bait and tackle question

[Catfishboy1995]

Sounds like a good set up...Here is a picture of my favorite hooks...First hook is a Catfish Nation 10/0 Kahle...Then there is a team catfish 8/0 double action circle....Then there is a gammagatzu octopus circle hook 8/0....Then a gammagatzu octupus hook 6/0...I have had out standing success on hook ups with these hooks....Attachment 116421

It wont let my edit this....But i forgot to mention th 10/0 i normally use for flatheads..But I got a 6lb channel on it...So you can catch smaller fish on BIG hooks

[jjw]

channel cats in the 5 lb range will easily take a 2/0 to 4/0 hook and I often use alot bigger, they will give you so much better chance of hooking the fish than a tiny size 6 hook, we arn't fishing for trout here(unless we want them for bait). get yourself a pack of 4/0 eagle claw bronze baitholders to try them out, these are not the best hooks out there but do a good job and do work, they are also fairly inexpensive! rig a calolina rig with enough weight to make your cast and to hold your bait in place, don't overload the hook, you want that point out and ready to grab fish lip,cats arn't picky,no need to hide the hook,and the best shot a size 6 or 2 hook has of grabbing a five lber is by gut hooking as there is not much there to grab that big heavy jaw with.

ill try the 4/0 hook next time. i made some dough bait, im planning to try it out when i go on tuesday or wednesday night. also, what do you think of worms as bait? i dont have anymore shiners, although i suppose i could but some more baitfish

another thing that i forgot to mention earlier, ive got a light action rod (4 to 10) pound, not sure how significant that is but just thought maybe it should be mentioned.

also, i have a question regarding the leader line in the carolina rig, does it need to be lighter strength than what ive got coming from the spool? any suggestions on what line to use?

thanks for all the tips by the way

[m slayton]

i use a 7/0 BIG eagle claw laser sharp circle hook then i either cut a frozen shiner in half and hook it behind the gills there is a hard spot in there , or i take a frozen shiner and hook it behind the gills then bend it carefully and hook it again above the belly and again in the back bone of the tail yes it looks funny and not so good but the cats love it and it shushes oils n guts out and stays on the hook really well,

if your not wanting big ones or just eater sized then i'd use panty hose and chicken livers a big glob of livers will get some nice eaters i have caught them up to 8-9 pounds on the livers , but now i am seeking the biggenz.. also if you don't get a bite within a half hour -hour then step on the shiner and squish him and recast this gets all the juices flowing and seems to work good.

the leader, since your rod is set up with lighter line i'd us a 30lb leader and how the heck are you slinging a 4 ounce sinker with 10lb mono ??? i tryed that and my sinker and bait ended up in the next county with OUT my main line attached... and set your drag if you should get a big one he is gonna test your skill and just remember to grab the leader when landing the fish and not the mainline .

also since you have a light action set up i'd find out the biggest line that reel will hold and either use that or some 25-30lb power pro <--- thats what i'd use the fish might spool you since your drag is not gonna stop a big one on that light set up but at least he won't break you off

[playin4funami]

I use lighter leaders than my heavy mainline because I fish in the nastiest thickest snags that I can find and often break off,so I use a lighter leader so if/when I do break off I only lose a hook usually,cheaper that way!, If I was fishing a more open area without snags I would use a little heavier for line resistance to wearing or even the same line as the mainline, no need for a leader in my book if there if nothing to snag on or wear against,but a cats mouth can cause some line wear,so it depends on how light you line is. 20 lb test is fine without a seperate leader to me. talking mono line! with braid I use a lighter leader cause respooling new braid every week can get mighty expensive. cats arn't picky and if all you are after is some 5 lb or less channels then I would recommend a good dipbait and some dipbait hooks,these are respondsible for lots and lots of good eater size cats being caught.

[jjw]

so ill use 10 lb monofilment line as main line (i believe thats the max the rod can take) and then use something heavier as the leader? or just use the same line on the other side of the barrel swivel?

[m slayton]

if your going with 10lb mono ya might want a heavier leader but its up to you.

my lake gear is 10-12lb mono on my reels and i still use 30lb big game line for a leader just cause we hang in to some BIG gar and some nice channel cats and some huge eels too and i like being able to grab the leader and lift the fish outa the water if i forget the net at home gl

[lance]

Jay Not sure what part of KY you are from but there are wal-marts every where ! First off you said resivoir ? Which one ? Might have bigger cats than you think ! Now back to wally world . They have shakesphere tiger rods catting rods about 20.oo a peice w/20 lb mono on it . I brought a sea turtle pushing a good 80 + to the peir and the hook straightened out . I have caught blues up to 20 lbs . no problem outside of snags and hand rails (another story ) .

[jjw]

Jay Not sure what part of KY you are from but there are wal-marts every where ! First off you said resivoir ? Which one ? Might have bigger cats than you think ! Now back to wally world . They have shakesphere tiger rods catting rods about 20.oo a peice w/20 lb mono on it . I brought a sea turtle pushing a good 80 + to the peir and the hook straightened out . I have caught blues up to 20 lbs . no problem outside of snags and hand rails (another story ) .

yea just went to walmart and bought the shakespeare tiger spinning rod for 19.99. seems like a good deal to me. plus it holds 8 to 15 pound line and came with a spool full of 12 pound line so i figure it will be much more sturdy than the last.

[jjw]

i had a tasty catfish sandwich tonight. the heavier rod and heavier line was definitely the way to go. thanks for the tips folks.
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[m slayton]

yall got some pretty channels up that way ours are a darker color gj and ty for the pics