Newby Needs fishing advice for catfish

Use plastic gallon jugs, tie your line to the handle and then to a tree or something to keep them from floating away or a fish swimming away with them...use any nasty sun dried meat like chicken hearts or livers and make sure your line goes to the bottom of the river...jug them over night and check them in the morning...you may end up with snapping turtles too.

I was hoping to get better info here than from some WM clerk. Lots of people know about guns, but don't some of you know about fishing?

How long should the lines be? 100 ft? I'm not sure how fast the river might take things downstream.

That depends on the river...catfish are bottom dwellers so that's where you need to be...and they chew slow, that's why you need tough meat...the smellier the better.

Any rod & reel can be used for catfish, a Zebco with 15# test line & a treble hook with a nightcrawler would do, or pork rind, cast it and let it sit, let the fish find it.

find slow pools, have the line long enough to hit bottom. stinky cheese works well for bait. catfish don't eat in fast streams.

catfish can get big so use 8lbs test line for hook.

Go to Walmart and get a matched rod and spinning reel combo that will take 12-15 pound line. Use a good mono line like Berkley or Stren. The set up will probably have the line on the reel, so you may not have to buy it separate. It doesn’t have to be very expensive.

Get some egg shaped sinkers with the hole that goes from one end to the other. Fast current you need maybe one ounce, in slower current maybe one half ounce. Get some split shot that are large enough not to go through the hole in the egg shaped sinkers. Get some treble hooks, about size 4 or 6 or 8, whatever you like. Not 4 ought ( 4/0) — those would be huge, just size 4 or 6 or 8.

Slide the egg shaped sinker on the line. Tie the hook on using a Palomar knot, or improved clinch knot. Crimp the split shot on the line 12 inches above the hook, pushing the egg shape sinker on the other side of split shot from the hook before you crimp. Bait the hook heavily using chicken liver or worms or catfish bait you can buy at Walmart. Anything stinky/partially rotten will catch catfish. Throw the line into the water and wait. Sometimes catfish bite slowly. Let the fish take the bait and run with it a foot or two. Your egg sinker will let the line slip through as the fish runs. Then set the hook hard.

Get a noodle, like kids swim with, cut it into thirds.

String line around them with bait on the hook and toss them in. They will move when they catch a fish. Chase them in your boat.

It is a lot of fun.

If you have a lot of time on your hands...I prefer to bait up a few and go do something else...

Using bottles seems like 1st choice. I could just put them out and come back later. But it would probably be best to get the rod and reel combo for back up. Zebco? closed reel? 15lb line? ok. treble hook? good.

I think these are things that country 12 yo's learn. I haven't been fishing since I was about 8.

The record catfish out of the Arkansas is 80 lbs, but I don't expect or want one that size. I wouldn't even know how to cut up a 20 lb cat to eat. but I guess I'd learn if I caught one.

I'll do that. When I get a boat. It would definitely make checking bottles easier to have a boat. The thing is, I'd be afraid to take a really small boat out on the Arkansas river, so I'll be saving for a bigger one.

Look into the laws if you do that...I jug on my own property but I'm pretty sure it's illegal everywhere...

Med Hevy Rods ( uglystick) 15lb to 20lb line. Pick a hook you like. Tie some leaders. .Look for pools in river.

I read up on it a while back, and you definitely need a license and I think you have to put your name and address on the bottle. You're in trouble if you just throw it in the water and don't come back.
The thing is that other people come down to the river closest to me and I'm not sure they would leave the jugs alone. These hicks have robbed me blind since I moved in here.

Yeah, I lease the hunting rights to a group of 5 brothers, they run off anyone that doesn't belong there...they'll even call the police if necessary...

goodbaits i use raw shrimp/chicken livers/creek minnows/creekchubs/cut up sunfish.

I like this dude he's good.

A 80lb catfish would taste pretty bad.
In a SHTF situation you might want to keep him, but generally over 10lbs and they can be pretty nasty
5lb is a perfect eating size

Dried/smoked fish instructions for after you catch that 20 pounder:

[link to www.ehow.com]

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

Thank you. That's kind of what I was thinking. I should be able to just the filet off the sides. Maybe I could use the rest of the fish for baiting my hooks.

OP.....fishing for catfish is really easy. I use a rod and reel because it's fun to reel in a fish. Just siting on a river bank is wonderfully relaxing.

Catfish bite really well on earthworms. You can buy them or dig them yourself. Put a weight on your line that will sink your hook to the bottom. Cast out ... keep your line taunt ....... and you will soon feel a vibration on your rod.

After a good jerk, jerk back and reel in your dinner. In your tacklebox you should also have a current license, a couple pair of plyers {to remove the hook from the fish, especially if he swallowed it}. A bucket or something to put them in to bring home. A damp towell for wiping hands.

Fishing is better than a tranqualizer, can definitely cut your food bill, and provide lots of Vit.D from the sun.

Fishing is addictive and I wish you great fishing. Pan fried fresh fish is better than anything you can think of.


Good luck.

That's a good idea.

While you may not have access to bacon in the long term if the SHTF, it's relatively inexpensive for the amount you'll actually be using and will be good practice for learning the habits of catfish in the beginning.

Heat it up to the point where it's soft and greasy and just put a little bit on the hook. Pull the hook through it enough times to where the bacon covers the hook completely but leave the point exposed... if you use too much, they won't be able to pull the whole thing into their mouths.

It stays on the hook rather well, which is good because they don't just "swallow" the bait like most fish do. They roam the bottom and nibble first. To hook them, you have to watch your line and wait for it to start dragging away before you set the hook. If you try to hook them too soon, they'll just spit it back out.

Edit: To expand on that, wait for them to pull the line taut and then just before it runs out of excess line, set the hook. They usually move slowly so the less slack you have, the easier it is to notice when one has taken the bait. Pull the rod in the opposite direction they're moving (in the event they pull left\right instead of away). If you wait too long, they will detect the hook and move on.

Also, you probably know this, but catfish can sting you using either of the side fins or their dorsal fin. They have some sort of toxin... it's rarely deadly to humans but it sucks to get stung.

Last Edited by Brian Moser on 12/02/2012 01:06 PM

Use chicken livers on treble hooks, get the bait to the bottom if you can, in an area without snags, look for a deep hole or rip rap structure. You'll need some heavy sinkers, too, at least 1/8 - 1/4 ounce. And 12 pound test line minimum for cats. I like the Zebco Rhino baitcast reel, heavy duty and works really well.

Also, look online for these solunar charts, tells the position of the moon and stuff each month and how it relates to fish feeding, my fishing magazine has it, I swear by it, it really works, you go out on the recommended days on the solunar chart and you'll catch fish. Bring a pliers to remove the hooks.

Cats will hit lures at times, worms, cat food, but chicken liver is the old go-to.

Make sure its legal in your state before you practice......

Learn how to noodle. No equipment necessary.

And fertilizing your tomato plants...
A hungry catfish will eat about anything. I have seen one caught with bubble gum. Yes, bubble gum