06-30-2005, 12:23 AM
I target large flathead catfish and use nothing but hand sized bream or larger for bait. Hooking them through the back, behind the dorsal fin and above the lateral line is the best method. Beware not to put the hook in past the lateral line on the fish's back or you will no longer have a live bait.[pirate] The reasoning behind this is because if you're fishing with a rod and reel like I do, it keeps the line and hook from smacking the fish in the face when it tries to swim around. It can also block his air way and limit his life span considerably. Hooking them through the back allows the bait to swim naturally, live longer, and get better hook sets. Every large catfish i've caught swallows them head first, thus by the time he get's him in his mouth, the hook is right in the corner of his jaw, right were it's suppose to be. And that works nice if you use 8/0 or larger circle hooks like I do, circle hooks seem to find the corner of the jaw just about every time. (unless they swallow the hook)
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