Catfish you’re never going to want a beauty contest but they are indeed beautiful to many fishermen. There’s just something about that big fat strong body that’s just impressive. these whiskered fish live in just about every Pond Lake and Reservoir throughout the United States and a little bit of Canada. quick bite and always willing to put up a fight, catfish are easily one of the most exciting fish to catch. After that all you need to do is throw them in a fryer and serve him with fries to have the makings of a good party.
How to Catch Pond and Lake Catfish
Catfish and Bullhead spend most of their time near the bottom of big lakes and ponds. it should be obvious, but this is where you want to fish them. they definitely prefer deep water but they might move up and feeding the shallows from time to time.
Regardless of where they’re located you’re going to want to fish them the same way. In either location fish right along the bottom. you’re going to either one of fish directly on the bottom without a float or just above using a float.
when fishing for most of the game fish you spend a lot of time searching around and finding the best spot. that’s the wrong approach to take when looking for Catfish and bullheads. instead you’re going to want to pick one spot and stick to it, waiting them out.
Since catfish forage mostly by smell you’re going to have to leave your bait in one place long enough to leave a scent Trail. This is the reason why Berkley’s Gulp Catfish Dough Balls work so well with their overbearing scent.
You can use this same basic knowledge with any bait by spraying on some natural catfish attractant spray. Catfish attractant really helps spread the scent through the water for the fish to pick up the trail.
Catfish Fishing Gear
You can use just about any Pole to catch catfish, but I normally stick to a shorter spincast outfit.It doesn’t take a lot to bring in a quality whiskerhead. Since catfish grow really large you’re going to need a bigger hook then you would with bullheads or Bass. When fishing for catfish I would recommend a #1 or 1/0 sproat or baitholder hook. If you’re going for both bullheads and catfish you might want to step down to a 3/0 Baitholder.
Catfish and Bullhead Baits
Both catfish and Bullhead will eat basically the same things. Stick to the basics, earthworms and nightcrawlers are two of their favorite foods.
If you want to experiment try other foods like chicken, liver, minnows, grasshoppers and any commercial or homemade dough product. With any one of these Baits you’re going to want to load up your hook. The more bait that you have on the hook the faster the sense going to spread through the water and attract fish.
Regardless of what my bait is I like to spray on some Natural catfish attractant to further improve my chances. If you’ve been sitting and waiting without any luck it’s time to spray on a little more attractant.
How To Actually Catch Pond Catfish
I’ve told you about all the gear you need in the theory behind how you should catch catfish, but how do you actually do it? it’s actually really easy to catch catfish and requires minimal skill compared to Bass and other Game Fish. Just Cast your baited line into deep water and wait it out.
With a bottom rig you’re going to wait until the singer hits the bottom and gently real in until all the slack is out of the line. If you’re using a slip bobber rig set the bobber so that the bait is just above the bottom. after you’re on the bottom just relax and wait until you see the tip of your rod jump or the bobber move around. you’ll definitely know when you have a bite from a large catfish.
After You Get a Bite
After you get a bite don’t set the hook instantly. Wait until the fish starts swimming away with your bait to set the hook. just pick up the rod and wait until the line starts moving steadily away or the barber stays continuously underwater. once you see these signs simply strike Back hard and begin playing your fish.
When To Give Up on a Spot
After a while without getting any bites you’ll be tempted to move along and change up your location. Resist the urge, the longer you stay in one spot the more your scent will disperse throughout the surrounding water. After you move to a new location you’re going to have to start all over with scent dispersion.
So how long do you stay in one spot before moving on to another?
The simple answer is as long as you can stand it (never move before 20-30 minutes). To be a great catfish angler you have to be willing to not get any bites. The biggest catfish take a while to lure over so you need to wait them out.
What’s The Best Time To Catch Catfish?
Banks are going to hold some really big catfish the best time to look for them is during the Spring while they’re spawning. That’s when they moved to the banks and look for holes to lay their eggs. At this time of year they’re going to be extremely aggressive.
Try and find banks with big rocks and riprap. catfish love to spawn in rocks and fishing around these areas of sure to bring out some big cats. Just set your float so that the bait hangs just outside the holes in the rocks. this is the time of year that you’ll have the best chance of getting a monster catfish.
After the spawn the normally head back into the deeper water to recuperate. typically spend the daylight hours in the deep water and move into the nearby shallows to feed at night. Try and find a spot where the bank slopes into deeper water and fish here late Into the Night.
Night Time Catfish Fishing Tips
Catfish like to feed and low light periods from dawn all the way through the night. The easiest way to fish at night is to attach a small bell to the end of your rod and wait for it to ring.
You should fish the same way you would during the day except you’ll be waiting for the Bell to ring indicating you have a bite. Try using a bottom rig baited with nightcrawlers, commercial stink baits, fresh cut meat, liver or other commercial catfish baits.
Noodle and Jug Fishing For Catfish
Jug-fishing is another common tactic that people use to really bring in a lot of catfish. For how easy it is it really is extremely productive at bringing in cats.
To try jug-fishing you’re going to need a small boat and 25+ plastic milk jugs/two liter bottles or small pool noodles. On each of your jugs rig 50 lb test braided line tied directly to the jugs neck or handle.
Tie pleny of line to each jug and attach a couple 1/0-3/0 circle hooks on each line. Two hooks rigged in tandem will help you test out different depths to see what works. You can tie a small sinker to each line to hold the bait down if you want, but it’s not necessary.
After you rig up the jigs add your favorite catfish bait to each hook and let them drift off into the water. I don’t like to use more than 25 jugs because they can get difficult to keep track of. You don’t want to leave a mess after you leave the lake. That’s a good way to get jug fishing banned from your lake.
You can easily tell when you have a bite because the jugs will get pulled down into the water. The longer you let the cat struggle with the jug the easier it’ll be to pull up into your boat. To catch more Catfish float your rigs near catfish attracting structure and natural cover. Just make sure you stay a few feet away from rocks so your jugs don’t snag.