| Catfishing Articles |
John N. Felsher's Catfishing Adventures
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Down the river, the quart-sized plastic jug bobbed up and down in the
water, submerging completely at times.
Beneath the bobbing jug, something tugged it across the surface,
making a wake like a swimming beaver. It headed for semi-submerged
brush along the shoreline before entangling itself in a thick grass mat.
About 18 inches beneath the jug, a stout cord attached to a stainless steel
hook held something big. Perhaps a giant loggerhead snapper in a bad
mood or a powerful garfish sporting teeth like a barracuda crunched at the
hook.
The boat driver cautiously approached the tipping jug. In the bow,
another angler readied a capture pole, a wooden rod with a large hook
fastened into one end like a gaff. The gaffer wrapped the hook around the
jugline and dragged it closer to the boat until he could grab it. As one hand
yanked on the line, the other lowered a net beneath the thrashing beast, a
25-pound blue catfish.
Anglers tired of spending long hours on the water with little to show for
it or losing the latest expensive “Gotta Get'em” lure to a submerged stump
on the first cast might consider jugging for catfish. Juggers can fill freezers
with fresh fish fillets for little expense once they get the “drift” of fishing!
In any water body teeming with whisker fish, juggers can usually fill
limits. It’s especially effective on sluggish streams or rivers, but sportsmen
can throw jugs on lakes, reservoirs, ponds, canals or meandering creeks.
Checking juglines doesn’t seem to offer much sport, until somebody grabs
a line with an enraged 40-pound flathead catfish 18 inches away. Powerful
fish, some approaching 100 pounds, thrash, run, fight, pull, flop and twist
for freedom at point-blank range in a one-on-one duel to the death.
Essentially, jugging consists of dangling baited hook-laden lines from
jugs or other flotation devices and setting them adrift in catfish-rich water.
Juggers can easily pick up some floats by scouring trash bins for discarded
20-ounce sport drink bottles or similar plastic containers with resealable
lids. Anglers can also use half-gallon or gallon milk jugs, which come with
convenient line-holding handles. Any object that floats with enough
buoyancy to hold fish can work.
On the jug neck or handle, tie heavy twine, up to 200-pound test. Line
length can depend upon water depth, but a length of twine 18 to 36 inches
long works great in most situations. Even in deep water, catfish often come
to the surface to feed. Longer lines tend to snag or tangle more often.
Some people tie small sinkers to lines, especially when fishing in deep
water, but that’s not necessary with short lines. Even in deep water, winds
may push jugs toward shore until the lines hit bottom.
Baits shouldn’t break a budget either. Not finicky eaters, most catfish
scour the bottom for scraps. They swallow anything they can engulf with
their cavernous mouths. Excellent baits include shiners, night crawlers,
crawfish, cut fish chunks, beef hearts, livers and kidneys, chicken livers or
commercial blood and stink baits. Oily shad make excellent baits because
they leave a scent slick in the water. People can often cut up small
undesirable fish they catch while jugging for "on the spot" fresh bait.
For a few bucks, anglers can pick up a lot of great bait at the local
grocery store or catch their own minnows, crawfish or other morsels to save
more money. Many sportsmen discard free prime catfish bait each winter.
Deer hunters can freeze kidneys, hearts or livers from their kills. Waterfowl
or bird hunters can keep gizzards, hearts or other entrails for catfish bait.
Anglers can also buy commercial baits designed specifically for
catfish. They come in a variety of types including "stink" baits and dough
baits. Berkley makes one of the best commercial baits on the market.
Nuggets of Power Baits in flavors like fish, liver or blood work exceptionally
well for jugging or fishing for cats on conventional tackle. They also come
in just the right size for jugging.
Many people think big catfish require big baits. However, juggers can
often catch large catfish on small scraps. Cut baits into one-inch square
chunks. For specifically targeting big cats, use whole shad or shiners.
With lines baited, throw temptations into the water and watch for
bobbing jugs. After tossing out a string of jugs, turn around and head up
the line, looking for action. Some anglers fish for other species as they
give baits time to work. In a cove of a large lake, anglers can make
continuous circles, checking and rebaiting their lines as they go. Jugs
require frequent checks because fish can quickly nibble off bait.
Anyone with at least a small, stable boat can catch catfish on jug lines
almost anywhere. When bass and other game fish stop biting, maybe it’s
time to start looking around for empty sport drink bottles!
water, submerging completely at times.
