# Hooking Dead/Live Bluegill



## CatfishObliterator (Apr 29, 2010)

Hi, 

I Catfish often, and use mainly dead and live bluegill, ill have 1 dead on 1 pole and 1 alive on another, ranging from 4-9in live and i cut the head and tail off the dead and use the middle.

But i find myself missing alot of fish, i was wondering what hooks and size of the hooks some of u use, and where u hook them.


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## bassattacker (Mar 14, 2007)

i use 6/0 & 7/0 gama octopus, usually i hook the cut head through the eyes or right through the nostrils, sometimes ill hook it through the gills, live gills i usually hook through the nostrils, basicly up through the bottom lip up through the top through the nostrils.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

i use 7/0 to 10/0 for flatheads and 4/0 to 7/0 for channels gamma octopus hooks, When using live bait i hook them in the fleshy part of the tail below the hump on the back of the gill, this keeps the hook from turning back into the flesh of the bait when setting the hook, When useing cut bait i hook the chunk in one of the corners, You may be hooking the bait too deep or trying to hide the hook, most people think a catfish wont eat a bait with a hook showing but realy a cat dont care, their use to geting poked all the time by gills and other fish when they eat em.


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## Steelwolve (Apr 18, 2006)

I also use Gama Octo's 6/0, if I'm hooking live or the gut pocket I go right under the middle of the dorsal fin, and I hook the heads near the cut at the top. As long as your hook point is exposed you can do it any way you want. IMO it doesn't really matter, your gonna miss sometimes. Alot of times smaller cats that cant fully engulf the bait will pick it up and run. Then the tension will pull the bait out. If the fish is big enough to get the whole piece in their mouth and the hook is exposed theres no reason you wont hook up.
My opinion, is just that, and Ive heard guys argue till there blue in the face that there is a logic to their way, that is better. I think good ole luck has alot to do with it too.


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## jmackey84 (May 15, 2010)

when going for channels, will cutting up the gills make a difference? i know you will get a smaller fish that way(smaller bait, smaller fish, right?) also, is it ok to catch a bluegill and hook it up and toss it back in the water as bait? 
if you couldent tell im very new to catfishing,lol


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## Steelwolve (Apr 18, 2006)

Yes it is fine to use a bluegill as bait as long as it was caught using a rod and reel. You cannot snag for them or use a net. If they are caught using those methods you must release them unharmed, or risk hefty fines. As for using them cut, yea, that works fine too, and it doesn't eliminate you from catching bigger fish, Ive caught plenty of 10+#ers using cut bait, Now if your searching for that Monster flathead then yea you want a big lively bait fish. But for starting out and chasing channels cut bait is awesome. As you read on this post alot of people will do one rod cut, and one live. Good luck.


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