Putting in a dollar sign instead of an "S" because it looks like the guy selling the book squashes any discussion on it.

You can buy this book for $20, and supposedly it catches channel cats 10-1 over any other method.

Does anyone know what it is, and does it work? Is it unique, or is it just a slightly tweaked version of something that everyone already knows?

All the secrecy has gotten me curious.  

I grew up catching cats on rod and reel, bush lines, and trot lines. Biggest secret as far as rig and bait goes is that channel cats will regularly take bait during the day if what you are using is local and fresh. Go net some shad or bunker, whatever the local forage fish is, filet it, and throw that on a 1/0 circle hook, bottom fish an area with a slight current, and see what happens in about 5 mins.

I have no idea what the secret in the book is, but catching channels isn't difficult at all.

Main line - Braid, I run 65 or 80lb power pro...I don't see any reason to go light here.  Make sure it's heavier than your leader.  Learn to tie the palomar knot, use that for main line to swivel.
Weight - No Roll sinkers - I carry 1oz, 2oz, 3oz, 6oz, and 8oz - depending on how swift the current is where I'm fishing.  This gets put on your main line above the swivel.
Swivel - I use 100+ lb swivels mainly because I am going after large catfish...but I would prefer too heavy over too light.
Leader - 50lb Berkley Big Game.  I tie this to the swivel, and snell the hook.
Hook - Gamakatsu octopus circle hook.  3/0 for up to 5lbs or eater catfish, 6/0 for 6-20ish, and 8/0 for larger stuff.  10/0 Mustad circle hooks if you're going after the really big blues or flatheads.  

I couldn't find a video on youtube for the type of snell that I tie...I learned it from my FIL who learned it from a deckhand in the Gulf.  Fantastically easy way to snell a hook.  Pretty much any snell will be fine.  Snelling these circle hooks lets the hook rotate and work properly.  


You don't set the hook with circle hooks.  They're designed to hook the corner of the mouth as the fish is turning and swimming away with the bait in it's mouth.  Use solid rod holders.  Let the rod bend for 2 good seconds, then reel down.  Once you know the fish is hooked, pull the rod out of the holder and fight the fish.  Don't get impatient with circle hooks, let them do the work.

Get local bait, if they're feeding on shad, use that.  Bluegills, use that.  Catch it, and cut it into hunks sized to the size of catfish you are targeting.  You can catch big catfish on small bait...however, you'll have to fight off the smaller fish to get them.  If you fish with bigger bait, you weed out the little ones that cant fit in their mouth.  Any river around here, with small hunks of bluegill cut bait on a 3/0 circle hook, you can catch 2-5lb channels pretty much constantly.

Friend and I won the local cat fishing tournament this weekend using this equipment.

I do pretty much the above post, but I like to put two circle hooks in the bait. One goes in the mouth and the other behind the dorsal if I am using bluegills or chubs.  Normally the one behind the dorsal will significantly improve my success rate if I start out with a single.

Keep the hook showing.  You don't want it stuck in the bait.

I started chumming with range cubes this summer, and it seems to have helped a little.  My sample size for trips out is relatively small, so the verdict is still out.

Here's an easy way to snell a single hook using a wd40 straw. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v69NCrvyVxk

Check local laws before doing the double hook thing, that's not always legal, but yeah, that's a good idea if allowed.

I'm not a big fan of that style of snell, only because it requires a bunch of extra stuff to do...what if you don't have a WD40 straw handy and need a snell?

There's at least 5 different ways to snell without a straw, all of them work about equally, it just depends on what works for each person.  Some people have pretty strong feelings about snells and how they're tied.  I don't care so much as long as its a good knot.  


I finally found a video of how I do it...I wrap towards the eye, and he wraps down, but either way obviously works.  Perfection loop is also great, that way I can swap leaders for different hook sizes easily.  Use a monster swivel though.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jb7hoC0vVE