# Bush hook discussion



## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

Hey everyone, haven't posted in a while and there haven't been many good discussions on here in a while. so i thought i would bring up bushhooking. I've gotten into it in the last couple years, mostly to go out on the river camp and spend time with good friends. i bring most of my knowledge from when i was a kid and going with my dad and his friends and grandfather, and yes YouTube. i made my lines out of the tar'd nylon string from Walmart about 6 to 8 ft long and all with 1 oz lead and a trot line eagle claw hook. when we go we used anything from shinners, cut bait, finger mullet, squid, shrimp, ivory soap, liver, small bream, crayfish. i try to find some water that is deeper and not in the fast moving current. however i haven't had very good luck minus the one time on the AL river. most of the time I'm either on the Yellow, or the Choctawhatchee. i know there are different types of lines or how people rig up their lines, and does anyone use the Yo Yo's? what types of areas do yall set them, what baits are yall using, how long are your lines, depth of water ect. just putting this out there, not asking people to give there secret holes or anything.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

I’m a reelnrod guy myself. Don’t know anything about hooking any bushes.
But some on here fish set lines. I’m sure they’ll chime in.


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

If I was you I would delete the part of your post stating that you use small bream as bait. If you are fishing in FL it is illegal to issue a gamefish as bait on a bush hook. It is illegal to even have a gamefish in your possession if you have bush hooks in your boat.

I have been setting lines in YR all of my life. It isn't as much fun as it once was. New regulations and fishing pressure has had an impact.


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## Yellow River Cat (May 3, 2008)

In Florida it’s illegal to use bream on bush-hooks but you can use them for bait on a rod and reel 
Small mudcats make great bait for flatheads. I use 8 ounce weights on my lines and the lines are 16’-20’ long as I can always tie them up short when needed 
I carry extra line, hooks and weights just in case. 


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## SeaPA (May 31, 2015)

I fish the Choctawhatchee and used to bush hook a lot more than I do now. I have lines set at different lengths. You also are required to have a name and address on your line. I use paint stirrer sticks spray painted in neon, cut into 3 inch pieces. I wrap the line around the wood and stick the hook in the wood. This works great for me. They do not tangle and I use different colors for different preset lengths. 

My best results have been on shiners. If I do not have shiners I use beef heart. It stays on the hook way better than liver. 

I have had some success on Ivory soap, but it is difficult to get to stay on the hook sometimes. 

Good luck!


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

Sounds like you use a trotline, not bush hooks. Although I have heard that some people use a long line with a single hook. To me a bush hook is about 6' and hangs off the bottom from a bush. Whatever works for you. You use an 8 oz lead and 1 hook? One guy at WB uses a 15' line with 2 hooks, one at the end and one about 2' back.


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## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

Sorry i should have clarified. i know that it is illegal to use or posses game fish while using Bush hooks in FL, I use them when we go camping AL. so it sounds like i need to make my lines longer, and use more lead? what's the biggest fish anyone has caught on a bush hook?


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

54lb blue cat, alabama river. Hit a red horse sucker. I usually run my bush hooks about 4 feet deep. Seem to get bigger cats that way.

I mainly fish for cookin cats and run jugs (in Alabama).


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## Boardfeet (Sep 27, 2007)

When I was a kid in Arkansas we had a place on Spring river in the Ozarks. Dad and I always set the lines, as we called them Limb hooks. We never used any lead weights. Baited with small bream, sunfish and minnows we caught in a trap. Spring river had a strong current. We set lines in eddies and slower moving water along the sides and the bait stayed on or near the surface. We caught lots of catfish. Flat heads and channel cats. Biggest I remember was a 52# Flathead. Dad had a special knot he tied hooks with. I'm gonna have to get him to show it to me again, I can't remember it now.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

jlw1972 said:


> I’m a reelnrod guy myself. Don’t know anything about hooking any bushes.
> But some on here fish set lines. I’m sure they’ll chime in.



That's a bunch of BS.... you know you hook bushes on many of your casts!!!!:whistling::thumbsup:


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## Yellow River Cat (May 3, 2008)

billyb said:


> Sounds like you use a trotline, not bush hooks. Although I have heard that some people use a long line with a single hook. To me a bush hook is about 6' and hangs off the bottom from a bush. Whatever works for you. You use an 8 oz lead and 1 hook? One guy at WB uses a 15' line with 2 hooks, one at the end and one about 2' back.




Some of the holes I fish are over 20’ deep + I like to tie my lines up high so I don’t have to get up in the brush with the wasps and snakes 


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Jason said:


> That's a bunch of BS.... you know you hook bushes on many of your casts!!!!:whistling::thumbsup:


I quit bush hooking when I met my wife.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

jlw1972 said:


> I quit bush hooking when I met my wife.



