06-20-2019, 06:07 PM
Thanks for all of the replies and suggestions. I was fishing from a boat and I always put my rods in rod holders.
I had a lot more fish pull the bobber for several feet and then just drop the bait than what I am used to. Only on a couple occasions, when I forgot I was using circle hooks, did I jerk my rod to set the hook. On all other occasions, I tightened my line and let the rod set the hook. I had more catfish get off immediately after being hooked than I typically experience. I tied the hooks on using either a uniknot or a palomar knot.
I was fishing with two rods and most of the time they were cast in different directions, and because we were getting so many bites it was difficult to keep up with both rods (nice problem to have). I tried fishing with a bobber on both rods and also with one rod without a bobber and just the smallest split shot sinker and the other rod under a bobber.
The last two trips my fishing partners have hooked almost all of their catfish in the corner of their mouths. They accomplished this by fishing with one rod and using non-circle hooks. They would set the hook immediately after the fish pulled the bobber under (did not let them run at all).
The reason I was hoping that circle hooks would hook almost all of the fish in the corner of the mouth is because I enjoy using two rods and it would be nice if they hooked themselves more often. I tried both with the bail open and the bail closed.
Next trip I will try again with the following adjustments. I will use snell knots (I know how they should be properly tied) and I will always have the bail flipped. If I am not pleased with the results I may switch to one rod (which I can closely watch) use regular octopus hooks and set the hook immediately after the fish begins swimming with the bait.
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I had a lot more fish pull the bobber for several feet and then just drop the bait than what I am used to. Only on a couple occasions, when I forgot I was using circle hooks, did I jerk my rod to set the hook. On all other occasions, I tightened my line and let the rod set the hook. I had more catfish get off immediately after being hooked than I typically experience. I tied the hooks on using either a uniknot or a palomar knot.
I was fishing with two rods and most of the time they were cast in different directions, and because we were getting so many bites it was difficult to keep up with both rods (nice problem to have). I tried fishing with a bobber on both rods and also with one rod without a bobber and just the smallest split shot sinker and the other rod under a bobber.
The last two trips my fishing partners have hooked almost all of their catfish in the corner of their mouths. They accomplished this by fishing with one rod and using non-circle hooks. They would set the hook immediately after the fish pulled the bobber under (did not let them run at all).
The reason I was hoping that circle hooks would hook almost all of the fish in the corner of the mouth is because I enjoy using two rods and it would be nice if they hooked themselves more often. I tried both with the bail open and the bail closed.
Next trip I will try again with the following adjustments. I will use snell knots (I know how they should be properly tied) and I will always have the bail flipped. If I am not pleased with the results I may switch to one rod (which I can closely watch) use regular octopus hooks and set the hook immediately after the fish begins swimming with the bait.
[signature]