Why do Catfish fishermen sharpen hooks that are right out of the package?

Most catfishers find that store-bought hooks, right out of the package, are just too dull to catch cats with.  They tend to slip right out of their mouths after they bite.

The reason for this has to do with the skin of catfish.  After you catch one, try to poke it and see how hard it is.  Their skin is tough and slippery, and it’s hard to get a point to go right in.  The skin around their mouths is the same way, and those unsharpened hooks can easily slide right out.

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to put a catfish on a lure?  You know, cats are cannibals, and catfish itself makes great bait.  But, it’s a real pain getting it on the hook.  It’ll keep slipping off, and some anglers have their own technique for perfectly getting it on there.  There’s an art to doing it just right.

I would not consider it too bold to say that sharpening your hooks will catch you twice as much catfish, easily.  If you use hooks straight out of the package, you’ll do okay, but sharpening those babies will get you way more cats.

Sharpening your hooks can help catching anything of course.  One of the reasons for this is that your hooks will get duller over time.  They’ll scratch against rocks and things, so sharpening them from time to time will make them last longer.

Nowadays, hook manufacturers make all kinds of different hooks, with different sharpnesses.  They advertise it that way, anyway.  You can save yourself having to worry about it by just sharpening them yourself out of the package.

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