Hooking? I thought that was Hammerin'.... Yeah it's all down hill especially after 24 years!!!! Hahahaa


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## sureicanfish (Sep 30, 2007)

Does anybody take their lines with them when they're done?? Sure get sick of an algae coated line dangling from every overhanging limb.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

sure said:


> Does anybody take their lines with them when they're done?? Sure get sick of an algae coated line dangling from every overhanging limb.


Not on Tensaw. Trotlines and limb lines left everywhere.
Just leave em. I’m tired of fooling with em. Highwater will take care of it...


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## Yellow River Cat (May 3, 2008)

I always pick up my lines but there’s a lot of people that don’t 
Use to cut the lines that weren’t being tended to because I once saw a huge Loggerhead (150 lb.s) that was dead on a bush hook. I hadn’t seen one that big since I was a young’un back in the early 60’s


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## billyb (Aug 22, 2012)

Very few follow the rules. Most don't mark their lines. Some use gamefish as bait. Many set more than 25 hooks. Then there are those who just leave their lines out. If I find a line with algae or looks like it is abandoned Ì cut it.


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## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

Biggest ive ever caught was 25lbs. I don't tag my lines, however I always take them up. One I don't litter at all, two I figure I spent to much money any time making the dang things to leave them. Lead isn't cheap and I take others up that have algae on them or look abondaned.


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## CurDog (Nov 14, 2010)

billyb said:


> If I was you I would delete the part of your post stating blah, blah, blah, etc, etc....



Why would deleting it help anything, since you in an essence Re-posted it? :yes:

Think it would have been better said in a PM tho. :whistling:

I use chicken liver mostly. Them butter cats love it. It's been a little while since I've done it. I too camp out on the river when I set them. Caught 5 butters on the same bush hook a few years ago in about 10 minutes. It was the 1st one set, and before I could push away, cat was on. 5 times before they stopped where I could go set the other lines. g/l


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

I use to set them all.the time 20 yrs ago. Only time.now.is in the spring. I'll let it go no more than 2 feet beneath the surface with a bream. I'll only be after yellow cats.


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## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

From reading the post it sounds like my lines are good I try to get them about 1 to 2 ft in the water. has anyone ever tried to put circle hooks ok their lines? seems like in theory it would work they are made for the fish to hook themselves?


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

joshuae2 said:


> From reading the post it sounds like my lines are good I try to get them about 1 to 2 ft in the water. has anyone ever tried to put circle hooks ok their lines? seems like in theory it would work they are made for the fish to hook themselves?


I only use circle.hooks. noodles, trotline, limb lines, and when I have nothing better to.do, rod and reel.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

YELLOWCAT said:


> I only use circle.hooks. noodles, trotline, limb lines, and when I have nothing better to.do, rod and reel.


You better get you some Kahle hooks.


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

jlw1972 said:


> You better get you some Kahle hooks.


I only use them on the jigs.


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

YELLOWCAT said:


> I only use them on the jigs.




This is what I’ve been using. But I’m thinking of switching. I had two straighten out last weekend.


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## YELLOWCAT (Oct 25, 2017)

You'll only catch eating size cats with those. There's a wealth of knowledge on the internet if you'll just do the research


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## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

I have never set bush hooks or run trot lines exccept a few time with a buddy who loves bush hooking. He does all the work and I just hold the light and enjoy the night. LOL I don't see how in heck he can put out so many lines and then find every last one of them. Last night he got a 31 inch blue and a bunch of really nice smaller size on the Choctawhatchee l. Enjoying this discussion and have learned something about the various technique


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## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

i had a hard time finding them when i first started, i soon bought reflective clips to find them easier. My wife bought me a fancy handheld GPS and now i mark them on the GPS and hang the clip on the string. makes it much easier and i know I'm not missing one. funny story. so I'm picking up my lines about 7AM one morning and a guy has tied up fishing to the limb i hung it in. i ease up to him and ask him if he can take it down and toss it to me. after a couple of minuets of fumbling he finally gets it off and goes to throw it to me, now keep in mind we are maybe 3 feet from boat to boat. he throws my line and all right in the water between us. i just busted out laughing and he said he was sorry, no harm no foul.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I try to bush hook but it never seems to work for me. Boat management in the bushes and bait stealing gars are the main drawbacks. I really aint that bigga fan of catfish anyway. I do like a nice long trotline or a herd of noodles baited with shad though!


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## JoeyWelch (Sep 25, 2009)

Better pick a strong limb.

https://m.riverbender.com/articles/details.cfm?id=12219


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## joshuae2 (Sep 18, 2011)

I do like a nice long trotline or a herd of noodles baited with shad though![/QUOTE]


do you catch your shad with a cast net, or with a pole and small hook? ive wanted to try to catch some bait in the river with a Sabiki(spelling) but haven't tried it.


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

joshuae2 said:


> I do like a nice long trotline or a herd of noodles baited with shad though!



do you catch your shad with a cast net, or with a pole and small hook? ive wanted to try to catch some bait in the river with a Sabiki(spelling) but haven't tried it.[/QUOTE]



I fish the alabama river. Catching shad with a bait net is usually very easy


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