Catfish Rigs?

[pikestabber]

In terms of Channel Cats, what type of rigs do you guys prefer? Of course, there are a million variables...current speed, prevalence of snags, typical fish size, etc., but if you were fishing a new stretch of river for cats and could throw out only one rig with one bait type, what would it be? Cut sucker on a circle hook with an egg sinker?; a gob of crawlers on a bait holder hook with a pyramid sinker?, etc.

[fiskyknut]

No roll sinker, short leader to Kahle hook, chunk of Goldeye.

I'd use a frog later in summer/fall.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Cut shad, pyramid or bank sinker, short leader, circle hook.

[pikestabber]

What is your prcocedure with a circle hook? I know your not supposed to set the hook, per se, but I have a hard time just reeling in...feels so unnatural not to hammer it home!

[mainbutter]

Yeah it's hard to go wrong. Bank sinkers, pyramid sinkers, and no-roll sinkers all work fine for me, I don't really have a preference. I don't like egg sinkers.

I exclusively fish with circle hooks when I use cutbait. I match the size of the hook to the size of bait I'm using. I have 6-10 inches of leader in freshwater usually.

What I do: sinker over the main line, then bead, then tie a swivel. Tie leader to swivel, hook to the end of the leader. The swivel prevents line twist as the bait is affected by current. This is my setup for any baitfishing I do on the bottom, from catfish and carp to sharks and redfish.

As far as bait, I'd take the suggestions other guys have mentioned. Good luck, and don't forget to check out the "catfish" forum we have here

[mainbutter]

What is your prcocedure with a circle hook? I know your not supposed to set the hook, per se, but I have a hard time just reeling in...feels so unnatural not to hammer it home!

No hookset, it's easy peasy. Just don't set the hook. If you get a bite, just reel up. If you set the hook at any time during the fight with a fish you risk losing the fish.

I also don't like to let the fish take a run with the bait when I use circle hooks. If I'm freespooling, I engage the drag as soon as I have a bite.

[BobT]

Here's how we did it on the St. Louis near Eveleth.

Stop by the local bait shop and get their dead minnows. The smellier the better. 1/0 hook with a heavy slip sinker a couple feet up the line. Cast it out into the current and wait for the line to move out.