King believes in 2-hook trolling rig for catfish

For trophy blue and flathead catfish trolling, Phil King of Corinth uses a variation of the Santee-Cooper Trolling Rig that employs a stinger hook to insure hook ups on a big fish or nab a short striker.

It’s a great way to catch trophy flatheads by trolling. Bait for the rig would consist of a large whole skipjack herring, shad, or live bream.

“I tie this rig using two 7/0 Daiichi circle hooks,” said King. “I’m going to use a big whole bait for trolling. I snell both hooks and that way you get about a 99-percent hookup rate on the circle hook.”

King ties the rig using a three-way swivel.

The main line, 80-pound braid, is tied to one end.

A slinky weight is connected to the middle eye of the swivel. (Slinky weights can be homemade using 550 paracord and No. 4 buckshot pellets or can also be purchased commercially made.)

A length of 30-pound mono leader is tied to the remaining eye. The length of the leader will vary depending on how high you want the bait to suspend in the water column. A 3- to 4-inch crappie float is threaded on the leader between the 3-way and the first hook.

“The float, as the Santee Cooper fishermen well know, will raise or lower bait,” said King. “If the catfish are suspended, you can run it up closer to the hook. Move the float up and it will suspend your bait.

“Move it closer to your 3-way swivel and it’ll drop the bait down closer to the bottom if fish are tight to the bottom.”

The second hook

King ties the second hook as a stinger about 2 to 3 inches wider than the length of the bait. Snelling the hook, he runs the leader through, wraps it seven times, and pulls it back out through the eye with enough line to span the bait, plus extra and enough to snell the end hook.

“I hook a whole river herring, or skipjack as we call it. I shut his mouth with the inline hook and then hook him back toward the lower end from underneath with the other,” said King. “Sometimes catfish will short strike a big bait, especially after a front. But this rig also works to suspend cut baits, bream and you can also troll crankbaits with it.”