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Bank fishing catfish...what am I doing wrong?!!

Crow Terminator

Crow Terminator

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Joined
Oct 23, 1999
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Location
McMinn County
Okay...cat fishing amateur here.

My setup thus far has been with cut bait - have been using white bass for cut bait if I can catch them, and if not, frozen skipjack. I haven't been able to get on any fresh skipjack so I have resorted to cheating and buying some at the bait store. I've got 9' heavy action rods with Abu Garcia 6500 reels with bait clickers. Throwing 3 to 5 oz "no roll" sinkers on a Carolina rig, with 8 to 10/0 circle hooks. Using Mustad demon fine wire circle hooks.

Okay the thing here is...I have been getting bites when I go. With my clicker on, I have had them hit so hard the rod bounce and then the clicker start going....I will engage the reel, still feel the fish on there, and start reeling...and every time, I will lose the fish. I have yet to get one to the bank or even a good hook up on them. I'm new to circle hooks but I know you're not suppose to jerk with them...aka do a bass fishing hookset. Everything I've read and saw on them says the fish hook themselves. Well that ain't been my luck thus far. It has started to get to me a little bit going out and doing the time, finally getting a good cutbait bite and then not getting a fish.

Any ideas? Heck, I had a fish the other day hit and start running to where I nearly lost my rod. I had it propped up on my tackle box while I was fishing for skipjack...but had forgot to push the button for the spool release. I had the clicker on but it wont work correct with the spool not released. I just so happened to see the rod jump and started towards it. Next thing I know, that rod is skating across the sidewalk (below Ft Loudon dam). I grabbed it just in time...and guess what...no fish.

Went this morning and only got dink bites at Ft. Loudon dam. Left Ft Loudon and went to Melton Hill. Had one of those hard running bait clicker hits...I presume it was a striper...and didn't get a hookup on it either. It stole the whole cut of a skipjack.
 
How are you rigging the bait on the hook? The point must be fully exposed. For example if your using a skipjack head, run the hook in the chin and out one of the nostrils. The angle will prevent the hook from swinging around and hooking back into the fish. When hooking steaks, run it through the tough part where the fin is attached, or any corner of the steak where you can get the hook through a little meat and skin to keep it on the hook.

Sounds like either blue cat or gar are hitting your bait. Bluecats hit real hard, gar will spit the bait out. Just make sure the hook is exposed and let the fish run with it till you know it's on there.


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I bet that's a big part in what I'm doing wrong. I've noticed when I reel in to check the bait after missing the fish that the hook point will be turned back into the bait itself. On the center piece cuts, I think I am hooking it too far down on the hook and not enough of the point is exposed and the gap is not wide enough to get in the corner of the fishes mouth. I have definitely not been going through the nostrils on the head pieces...I've been hooking those at the top above the eyes. I seem to get more bites on the head pieces. Not sure why...guess it's just the flavor of the day. I will definitely try going up through the chin and nostrils next time.

On a side note, I had saved all my trout heads and such from trout fishing this summer and kept them in the freezer. I've started throwing those out on rods beside the skipjack rods..and haven't had a single bite on the trout. I figured the striped bass would go for those. So far, not even a dink bite from a channel cat on the trout pieces.

Blues are what I have been targeting. For some reason I have an infatuation with them. I guess its because they get so big and my personal best is only about 8 pounds. I see these guys regularly catching them that size and calling them dinks so it has thrown me for a loop that since I started fishing for them exclusively, that I can't even catch the dinks lol There are several YouTube guys that fish the same waters as I am...and they are regularly pulling out 15+ pound blues. One guy (Catfish Dave on YouTube) says he hates summer time catfishing and that it gets better in the fall, so I am looking forward to that. The guys in boats and kayaks seem to be doing really well on the blues right now though, now that they've come off the nests. I'm limited to the bank though. No boat access.
 
I got the same infatuation with flatheads that you do with blues. 8 pounds is definitely a dink lol. I catch a few blues while flathead fishing. Biggest was only 14 pounds. They hit hard and fight hard. At least the little ones do. But I'm addicted to the big heavy head shake of a flathead.

Hooking the heads through the top above the eye should be fine. The main thing is that nothing gets in the way of the hook point. Keep after em, you'll figure it out.


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Wife and I went fishing Saturday morning, as did most everybody else so it seemed. I got lucky and caught a skipjack within 3 casts of getting there and promptly had it cut up for bait.

