Terminal Tackle for Trophy Cats

I’ve had a number of request asking what type of tackle do I use for catten. I thought I would make a post with this info and include some pictures.

Because I didn’t invent catfishing, everything below is from info that I receive from a number of catfisherman. Too many to name, but I’ve met them all through In-Depth Angling.

Everything below is MY personal preferance and it’s worked for me. There are many differant combinations of hooks, sinkers and line…as there are fisherman…

But, since this is a sharing website, if you use something differant, please share and why. To make this simple, let’s just limit this to using bullheads for bait.

Terminal tackle for the fish of a life time…the trophy Flathead!

This first picture shows the meat end. The terminal tackle consists on a 10/0 Gamakatsu Octopus hook (1), 80-pound Power Pro braided line (2), an 80-pound swivel (3), a bead (4) to protect the knot and finally, a 4 oz no roll sinker (5).

I typically will use a 4 oz weight all year, although around the end of August with the flow down, I know I should be switching to a 3 or maybe even a two ounce sinker.

I chose Power Pro 80 lb test because first off, that’s what my tutor was using and because it made sense. Dragging a pig out of the woods requires a strong line…something you can lift anchors out of the water with! I normally have a few wooden dowels along to break off the line when it becomes snagged and I can’t get it unstuck any other way. It’s impossible to break this stuff with your hands…without drawing blood.

I use the same Power Pro for the leader. No weak links. There is a school that believes you should go with a lighter test leader or even mono. The lighter leader will break saving you the cost of the swivel and the sinker. The mono does that and works as a shock absorber. They all work…take your pick Keep the leader short. Six to eight inches is pleanty. Flatheads like a livly bait…but the don’t like to have to chase it down and less snages! (Thanks Fisher Dave!)

I prefer a Berkeley swivel in the 80-pound test category…no weak links.

To tie this all together I use what I call an Improved Trilene knot. Most folk use the Palomar, which is a good strong knot. I chose the ITN because I’ve used it on mono for years and can tie it with my eyes shut (this comes in handy in the dark) and I’ve only had one knot break/slip on me using the 80# Power Pro.

By using the above, I can keep a very small tackle box for catten.

I hope all the old timers post what they like to use, but it’s all going to boil down to personal preference. Remember, this is for larger flathead cats. Using this set up for channels can be done; it’s just not my preferred method.

I hope this helps all you newbie’s out there thinking about catten.

Brian, good info. I’m not a catman but would it work if you used a heavy snap swivel and pre-tied several hooks with leaders and a loop on the other end. That way if you break off or want to change hooks, you don’t have to be tying knots in the dark. Just open the snap and replace. I use this for bobber fishing walleyes on Mille Lacs with good success.

Just a thought.

For Channel Cats I us the same set up that Brink uses, somewhat. I’m a mono user and I have been tryen different things this summer and have saved many sinkers. I have been using 30lb Bigcat line, with a 20lb snell. So when you get into a snag you only break off the hook and save the swivel and sinker.

That’s a Dirk trick to get you back into the water faster.

I’ve gotten away from pre tieing. Sometimes the line breaks before the swivel, sometimes after. I’ve been keeping the componants seperate…I ‘spose if I was in a tourny were time is money…I would be thinking differantly.

Snap swivels? I’ve never thought of that…I’ll have to check what a snap swivel rated at 80# would cost compaired to a regular swivel. The swivels are the most expensive part of this set up.

Thanks Putz!

For breaking the 80 pound Power Pro…

Landscat…in reading my post, it’s a little misleading…for channels the only thing I change is the hook size…but I’m not fishing the Red.(Bigger Channels = Bigger Hooks)

What sizes are you using up there? Circles?

Thanks Matt…sleeping at the keyboard…I’ve corrected the ITN typo.

I use about the same setup, except that I use 7/0 kahle hooks.

As for the knots – I think you meant to say “Improved Trilene Knot” which is really a mono knot. For braids the palomar knot rules. It’s way easier than the Trilene for one, and it doesn’t EVER slip. Put a loop through the hook, tie it in an overhand knot and put the hook through the loop, then tighten. Practice it twice and you’ve got it. The one thing to remember is always tie the swivel to the line on the rod LAST. Do it wrong and you’ll find yourself trying to figure out how to get the whole rod through the loop! I don’t use a swivel at all unless I’m fishing in real heavy current, which is rare.

All I ever use are 3oz. sinkers too. Haven’t ever needed more except when I try oversized baits.

