of my choice. Becuase we use such large sinkers and bait the slip sinker can have a lot of force and can damage the knot at either the hook or the swival depending on the type of rig you choose to use. to protect the knot we usually use beads , rubber beads, or if you can get those a small piece of rubber hose, between the sinker and the knot.
The rubber beads and heavy duty sinker slinds as well as any kind of catfishing sinkers and hooks can be found online at www.bottomdwellerstackle.com your one stop catfishing stop, the prices are out of this world and Dave's service and shipping are unmatched!
Feel free to add anything i might have missed or photos of your favorite rigs and why they have worked for you.
rollo
