# New catch & release rig



## ostbucks98 (Apr 14, 2004)

I never fished for catfish much but my twin 9 year olds are in love with it. So we started going alot lately and we dont keep em. We catch and release and of course running into fish swallowing hook. I hate when it happens and we always just snip the line. So i got to playing around and came up with the rig pictured below.

Its a simple carolina setup with the addition of a small rubber band bait holder. I tie the carolina rig with about 15" between hook and swivel.After im all tied i simply loop a small rubberband between hook and swivel. I fish alot with shrimp and the bands hold ot perfect. I put shrimp thru band and then make sure its between hook and swivel. When the fish grabs the shrimp just reel until you feel pressure and just a light pull sets the circle hook on the outside of the lip. Makes for very simple catch and release...enjoy.

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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

I like the concept...good job.


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## Fishnhunt (Oct 13, 2008)

Another thing to try would be circle hooks. My gut hook ratio has gone almost completely to zero and the hooks help for cats trying to run with the bait


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

When Im snagging fish I like to use a large weighted treble-hook and no bait but that's just me. 


I think Hook selection would solve most of your problems, but I understand it is bound to happen with young children. If they see a bird while you are telling them to set the hook you might as well be talking french. 

I would just think that your hook-up ratio would go way down that way. I miss cats when the hook is in their mouth let alone 4-6" away. I personally would never depend on this style but I assume you would teach them correctly once their attention spans increase. I would also assume that this technique would increase the chance of snagging them in the eyes or in the abdomen which could be just as bad.

That being said I do fully respect the your reasons and I think explaining to them why you are doing it that way has as much value as anything else you teach them about fishing.


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## zeppelin_2000 (Jul 2, 2006)

I think he means he puts hook in rubber band and that helps but a picture of it rigged would help.

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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

The area below Selkirk dam in Manitoba is a trophy area for channel cats. Manitoba fish and game designates it as a trophy fishery and requires fishermen to use barbless hooks and release trophy catfish.

Barbless hooks are manufactured but most catmen just bend existing barbs on hooks they normally use to be in compliance with the law. Surprisingly the effectiveness of hooks suffers very little and hook ups remain the same.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

Fishnhunt said:


> Another thing to try would be circle hooks. My gut hook ratio has gone almost completely to zero and the hooks help for cats trying to run with the bait
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


He is using circle hooks...something I didn't think of though that rustyfish brought up if the fish is hooked on the outside of the mouth its considered snagged...just a heads up.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

1. Technically a snagged fish just cannot be kept. He is releasing them and the mouth is the mouth who cares what side of the lip it is.

2. His rig clearly shows and his description clearly states the hook is at the end of the leader and the bait is in the middle.

3. That is not a circle hook in the picture, looks like a wide gap hook to me.

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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

I wasn't trying to start anything...he says he using a circle hook so thats what I was going by...and it does look like a circle hook in the picture to me...it does matter where its hooked at...it can't be hooked on the outside of the mouth...wether its the outside of the lip or whatever...with the way that rig is set up and the way he explained it its clearly snagging the fish...I understand that's not the intention though and I'm aware a snagged fish can't be kept...after all I'm not even the one who brought it up.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Sorry if that post sounded aggressive, not intentional. 

I think maybe the cat grabs the shrimp/band, applying pressure slides the band down the line to the hook, then the pressure pushes the hook into the outside of the mouth. Just seems unreliable.

I made the snagging joke but I was talking more about the body. If you hook a fish on the outside of the mouth while it is eating your bait then you caught that fish fairly (although not legally to harvest). That just a personal feeling and how I look at it. Like I said If I tried this (I wouldn't) I would only continue if the hook set were on the mouth. 

Maybe he uses different hooks but the hook in the picture is not a circle. Circle refers to the tip circling back to the hook not the shape of the hook overall. Circle hooks would be a poor choice for this technique because the unexposed barb would slide right past the fish. But a circle hook should help eliminate the issue if used correctly.


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## Boostedawdfun (Sep 15, 2012)

Ill second that the hook in the pic is NOT a circle hook.


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