Selecting the right circle hook and rigging is critical when using livebait presentations to entice big flatheads. When used properly, the hooking percentage with circle hooks is high and catfish are almost always hooked shallow—an advantage for those who intend to release their fish unharmed, or at least prefer to have that option.
Livebaits for flatheads range in size from several inches up to a foot or more, requiring circle hooks from about 4/0 to 14/0 to match bait size. Hooks should be large enough so the bait doesn’t obscure the gap between hook point and shank, requiring relatively large hook sizes to be effective. In a situation where a 4/0 J-style hook would suffice, a circle hook needs to be about twice that size.
Where I fish in the Colorado River, on the California-Arizona border, I bait with mostly bluegill, tilapia, and small carp, and find that 6/0 to 10/0 circle hook sizes cover most situations. The Owner Super Mutu circle hook works well for me, and Eagle Claw’s Lazer Sharp L2022 and the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle are other good options.
A livebait should appear as natural and lively as possible on a hook, but much of this depends on hook size and hooking location. The traditional choice has been to hook baits in the upper back to the tail area for slipsinker and float-rig presentations. Large circle hooks, however, are heavy, and, when hooked this way, baitfish become topheavy and tire easily fighting both the current and the weight of the hook. Also, using a larger hook means fewer hooking locations in a smaller baitfish.
Another problem, perhaps unique to flathead fishing, is that they reject baits quickly if something doesn’t feel right to them. If they clamp down on a 6-inch bluegill with an 8/0 circle hook stuck crossways through its back and feel a hook and not a fish, they reject it immediately.
When flatheads feed on spiny fish like bluegill and tilapia, they attack and hold it in their jaws and swim off, waiting for it to stop struggling or die, the bait being swallowed more easily when the spiny fins relax. So it’s sometimes necessary to let flatheads run longer with larger spiny baitfish before setting the hook, as opposed to when soft-rayed baits like carp, suckers, or goldfish are used.
Colorado River Rig
Thinking about ways to improve hooking rates for big cats on circle hooks produced an idea based on
two different fishing situations—trolling for offshore big game such as marlin, and European-style carp fishing. It’s common when trolling for big game to not actually insert a hook into the baitfish. Instead, the hook often is tied to the bait’s nose with thread like dental floss, leaving the hook free and unobstructed, increasing the chances for a solid hook-up.