Beneath the bobbing jug, something tugged it across the surface,
making a wake like a swimming beaver. It headed for semi-submerged
brush along the shoreline before entangling itself in a thick grass mat.
About 18 inches beneath the jug, a stout cord attached to a stainless steel
hook held something big. Perhaps a giant loggerhead snapper in a bad
mood or a powerful garfish sporting teeth like a barracuda crunched at the
hook.
The boat driver cautiously approached the tipping jug. In the bow,
another angler readied a capture pole, a wooden rod with a large hook
fastened into one end like a gaff. The gaffer wrapped the hook around the
jugline and dragged it closer to the boat until he could grab it. As one hand
yanked on the line, the other lowered a net beneath the thrashing beast, a
25-pound blue catfish.
Anglers tired of spending long hours on the water with little to show for
it or losing the latest expensive “Gotta Get'em” lure to a submerged stump
on the first cast might consider jugging for catfish. Juggers can fill freezers
with fresh fish fillets for little expense once they get the “drift” of fishing!
In any water body teeming with whisker fish, juggers can usually fill
limits. It’s especially effective on sluggish streams or rivers, but sportsmen
can throw jugs on lakes, reservoirs, ponds, canals or meandering creeks.
Checking juglines doesn’t seem to offer much sport, until somebody grabs
a line with an enraged 40-pound flathead catfish 18 inches away. Powerful
fish, some approaching 100 pounds, thrash, run, fight, pull, flop and twist
for freedom at point-blank range in a one-on-one duel to the death.
Essentially, jugging consists of dangling baited hook-laden lines from
jugs or other flotation devices and setting them adrift in catfish-rich water.
Juggers can easily pick up some floats by scouring trash bins for discarded
20-ounce sport drink bottles or similar plastic containers with resealable
lids. Anglers can also use half-gallon or gallon milk jugs, which come with
convenient line-holding handles. Any object that floats with enough
buoyancy to hold fish can work.
On the jug neck or handle, tie heavy twine, up to 200-pound test. Line
length can depend upon water depth, but a length of twine 18 to 36 inches
long works great in most situations. Even in deep water, catfish often come
to the surface to feed. Longer lines tend to snag or tangle more often.
Some people tie small sinkers to lines, especially when fishing in deep
water, but that’s not necessary with short lines. Even in deep water, winds
may push jugs toward shore until the lines hit bottom.
Baits shouldn’t break a budget either. Not finicky eaters, most catfish
scour the bottom for scraps. They swallow anything they can engulf with
their cavernous mouths. Excellent baits include shiners, night crawlers,
crawfish, cut fish chunks, beef hearts, livers and kidneys, chicken livers or
commercial blood and stink baits. Oily shad make excellent baits because
they leave a scent slick in the water. People can often cut up small
undesirable fish they catch while jugging for "on the spot" fresh bait.
For a few bucks, anglers can pick up a lot of great bait at the local
grocery store or catch their own minnows, crawfish or other morsels to save
more money. Many sportsmen discard free prime catfish bait each winter.
Deer hunters can freeze kidneys, hearts or livers from their kills. Waterfowl
or bird hunters can keep gizzards, hearts or other entrails for catfish bait.
Anglers can also buy commercial baits designed specifically for
catfish. They come in a variety of types including "stink" baits and dough
baits. Berkley makes one of the best commercial baits on the market.
Nuggets of Power Baits in flavors like fish, liver or blood work exceptionally
well for jugging or fishing for cats on conventional tackle. They also come
in just the right size for jugging.
Many people think big catfish require big baits. However, juggers can
often catch large catfish on small scraps. Cut baits into one-inch square
chunks. For specifically targeting big cats, use whole shad or shiners.
With lines baited, throw temptations into the water and watch for
bobbing jugs. After tossing out a string of jugs, turn around and head up
the line, looking for action. Some anglers fish for other species as they
give baits time to work. In a cove of a large lake, anglers can make
continuous circles, checking and rebaiting their lines as they go. Jugs
require frequent checks because fish can quickly nibble off bait.
Anyone with at least a small, stable boat can catch catfish on jug lines
almost anywhere. When bass and other game fish stop biting, maybe it’s
time to start looking around for empty sport drink bottles!
Anglers
get the
drift of
catching
big catfish
get the
drift of
catching
big catfish
Don Caldwell shows off a
nice catfish he caught while
running jug lines in
Cameron Parish in
southwestern Louisiana.
nice catfish he caught while
running jug lines in
Cameron Parish in
southwestern Louisiana.