I know, I know - we are in trophy season now, but my thoughts have turned to warmer days and shad in 12" of water. Also, I am restocking terminal tackle using my whisker seeker gift card Santa brought me.

So, my question is - does anyone float small pieces of cutbait under a slip float rig for shallow water blues in Spring? If so, do you use a J hook or what? I like fishing this rig generally and also like to avoid 3x hooks if possible (solo kayak). My concern, however, is whether a suspended bait on a J hook might not hook up well.

Thoughts?

I am not a big fan of treble hooks, with a few exceptions of coarse. The punch baits would be one exception it helps hold the bait on the hook better. I like our new single hooks, what you should try for a better hook up is the off-set. It's just enough so the point of the hook when laid flat on like a table, it's out the side profile of the main body of the single hook.
So it has a much improved hook-up ratio over just our old flat j-hook.

Look at suspended trotlines. Where the, not tied to a stump end, has a jug.

Nothing but J hooks. Plain old straight shank J hooks.


Same with single jug lines.

Murray, that's my exact setup for blues and channels in the spring during the spawn. Definitely j-hooks and not circle hooks. I like a slip bobber rig so I can change depth. During the spawn, I've found bigger blues in the very back of small coves just off of the main lake really close to deep water. My best days are when there's at least a 15-20 mph wind blowing into the cove. Makes it a little rough but I generally spot lock about a long cast from the bank. I'll probably be in 5 or 6 feet of water and landing my baits in a couple of feet of water or less. I use bigger baits to weed out some of the smaller fish but I still only use about a 3/0 to 5/0 hook. Some days I'll spotlock a little further out, maybe in 10-12 feet of water and casting my baits into that 5 to 6 foot range with my bobber set a bit deeper, maybe 3 or 4 feet. Occasionally we'll land a few fish in the twenties but mostly in the 5 to 12 pound range. It's a great time for numbers of fish but I prefer the winter bite with bigger fish.

Rowdy: Thank you. I hear you on the 3xs. If there is a way to get a face full of hooks, it's throwing a 'trap in the wind on a yak. Can you recommend a specific offset hook you run?

Grasshopperglock: Good point man. Hadn't thought of that - thanks.

Skeeter: Gotcha on the J hooks and I really appreciate the detailed explanation.

If it helps. My stash of hooks are size 2/0, Kahle. Eagle Claw brand. I've always considered the treble hooks being a way to hold dough bait better. With live or cut bait, using the single hooks.

Edit for a picture,

Maybe https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/team-catfish-super-cat-j-hooks ?

Grasshopper - saw your post after this one - thanks!

I like to fish spring and summer shallow like Skeet describes above. Especially with really hard south winds, when it is hard to drift at slow speed and rough with kids on board. I like the kahle hooks for this fishing. Those eagle claw work well and dont break the bank.

Happy New Year all.
Ken

Skeetmaster et al. - do you use this approach pre=spawn (assuming shallow fish) as well?
KEG - thanks!

This is your chance, come spring, to validate how yourself is going to approach it. Shallow? Maybe deeper. 5' range. The out skirts of a perch bed.

I am no expert on this stuff... still pretty new to it but trying to learn and willing to pay my dues with hours on the water.

Yes - pre spawn - at times. Have caught them much earlier than the spawn. Follow the bait - whatever they are eating at the time. And the wind might change, and fish move... One of the things I have learned is to not lock myself into one pattern or location. Fish will make you look bad in a hurry sometimes. Just part of FISHING.

Good luck.
Ken

Murray, For the pre-spawn I generally like to fish the very shallow areas at the mouths of main feeder creeks around timber in water that's less than 5 feet deep. I will almost always anchor with a double anchor setup and fan cast all around the boat. You want to make sure you have a really good anchor setup because if you have a lot of wind and you don't, you'll breakaway and have a complete disaster on your hands. I won't use the slip bobber setup during this time because I'll have 6-8 rods out at one time which would be fine if you didn't have a whisper of wind. If you did though, all your bobbers would end up in the same place downwind of your boat and end up completely tangled.

Man, Ken, you are absolutely right about not locking yourself into a pattern or location. That's what separates the average cat guy from the really good ones. Knowing when and where to locate fish. Especially in the spring with the constantly changing weather patterns. If you look at a map of your favorite lake and you can only pinpoint three or four locations or areas that you predominantly fish, you need to do more exploring. I've found that sometimes, whatever my game plan is, I'll have at least 3 or 4 backup plans or locations, at least 2 of which, I've never even tried. Some of the best days I've had were just on a complete hunch in an area I had never tried before. With that being said, I've also been skunked more than my share of times. Those times are getting less though, the better I get with my graph. I learned a lot from Catfish Tim and El Gato about the graph. I also have another friend that only uses his graph for depth and water temp. He finds his fish on a topo map the day before he fishes based on where he thinks the fish are going to be with respect to the weather. I can honestly say that he's as good and as consistent as anyone I've ever seen.

Depending on what size of bait and if it's cut or live. But for the most part I really like 3/0-5/0 hooks and I am no stranger to taking a flat hook and using two sets of pliers to bend my own offset in the hook. Specially if I have the size and wire strength I want but it's not offset, well it gets that before I tie it on lol.

Brand wise, heck I have a host of brands, Owner is a brand I have used for years as well as some I have bought and use tying flies out of when fishing in the Gulf. Umpqua X-Series XS415H BN5X in a 3/0 makes a great hook that once a offset bend put in it, really is a great hook that I have exhausted my stash of. Umpqua has a XS425 BN5X that is another good hook if you can get them in a big enough size.

No, a rattle trap in the face would not be anything fun no matter what you are doing, nor from what type of boat, or not lol. I have always loved to fish from my FishcatIV float tube. I have been caught off guard a couple times by things in it and always left me with that impression lol.

A J hook or Aberdine hook under a slip cork was my go to rig for a long time. It was great for the kids because they could cast it. I can't remember how many Zebco 33s I rigged like that for my kids growing up. I used that rig for Crappie, Bream and channel cats for years. Solid, simple and flexible. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...