…Trilene knot! Actually I meant UNI KNOT..doubled through the eye… Must have been

I would use a stronger swivel. If they say 80 they are really about 40. I do believe in overkill though.

Good post!!

I have been trying anything I can get my hands on to see what I like best. I have used kahles with good sucess till I had one bend out on me. Biggest I could get here were 2/0 till I found out about catfish connection. Lately I have been using 7/0 widegap circles. I like the circles for cut but have missed a few on the live bait(maybe just small fish?). One thing I have learned is its best to not use a clicker at all when using circles. Let the fish hit and set himself. These have been the best hoodsets I have put into fish. When that big circle sinks in 90% of the time its deep in the corner of the mouth. And with using cut you really have to match the bait to the hook as best as you can. With the 7/0 I usually olny will use a large mashed head piece(My favorite) otherwise I will downsize to 5/0 with most other pieces. Thanks to brian I have a few 10/0s to try and will be ordering more anytime now.

I just learned what a polamer knot was this year(thanks to IDA) and love using it with these superbraids. Mono…I still go to the trilene but all my superbraids get the polamer knot now so thanks agian.

Matt… I have always wanted to try running my bait with the sinker right up to the hook. I have talked with folks from down south and they told me thats the way they run there sinkers but I have not tried yet. I do know one night down with the guys they were running 12-16 inch leaders and I was at about 6 inches. I ended up with all the fish that night so needless to say I have stayed at 6-8 inches since.

Thanks for the tips and info here

Personaly… I hate Kahl hooks. I have had the straiten also, and they dont hold the bait the way I prefer. The bait often seems to nearly bury the hook point.. I am not saying they dont work, but you will never see one on the end of my line… personal preference is all.

For the hooks.. I prefer the octopus style hooks for live bait, and circles for dead bait.. not all circles are created equal.. a circle with a wide gap between the point and the shank is a must or it will be hard to hook up with flats.

Octopus hooks range from 6/0 to 10/0 dictated by the size of the bait.. if the bait is running small.. change out your hook and you will get more bites.

Circle hooks are in the 5/0 to 8/0 range depending on manufacturer.. a thinner wire hook will greatly increase your hookup ratio.. its easier to drive in a pin than a nail*.

Weight.. The lightest thing most of my rods will cast is 2 oz, I may even use less with cut bait if the rod allows and will cast properly… and the current doesnt drag it away(low water lately with minimal flow). When the water is actually flowing, a 4 oz weight is about the average, but a 6 oz weight isnt overkill when fishing a big bully in current..

Use whatever amount of weight it takes to hold your bait reasonably in place, but use as little weight as possible for your fishing situation.. Dont use a 5 oz weight in a situation it only takes 2 to peg your bait.. you will miss more bites, and get more snags.

Length of leader.. I like to try to keep in the 6″ range. This is just enough to keep the bait from running into a snag.. and not too much to let your bait get a running start when a fish swims near by. Some people out there use no leader at all.. this is usually in low current situations where they can *pay out* line to their bait to allow for a longer leader or to let the bait swim… If you intend on fishing that way intentionally(letting bait away from weight) it is best to go without the swivel because the swivel is prone to snag more than a clean line… fair warning.. more often than not, a lively bait will kick their way off your hook, especially when out of the water when you dont have a swivel.. every time your bait kicks.. the weight will act like a hammer, hitting the eye of the hook.. resulting in the flesh and meat of your bait getting torn.. or a larger hole for your hook to come out of.

An active flatty loves a lively bait.. but it doesnt mean it wants to chase it down. A bait struggling as hard as it can in place puts out as much vibration as a bait swimming at full throttle.. If you have the proper amount of weight, you have all that vibration working for you, the visual movement of the bait.. all sitting in front of their nose.

Flatties also love a FRESH piece of cut bait in front of their nose.. especially in negative feeding moods, or at times when there is way too much food in the water(now!). Dropping the amount of weight down and changing over to even a small piece of bait (1′ Sucker or sunfish steak or head for those of you that can use them) can entice the fish that dont seem to want anything else.

Lately.. the ideal rig to consistently get fish would be a 6 oz weight tied off to a stick of dynamite..

In all reality.. the current flow is down.. my rods are rigged with 3 oz weights, 6/0 hooks, and getting baited with cut bait. The last 12 flats I have seen.. 11 have been on cut bait.

I know the origional post was assuming bullies were the bait to simplify things.. but I thought many might find the cut bait tip useful.

