Catfish
The Virtual Outdoorsman
Catfishing Page
WizNOTE: This is copy of my original 1995 personal page about catfishing.
I've just upgraded jabi.com to tikiwiki to add a lot more community features.
Feel free to edit. Add your knowledge. Create additional pages.
Know of some good links? Add them to our catfish directory.
Catfish are often overlooked. This is truly a shame. They are one of my favorite fish.
- Catfish are a great fish to start your kids on.
- Catfish are excellent eating.
- Catfish are usually fairly easy to catch.
- Catfish fight well.
- You don't need a huge tackle box with hundreds of dollars of fishing lures.
- You are much more likely to catch a 10# catfish than a 10# bass.
- Give them a try.
Tackle:
Get pretty heavy tackle. 20-30# test line is appropriate. Baitcasters, larger spinning reels or even closed faced reels work well. If you need an all around rod and reel try one of the Zebco 33+ combos. These usually come with 12 or 15# test. They can work for catfish, bass or panfish.Other things you will need:
- a selection of hooks and treble hooks,
- sinkers and
- bobbers.
- sinkers and
Bait:
About anything goes.- Channel cat like smelly baits.
- Flat heads like live baits.
Bottom or bobber?:
Both work. Sometimes fish about 1' under a bobber. Sometimes it works best to fish on the bottom. I typically take the maximum number of rods allowed and fish a little bit of everything. Once I start getting hits on something I switch all poles to that. You never know what is going to work.I've also had good luck jug fishing, trotlining and limblining.
To jug fish:
Save some jugs. Gallon or half gallon milk jugs, or even 1 and 2 liter pop bottles work. Get some heavy duty trotline. Tie on a couple of hooks. I usually set the bottom hook at about 6 feet and the top one at about 3 feet. Bait them up and toss them in a pond. You will need a boat to chase them down. A good sized catfish can take a gallon milk jug all over the pond. Check them every hour or two.Trotlining:
Try lots of different kinds of baits. I usually stretch a line across a cove. You can fish a trotline without a boat. Securely tie one end. Put a lot of weight on the other end and toss it out. It takes practice to throw out the line without throwing off the bait. Be sure to check the line every couple of hours. If you leave it overnight, check it first thing in the morning.Limblining:
Nice if you don't have a boat. Just tie a line onto a limb. No limbs? Cut a sappling and stick it in the mud. It'll work. Try leaving the bait just in the water on some. With others, fish them quite a ways out and on the bottom. You never know which is going to work.Warnings
Be careful of the front fins. They are sharp and have some sort of irritant on them. Vinegar seems to take away the sting.Enjoy
All you trout fishermen who think trout are the prettiest fish...A 2 or 3 pound channel cat is every bit as pretty as a rainbow. AND they'll talk to you!
Ohio DNR