I had the head thrown out there on my cat rod and was just doing the time, while fishing for more skips. I started talking to another angler down from me who was also skipjack fishing for bait and he started helping me with getting started in catfishing. While this is going on, he says "hey man your rod just got nailed" and I looked over and said "I have my clicker on...if it starts pulling we'll know it". We talked a good 10 more minutes and my wife happened to be sitting by the catfish rod looks down and says "Honey, your reel is about out of line". I look over and sure enough, I am about spooled. I had forgot to turn the clicker on and left the reel freespooled. I picked the rod up and the guy asks me if I can feel the fish on there...yes...he says to reel down to him and just kinda sweep the rod to the side. I do and get a good hookup. The problem was...I now had approx 300-400 yards of line out LOL. After what seemed like forever, I finally got the line up and the fish never knew it was hooked til it got within 30 yards from me. I told the guy that I was pretty sure I just broke my PB record, and he says "I don't think that is gonna be a cat. If it is, it's a giant blue but I think it's a striper". Sure enough. One of those dad blasted fish with the stripes on em.

It was a PB...just not the right species. I have no idea on the weight. We guessed it somewhere 10-15 lbs. Maybe I'm getting some where on the hookups with fish now.

38011 by Daniel Teague, on Flickr
 
looks like at least a 15 pound striper. for circle hooks to work your rods need a soft tip to mid flex if yours dont. those fast or extra fast tip sections will pull it out of their mouth before it sets. you can slow sweep set a hybrid or wide gap circle hook while youre reeling to get penetration. smaller kahle hooks work better for eater size channel cats. ive also used them for 25 years on spring blues with better success than circles.
 
WTM":2zy8y4o9 said:
looks like at least a 15 pound striper. for circle hooks to work your rods need a soft tip to mid flex if yours dont. those fast or extra fast tip sections will pull it out of their mouth before it sets. you can slow sweep set a hybrid or wide gap circle hook while youre reeling to get penetration. smaller kahle hooks work better for eater size channel cats. ive also used them for 25 years on spring blues with better success than circles.
Click to expand...
a fast action is softer than a regular rod tip


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catman529":xyog13ul said:
WTM":xyog13ul said:
looks like at least a 15 pound striper. for circle hooks to work your rods need a soft tip to mid flex if yours dont. those fast or extra fast tip sections will pull it out of their mouth before it sets. you can slow sweep set a hybrid or wide gap circle hook while youre reeling to get penetration. smaller kahle hooks work better for eater size channel cats. ive also used them for 25 years on spring blues with better success than circles.
Click to expand...
a fast action is softer than a regular rod tip


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Click to expand...

yeah, with the relation to the rest of the rod. even then depends on the rod maker. ive seen a lot of the newer rods that has the feel of a broom stick, especially the heavy and xtra heavy power "catfish" models.
 
WTM":g6scdsxg said:
catman529":g6scdsxg said:
WTM":g6scdsxg said:
looks like at least a 15 pound striper. for circle hooks to work your rods need a soft tip to mid flex if yours dont. those fast or extra fast tip sections will pull it out of their mouth before it sets. you can slow sweep set a hybrid or wide gap circle hook while youre reeling to get penetration. smaller kahle hooks work better for eater size channel cats. ive also used them for 25 years on spring blues with better success than circles.
Click to expand...
a fast action is softer than a regular rod tip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

yeah, with the relation to the rest of the rod. even then depends on the rod maker. ive seen a lot of the newer rods that has the feel of a broom stick, especially the heavy and xtra heavy power "catfish" models.
Click to expand...
I will seek out and older style Ugly Stik Catfish at Walmart because the new ones have a real floppy tip. Maybe that's a good thing but I don't like it. I like the solid backbone all the way out and a good smooth bend in the rod when a big one loads up


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My current rod is a Ugly Stick Catfish edition 9 foot casting rod. It has a lot of flex in it...too much really for anythingover 3 ounces of weight IMO. I just bought an Okuma surf fishing rod in 10 foot casting that can handle 8 oz of weight. By the time you put a 4 or 5 oz sinker on and a big skipjack head, you're pushing 7 or 8 ounces out there. The surf rod loads up and casts the weight extremely well. Just ordered 2 Abu Garcia 6500 reels to put on each of the rods too.
 
It is very possible that your "missed bites" are actually gar. Check your baits closely after missed strikes and you might see gar tooth marks.... or they're just aggressive dinks as noted previously.

I always tell my clients, "If you didn't catch him he probably wasn't worth catching anyway."

Trust me... circle hooks are effective. Personally, I never use bait clickers. I always leave reels fully engaged. If it's a decent blue cat (8 lbs. or bigger), he is going to fully eat the bait on the first gulp. Having the reel engaged as he swims off is what is actually going to set the hook. Of course you must have good rod holders.... no "leaning the rod against the tackle box." Otherwise your rod is going for a swim.

Good luck!
 

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