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Lately.. the ideal rig to consistently get fish would be a 6 oz weight tied off to a stick of dynamite..

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That there is funny, I don’t care who you are!

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… fair warning.. more often than not, a lively bait will kick their way off your hook, especially when out of the water when you dont have a swivel.. every time your bait kicks.. the weight will act like a hammer, hitting the eye of the hook.. resulting in the flesh and meat of your bait getting torn.. or a larger hole for your hook to come out of.

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I’m not sure I understand this part, especially the “especially out of the water” part. I do most of my fishing right in the water. Anyway, I haven’t had bait kick off any more frequently without than with swivels – in either case it’s very rare.

The reason I like kahles is that they tend not to hook back into the bait, which is something the Gamas and other wide gap hooks have done for me. Maybe that’s more of a problem with bluegills than bulls, but I can’t stand the thought of my hook turned back into the bait and unavailable when a cat hits. Also in defense of the kahle – the only time my 7/0 kahles straighten is coming out of a snag, and that’s WAY more pressure than I’d ever put on a cat. If you’re having them straighten, either you need to back off somewhat, or you’re using the hooks after you’ve yanked them out of snags and wrecked their shape. I always tie on a fresh hook when I “get one back” out of a snag by bending it. Even if you bend them back, they’re weaker. As for the point being buried in the bait – gotta use bigger hooks if that’s the case – I use the 7/0 on 8″ bluegills and bigger mooneyes and there’s plenty of hook – of course I don’t hook them through the thickest part of their body, either.

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I do most of my fishing right in the water.

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Matt, you may have solve my problem!

I’ve never had a Kahle bend…but I don’t use them very often….although I do use them for “trolling” maybe drifting is a better word. Which I’ve been doing quite a bit of. A positive note on the Kahles…they are relatively inexpensive compaired to …well, almost anything.

I’ve found with the wide gap hooks, if you hook them diagonally through the back (as opposed to hooking them like a crappie minnow) I don’t have the issue of double hooking. In my short experiance.

Although the Gama 10/0’s are higher in price…($1.69 for 5) at Sportsmans Wharehouse…I have yet to see one bend..in anyway…in fact, this year I had my first one go dull on me. Must have pulled it into a rock, ’cause there wasn’t any type of point on it.

Back to the kahles…they must work pretty darn good…I believe Matt had his first 100 fish year last year…one being my favorite picture of a 50+ fish.

Brian —

Not really the point of this post, but you might find it interesting that a friend of mine, avid walleye guy, has picked up over 25 cats this year on cranks and slashbaits on the Croix. It’s absolutely amazing to me as I RARELY pick up a cat on a hard bait.

He catches the most with sz 9 or larger cranks as well as about any xRap.

Is this normal?

For the St Croix, yes it is normal. Generally it’s the channel cats that nail the crank baits… but the fella that won the River Rat contest last year landed a 30 something flathead on a rap.

“Normally” flats eat live bait..pretty much anything that swims and is giving off vibration for a flathead to home in on. Normally smaller channel cat will eat the chicken livers, stink baits and such. As they get older and larger, they turn to cut baits…however they will eat about anything they can get there whiskers around. My neighbor landed four channels on Friday walleye fishing. It’s not the most productive method….but it does work.

I think it’s easier to catch channels on the Croix with crank baits because we have the many “flats” where channels…and walleyes tend to rome…In my opinion of course.

I betcha he cusses when he’s wiping the cat goobers off his crank bait and line huh!?

Briank, I go with a 5/0 hook either way. Seems to hide very well in the bait.

FlatheadWI.. where I am referring to the bait shaking its way off the hook when out of the water is in fishing situations I often find myself in.. fishing far above the water where the bait will spend an extended period of time out of the water between cast in comparison to standard boat, or bank fishing.

I keep my line in the water as much as possible.. but it stinks when you are reeling your bait in standing 15′ above the water and watch your bait freak out and shake off the hook every time.. these locations also required a much longer cast than fishing from standard locations… I guess I put my baits through the extremes and learned what worked for me, and what didnt.

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standing 15′ above the water..

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Does that have anything to do with the time the kahle straightened? Were you trying to hoist a fish on the hook? Just curious.

Yes, that’s a unique situation – similar to one place I catch bulls. Stinks watching them get off the hook on the way up when you’re catching them (or not quite catching them well enough) too.

I dont trust Kahl hooks to use in that location.. sometimes I do avoid getting the net when the fish are under 10 pounds.. I will simply hoist them up with the rod if its capable(one rod is).

