Top Hooks for Catfish

Catfishing has grown in popularity in the world of angling. This is primarily due to the ease with which catfish can be found but the difficulty in catching them as they grow large and require enough strength to be pulled out of the water. Hence, choosing the right gear is vital to ensure that every catfish bite turns into an actual catch.

With different rigs and bait to choose from, anglers often overlook one crucial factor in snagging the cats—hook. Fish hooks have been around for over 30,000 years, the earliest made out of wood, animal bones, horns, shells, and even plant thorns. In 2005, Forbes listed fish hooks as one of the 20 most important, noting how dependable it can be, despite being so straightforward.

Hooks are easily found in the market, but choosing which kind to use for catfish can be tricky, especially for beginners. To start understanding why selecting the right hook is essential, knowing the fish itself is the first step. Catfish are known to have the potential to grow incredibly large. They have sharp teeth and thick, coarse mouths full of sinew, bones, and tough flesh. Considering these give an idea of how intense these species are, how strenuous the fight can be, and how exhausting the whole experience can get. After a good tug-o-war with a large blue or flathead, it would be such a waste if they end up escaping from your hook and swimming away. When they bite the bait, the hook is the first connection of the fish to the angler. Ensuring that the hook is pierced firmly is key to getting the catch.

The Ideal Hook When Catfishing

From the top end to bottom, up to its tail end, a fish hook has parts, namely: eye, shank, bend and point with barb. These parts are vital to securing a good puncture, especially on a big catfish. Hence, knowing what to look for a good hook is necessary for catfishing success.

1. Durability

Durability is the number one quality to consider when choosing a hook for bagging some cats. If an inexpensive hook does not say what it’s made of, chances are, it has a low standard. Avoiding cheap hooks means getting away from poor quality metal that bends and rusts easily, or worse, parts come apart. Look for hooks with extra-sturdy construction. Hook gauge or thickness is also a factor in determining the toughness of a hook. High carbon steel is a high-quality hook that can withstand arm wrestling with a catfish.

On the other hand, Teflon-coated stainless steel makes the penetration more manageable and smoother. Hooks are non-disposable tools and can be used many times more. Although, knowing when to stop using a hook is essential. Watch out for metal fatigue and dullness, for they are signs of wear, and the hook needs to be replaced.

2. Measurement

Hook sizes are not universal. Sizes differ from one manufacturer to another. But this should not be a problem because angling takes a lot of trial and error, to begin with. Finding the right hook size heavily depends on the catfish size. Naturally, when facing a giant, matching it with a big hook will most likely secure a bite. Smaller hooks can be used for madtoms, but be careful when handling these small poisonous ones. The hook size also depends on the size of the chosen bait. For example, bluegill would need more space to squirm around, to trigger a live bait lover channel to strike. Lastly, hook measurements come in sizes and aughts. Sizes use numbers and go in reverse: the smaller the number, the larger the hook, and the larger the number, the smaller the hook. The aughts are written with a slash and a zero after a number. So one aught is written as 1/0. The larger the number, the larger the aught, and the smaller the number, the smaller the aught.

Top Kinds of Hook for Catfishing 

Now having an idea of how tough catfish are and understanding how quality and size of hook come to play in catfishing, here are the top kinds of hook that is perfect for chasing the whiskered species:

1. Circle Hook

As the name suggests, circle hooks are rounded hooks. Both beginner-friendly and fish-friendly, they are the best choice for catch and release catfishing. Generally, they are safer because they inflict the least amount of damage when piercing through the flesh. These hooks prevent death since they jag the lips or jaw and easily slide right out. Using circle hooks is unlikely to gut the cats randomly. It is mainly used for bait fishing and ideal for leaving the rod in the rod holder, waiting for a bite. While they might look too large at first, trying them out is the best way to be familiarized with their sizes.

2.  J Hook

Years ago, J hook was the standard catfish hook. Although bait will most likely come off with J hooks, a variant called baitholder hook has barbs along the shank to secure the bait better, especially live ones. These hooks are more likely to puncture a catfish in the stomach.

3. Kahle Hook

The Kahle hook is neither a circle nor a J hook. It has a unique twist that angles its point towards the eye. Its hook gap, or the space between the point and the shank, is wide, making it ideal for holding unusual chunks of bait such as hotdogs or chicken liver. A Kahle hook also locks up live bait well, whether aquatic animals like other fish or insects like worms and grasshoppers. It locks up perfectly well when it punctures a catfish in the mouth.

4. Octopus Hook

Octopus hooks are more rounded than Kahle hooks. This means that if a Kahle hook locks up live bait well, an octopus hook can do it better. Live mullets or minnows have room to move around freely in an octopus hook, attracting channels and flatheads. Like circle hooks, octopus hooks slide out smoothly.

5. Treble Hook

Treble hooks are like three J hooks that share a single shank and an eye. Since they are three-pronged, treble hooks can hold bait such as salmon eggs stably. These hooks are commonly used for catching and cooking catfish, as they cause more damage and are most likely to get swallowed.