Cat Chat

[Cowboypirate]

Okay I have a topic that I could use some help with:  Yesterday when I went out I actually had several hits I missed, well truth be told the day went like this.... First cast out of both poles I had a fish grab my left pole which had a big honking quarter pound of carp on it... It had an 8 ought hook with a 3 ought stinger hook right by it with both hooks in the same piece of bait.  As the bobber took off I was so excited I immediately tried to set the hook and gave a big harry jerk and pulled it right out of its mouth, no contact...   While later right pole bobber takes off.. Note this pole has a flig baited with carp and then two other  4 ought hooks lower with less bait on this rig prospecting for what they wanted.  Anyway it is under a bobber and the bobber takes off, this pole has my bait feeder reel on so I let it take off and swim... note they are moving slow, not the summer grab and run ... The fish gets out maybe 10 yards and I decide to set the hook, so I cranked into it and all heck breaks lose as the fish thrashes like an alligator, the head pops out and it's a big boy, like probably 28 plus fish... I fight for maybe two or three seconds after and it's gone, like opened its mouth and spit it out...  As the afternoon went on, two more takes and total whiffs when I try to set the hook after the bobbers being carried a long ways away...  So I tried to cut my bait into smaller pieces so the hooks stuck out better and casted back out... Then I caught the 22"er, but it was hooked on the outside of the mouth, so probably not the hook it took...   A long time later I got the 26.5 and it had swallowed it so I did get a good hook set there.  My question is, how should I be baiting up or rigging my hooks so I get a better hook up ratio... I don't usually get many bites and if I miss them I have a good chance on not catching anything... Anyone willing to do a basic rigging baiting piece so I can try and do better?  Thanks Jeff

I am not going to offer advice as I dont consider myself an expert on your questions, but I will say that this year I bough the "Triple Threat" circle hooks from Whisker Seeker. Been wanting to try them for a while. If you believe the hype (sales pitch) they can be fished dead stick circle hook style with no hook set, or with a sweeping hookset if you like a more traditional method (as long as you sweep, so you get the point angle right) and I forget what the third option is. Anyway I will report out on how they work. I picked up size 8 and size 6 and rigged my santee setups with the sixes and my deadsticks with the 8. I know I am a believer in the circle hooks if I dont get impatent on the tug.