Trebles vs Circles

Anyone use treble hooks for their channel cat fishing?

Yup.

yes

BK, I just came across an old post by you about trebles illegal w/ dip bait since that rig doesnt constitute a “lure”. Looks like I will be giving circles a go this year. I’ve only been catfishing twice but quickly learned it is a b***h getting a treble out when you hookone in the top and bottom lips!

I never use trebles. I always replace the ones that come with stink bait tubes with either 4/0 octopus J hooks or TC Double Action hooks, more likely the double action hooks this year since I ordered a bunch for sturgeon fishing.

That said, I can never bring myself to throw away those cheap trebles that come with tube worms, so there is just a tangled ball of them in one slot of my tackle box

I catch a few Channels every summer on crankbaits. It really is tough getting all those hooks out of their lips….. even if they only hit one of the trebles. It has to be a lot better for a released fish if you used a single hook, don’t you think?

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BK, I just came across an old post by you about trebles illegal w/ dip bait since that rig doesnt constitute a “lure”. Looks like I will be giving circles a go this year. I’ve only been catfishing twice but quickly learned it is a b***h getting a treble out when you hookone in the top and bottom lips!

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The MN laws changed this last year and we can use trebles legally.

Yes, certainly on smaller fish hooking both the top and bottom makes it a challenge to take them out.

I does help to bend down the barbs.

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It has to be a lot better for a released fish if you used a single hook, don’t you think?

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That’s what my thought was! I was totally against fishing with trebles until a few years ago when a big time cat guide told me that I would be surprise at how they worked.

I shied away from them thinking that gut hooking a fish (got to happen right?) or just getting two hooks out has to be harder on the fish.

Now that I have a couple years under the belt, I’ve changed my thinking. Without exception, the are just as easy to take out without damage to the fish as a circle hook. Well, there is one exception, the 1-2 pound fish that have one hook in its mouth roof and bottom.

I do bend down the barbs for an easier removal.

One other thing just dawned on me. I don’t use a tube with the trebles. Just the hook and the fiber bait.

A good example is the video I shot with a channel taking the treble. They bite on the outside edges of their mouths.

Maybe those tubes are what makes the difference?

BK, what do you think of cutting the hooks and leaving part of it in the fish? On those occasions when I’ve got a Channel with his lips sewn shut, it’s occurred to me that it might be easier to use a wire cutter and just snip the hooks apart.

You dudes just need to stop going after small cats. I went more to cutbait last year but when I do run prepared baits, I like an extra tuff treble. Using corks you just can’t let them have it for more than a few seconds. I’ve never killed a fish with them. they almost always end up in the corner of the mouth or sometimes in the top of the mouth. I’ve come to the realization that the hook set is 75 percent of the fun of catfishing. Running Circle hooks is a little like handlining for walleyes. IE something I’m not interested in.

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BK, what do you think of cutting the hooks and leaving part of it in the fish? On those occasions when I’ve got a Channel with his lips sewn shut, it’s occurred to me that it might be easier to use a wire cutter and just snip the hooks apart.

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By using a wire cutter there should be enough exposed hook to pull the rest of the hook(s) out, I would think.

Seldom do Kev and I admit that we agree.

So what trebles (size/brand) do you buy? I can honestly say I have never intentionally bought a treble hook!

catfish connection eagle claw extra stouts. They don’t need to be big ones. the smaller they are the more weedless they are and weedless is good here. For cutbait I use team catfish Js and I really like them. They sharpen up nice too after a few battles.

Doug, you have a pile of trebles now. Don’t buy any until you try them. I like thrifty! Gives you something to do over the winter months.

I use the 6/0’s by Team Catfish of course.

Give them a shot. They work great in winter too with fiber bait.

BK – these are the ones that come with most tube worms and they seem extremely flimsy. You still think they are good to go?

The ones that come with them are fine but replace the cruddy line that comes with the rigged ones.

[quote}..BK

Yes, certainly on smaller fish hooking both the top and bottom makes it a challenge to take them out.

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……..I am sure you know that.!….With all the SMALLER fish i mean. ….rrr

I’m no catfish expert, but I’ve caught many of them and can not think of one single day on the Miss that I did not catch one while targeting them. Down here in P15 we are stacked with them, all in the 10-15″ range. Nothing to go out and catch 25-30 of them in an hour, as fast as you toss it out you have one popping the tip. I have always used treble hooks, but tried circles after you mentioned it a couple years ago. Never did any good on them, I assume because our fish are just little fiddlers and cant take the 1/2 tube plus a circle. Most of our fish just grab the end of the tube and swim away with it to take it away from the other 500 little cats down there. They get 1 hook of the treble in the whisker or lip.

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The ones that come with them are fine but replace the cruddy line that comes with the rigged ones.

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Yup, exactly what Kev said.

B BK, one thing I’ve learned over the last few years, but still forget at times is that what works great in my home water might not in others because of many many different things.