Sometimes fish are super aggressive and hammer any offering put in front of them. On other days they’re more neutral and less willing to commit, simply mouthing a bait or striking short. Often, the time of year, water temperature, barometric pressure, or recent weather patterns can heavily influence behavior and willingness to bite. Regardless of attitude, Whisker Seeker has the hooks you need to maximize bites whether the fish are fired up or not.
According to Denny Ransom, “In the early season, just after ice out, I may use a 6/0 Whisker Seeker Super-J for channel cats if they’re biting neutral due to cold water. The thinner wire gauge allows for using smaller baits without losing strength or power.”
Spencer Bauer agreed, “Early season channel cats may be eating nightcrawlers or other small baits, and in these conditions, I like to use the 4/0 Whisker Seeker Circle-K due to its smaller wire diameter. The smaller wire gauge is easier on fragile baits and less noticeable.”
Troy and Amy Hansen added, “When the bite is slow, fishing a catfish rig with multiple hooks like the Whisker Seeker Stinger rig can increase bites. However, instead of using one big bait with a hook in the front and trailing stinger hook in the back, we’ve been successful attaching 2 separate pieces of bait on the same rig.” Amy Hansen continued, “When conditions are tough, it’s also critical to make sure the hook point is sharp and not fouled with scales. The last thing you want to do is lose a fish after a long day because your point wasn’t sharp.”
Catching catfish when they’re aggressive and eagerly biting is the ultimate angling experience. To catch them at these times, anglers should be equally aggressive with hook size and baits. For monster blues and flatheads, a 10/0 Whisker Seeker Triple Threat teamed with your favorite big bait is the best choice. For channel cats, any smelly bait on a 6/0 to 8/0 Triple Threat is sure to get bit. Chad Ferguson offered, “When fish are aggressive, sharp hooks are absolutely critical to the success of my guiding business. When the fish are biting, you need to change hooks frequently, because their mouths are so tough and leathery.” Sometimes after a good day on the water, Chad will change all his hooks at the end of day to make sure he’s ready to fill the boat the next day.
Whether you’re a novice or veteran catfish angler, the tips provided by the industry experts in this article will help you select the best catfish hook and catch more fish. Although Whisker Seeker Pro Staff members each have their own unique ways to fish for catfish, they follow a very similar process for selecting the best catfish hooks depending on conditions. Keep it simple and focus on the 4 key criteria we discussed when making your decision- presentation, bait size, catfish size, and catfish attitude.
