When you are fishing for bottom feeders such as catfish, hooks and other tackle can get lost in snags or simply be taken by a particularly strong fish. It isn't always practical to run to the nearest bait and tackle shop if you don't want the day to end, so you will need to improvise. Keep some paper clips, needlenose pliers and safety pins in your pocket, grab a few found objects, and see what you can do with them.
Instructions
1. Keep a handful of paper clips and safety pins in your pocket whenever you go fishing, along with some red and black thread. If you have a particularly bad fishing day, losing hook after hook, simply open a safety pin. Bend the point downward toward the inside of the bend in the pin, making a barb. Attach your hook to your line through the head of the pin. Bait your hook and you are back in business, hauling one beauty after another into your waiting fish basket.
2. Paper clips, though not as strong as safety pins, can also be used as hooks. Simply bend them into the desired shape. Be careful to bend one end into a whorl, then back in on itself to make a loop to tie onto your line.
3. Take your revenge on the snags that have stolen so much of your tackle. Cut a few thorny-looking twigs with several bends in them. Use a pocket knife to trim away the bark and sharpen the ends to resemble hooks. Gouge a hole in one end and tie onto your line. Bait each barb. Twig hooks are great for catching catfish. Another advantage of these hooks is that they are made of all natural materials and will break down and be absorbed without damage to the environment.
4. Camouflage your improvised hooks by adding feathers, bits of ferny plant, or fallen leaves to them. Lay several feather pinions or plant stems against your hook, being sure that everything dangles just below the hook, and trim away any excess material. Wrap several times around with black thread, as if making a trout fly. Go back a second time, close to the head of your improvised hook, and wrap with red thread, about a quarter inch. This helps make your hook look more like an insect.
5. It may take a little more patience to use these hooks. Be sure to set the hook with a quick jerk once you are sure the fish has taken your bait. The upside is, you haven't lost money when these hooks get caught on snags or get taken by your "one that got away."
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