I have never had much confidence in Kahl hooks.. I was a mono guy for years, and now have switched to power pro on my heavy cat gear.. the hooks that were damaged was with mono.. I cant see where it would stand up to the power pro when my drag is a little too tight.

I guess is what it comes down to.. I have never had good experience using kahl hooks.. The use of them turned more into a burden for me than a attribute…

Dont get me wrong, a Kahl hook is an excellent design. There is no hook out there that you will get better hook setting power because the point of the hook is pointing directly towards the eye of the hook, there is a very wide gap that should be helpful when a big flattie grabs the bait and the hook decides to go into the lower jaw.. they are an excellent design.. they just dont work for me and I have had my issues with them… Just like many people HATE circle hooks.

I can deal with strait shank hooks and circles.. Kahls drive me nuts.. I would probably use them more if the hook point was a bit longer.. that is one thing I really dont like, the short hook point.. I like the point to clear the bait without going up to a 15/0 hook (blown out of proportion, but you got idea).

I guess in the end we are best using what we have the most confidence in. I have been fishing cats for many years.. this doesnt mean I know everything.. but the equipment and tecniques I use with it I have down to an art form.. an entire world of trial and error that eventually resulted in very effective tecniques.

Brian saying the cross hooking bullies is very effective with the Octopus hooks. It works best if you hook towards the head, at an angle of at least 45 degrees, 60 degrees is even better if the bully is large enough. What is very nice about that hook, its constantly in position to hook into the fish and it will come strait out of the back on a hookset, not rip backwards out of the bait with the point laying parallel with the tail of the bait… this will increase your hookups with any type of hook with the probable exception of a circle.. it makes more sense to have the hook point turning up away from your bait that holding parallel to or worse yet, back into the bait… not to mention your bait will hold on the hook better because its going through twice as much meat as the standard.. strait across the dorsal, or tail hooking.

I dont critisize others for using different equipment, I simply watch and learn, or teach what I know when I go about things a different way. I wasnt telling anyone not to use kahl hooks.. I was simply stating that I have an extreme disliking for them.

Theres lots of guys out there fishing that all seem to do things just a little differently.. and we all have a little to learn, and teach to everyone. There are several different methods that are just as effective as an entirely different method being used for the same fish in almost the exact same circumstances.

Every year I fish for Flats.. these fish are teaching me more and more.. so are other anglers.. but sometimes we need to listen to the fish and forget what was working a week ago… because it might not be worth anything this week..

A good example is the clicker topic earlier this year.. These fish vary so much from location to location and their feeding habits. We had an extremely good spring this year and the fish were super aggressive. Out of about 60 fish, I think 2 of them didnt hammer it and scream the clicker immediately.. considering we were way above the water.. a clicker was the only way if you wanted to keep your fishing rod if you were 10′ away from your rod for more than 5 seconds… then one day someone hit a switch.. still tons of runs and couldnt hook anything.. then another switch got hit.. all the flatties were hitting like a perch on the end of the line.. if you didnt see it happen, you werent getting the fish.

Now the majority of our fish have been going the very small cut bait route and not bothering with any live bait.. at least live bait of any size.. I have been thinking about putting a couple fatheads on the hook like I do for early spring channels.. no joke.. they are that finicky over here right now.

Kahle hooks still are my favorite for the fact that they are very hard to straighten. The sharper the bend in a hook the more the more difficult it will be to straighten that bend. That is the biz end of a kahle hook.

I also don’t seem to have as much of a problem with a kahle turning into the bait as other hooks. Even less if you give that kahle a little extra twist with the needle nose.

I did find some bigger kahles at CC. They are called King Kahle Lazers and are 8/0. They also seem to be a lot sharper than the 7/0 lazers.

I pre tie all my rigs with a swivel attached. That way when I need to re-tie it’s one knot (easier and faster in the dark), every knot is fresh, and you can use a palomar for every knot. Surgical tubing is a good cushion but make sure it’s small enough that it doesn’t push over your swivel – this causes more line twist. The only drawback with tubing is that with heavy weights it somtimes tears. A bead is fine to. I don’t like using a split shot vs. a swivel because I get too much line twist. When I use mono I like to tie a trilene knot. I can still tie one twice as fast as a palomar. If I was going to use a lighter leader line I’d go to 100 lb Power Pro and a 80 lb leader. Never have tried 100 lb. though. That would be a bugger to break I bet