I like using shrimp on circle hooks on my pool noodle juglines because it's easy and not as messy and the fish like it. But I notice a lot of them get on it for a short time, but I only get a third to a fourth to stay on. Most seem to get off before I can get to them. And I am watching them pretty close. But I still get stripped a lot. I am using medium gulf shrimp threaded on on a 2/0 circle hook. Any ideas to get robbed less and put a few more in the boat?

Go to a 'J' hook.

Might get some deep hooked fish, but sounds like you're going to eat them anyway. And if you are "watching them close" like you said, I see no reason for a circle hook.

Anyway ... 2/0 sunds pretty small for a circle hook.

That is a small circle hook. I would go up to 4/0 at least. You can catch fiddlers on those and they can handle 10+lb fish. A 2/0 they might just be slurping the bait off and the circle never even trying to turn into them.

Don't cover the point of the hook when you put the shrimp on. In

I like to offset the points from the shank a bit to make them easier to bait. Helps with hookups also. I have yet to use a circle hook smaller than 5/0 and prefer larger.

Are you sure it isn't Gar/turtles that are stealing your bait? Hard to keep the gar/turtles off of dead bait of any kind.

In my experience you will catch the turtles grrrr

Good tips here guys. Thank you. Larger hooks ordered and I will try some J hooks on part of the jugs when I go Wednesday. Definitely not turtles. I have seen a couple of the catfish that got off. I imagine the thieves are catfish. I am fishing a large lake and can drift a bit off my jugs but still watch them for when one hits. Still new to me but I am starting to catch several each time I can go out now.

Right on! Hey keep us posted how it goes. Glad the shrimp are working for you! I have never had luck with them but clearly its just a me thing bcs guys swear by them.

Looking forward to hearing your next update on how the tweaked approach seems to work.

Get you some Tru-Turn "J" style perma-steel hooks (not SS, but at least not tin). Let me explain, when they hit it, it does a slight twist to hook them better than a standard "J".

At least 5/0 maybe 6/0 or 7/0.

Oh, depending upon what you are fishing for with shrimp,. If Blues, check out my "Lynn's Catfish Calendar" thread.

We tore em up today. The weather was perfect with a light south wind. We put out 16 and caught 17, releasing 3 small ones in little over an hour. No real big ones- all blues but 2. The 4/0 octopus circle hooks worked fine and I thought a little easier to remove. I am certain we could have caught a lot more, but when you are cleaning fish, fewer is better and I am not trying to fill my freezer, just catch enough along to eat as we go. I had one jug get hit as soon as I dropped it with others already bobbing. By far the best I have done with jugs this spring.

Definitely go up to at least a 4/0 if not larger. You would be surprised how large a hook even a small (<1lb) catfish can fit in their mouth.

Hook sizes are confusing some time. In the "ought" sizes, a bigger number can be a bigger hook. My 3/0 is bigger than the 4/0.

When you google this, you get an opposite description."As the hook # gets larger, the hook size gets smaller. As the aught (or “ought”) gets larger hook size also gets larger. For example, a #4 fish hook is larger than a #6 fish hook, even though 6 is greater than 4. Conversely, a 1/0 (or “one aught”) hook is smaller than a 3/0 hook.Oct 15, 2022

This was the opposite for me. I was using larger 2/0s and 3/0s But I am happier with the new 4/0 hooks I got recently, which are smaller. I had less fish getting off. No 2/0 package pics yet, but the ones I had were bigger than the 3/0s.

It can be confusing and there you have three different kinds of hooks that are sized differently.

On the left you have a Kahle hook. These are kind of half a circle hook and half a J hook. They will size compared to other Kahle hooks.

Then you have a standard circle hook in 4/0. Which is a good all around size. The bigger the number the bigger the hook. An 8/0 to 10/0 is what guys will use who are hunting 40+lb fish.

Then you have a J hook. And yes the bigger the number with those, the smaller the hook. Like a 12 is good for bluegill where as a 12/0 circle hook is about the size of a bluegill...

Just remember DO NOT set the hook with those Kahle's or the Circle hooks regardless of size. Just let the fish load up and start reeling. With those J hooks, hit em hard.

It seems complex but really, does not matter at the end of day. Those Kahle are good size, as are the Circle hooks you have, those J hooks would be small, I would go with a #1 if you want to use that style.

I have had good luck with 5/0 circle hooks, Eagle claw. If the cats they are a bit smaller, 2 to 3lbs, I'll drop down to a 4/0. never smaller than that. Just my 2 cents

Jug fishing, also known as “jugging,” is a simple and effective method for catching catfish. Here’s how it works:

Setting Up Jugs: Anglers rig up floating jugs with lines and bait suspended beneath them. These jugs are free-floating, covering a large area of water without requiring constant attention. You can set up a dozen or more jugs and deploy them over a wide area.

Bait and Deployment: Attach hooks and bait to the lines beneath the jugs. As the jugs float downstream, they carry the bait with them. When a fish takes the bait, the jug will dip and bob, signaling a catch. You can then pull in the jug and retrieve the fish.

Refining the Technique: Some anglers set up several jugs with different baits at varying line lengths. When fish start biting, they adjust the other jugs to match the successful bait and line length.

Best Bait: Common bait options include chicken or turkey livers, frozen shrimp, bacon slices, hot dogs, and prepared stinkbaits like dip and punch baits1122.

Regulations: Jug fishing is typically allowed in freshwater and is used to catch nongame fish, channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish. Be sure to check local regulations before setting up your jugs33.

Remember, jug fishing is a passive method, making it ideal for overnight fishing when catfish are most active due to their keen sense of smell. So grab your jugs, bait, and enjoy a relaxing fishing experience!














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AI bot nonsense.

Go unplug yourself you stupid bot.

I have ALWAYS caught more fish on jug lines using offset J hooks rather than circle hooks. I tried every size circle hook over the years on my jugs, and an offset J hook always caught more fish. Circle hooks are designed to slip out of a fish's throat. They slip out of a fish's mouth just as easily. That's what they were designed to do. The thought behind circle hooks was that it was better for an angler to lose a few fish rather than killing under size fish that are throat hooked with a J hook. If the fish's mouth is open at the moment he puts tension on the line, there is a good chance the circle hook will come right out of his mouth. There is only one spot for a circle hook to catch on a fish's mouth, and that is at the corner of the mouth right before it exits. When the fish has swallowed an offset J hook and swims off that J hook starts trying to snag itself immediately in the throat. Even if the offset J hook doesn't catch some flesh in the throat it has a better chance of hooking some flesh in the mouth than a circle hook does before exiting.