20 catfishing tips Becoming a better catfisherman is all about knowing a few catfish fishing tips. You don’t need the most expensive rod or a fancy boat to fill the boat up, but you do need a little know how and some confidence to give it a try. This article is about 20 best tips for catfish. By the end of this article you should be ready to improve your catches however you see fit! Let’s get Started! THE LIST Fish Deep Water Structures with current! Catfish will use these places year round to feed. Look for Ledges, points, deep holes, etc. Use a Free Drift or Controlled Drift when searching for catfish! These methods of catfishing target active catfish. You’ll find yourself covering more water and putting your bait in front of more catfish. Fish with the most available bait that a catfish might see! Shad are typical in rivers while in could be bream in ponds or shallow water. BUT if that bait is available in that body of water, it could be better bait than those first two. On that same note, Experiment with baits is another great catfish tip. Use a Carolina Rig for your fishing! It fights off snags well and presents the bait in an unrestricted manner. This Rig is great for nearly 70 % of all your catfishing. Tie a few extra leader lines before you hit the lake if you want to speed up reties while on the water. Use Cut Bait for Blue Cats and Live bait for Flatheads! This is pretty straight forward but this rule can be bent. As a catfishing guideline, this rule holds true over 80% of the time, especially for larger catfish. Use a Circle Hook. You don’t have to set the hook and they are nearly impossible for the fish to shake off. Great hooks for all ages. Pick a Hook that is the right size for the fish you are targeting. I prefer to start about 4/0 but a number of guys like 7/0 hooks. Read the linked article to get the tips on how I go about picking hook size but play around on your own and see what you like best. Use Monofilament line when for first learning how to catfish. It has enough stretch to help correct a mistake when fighting the fish and its inexpensive. Fish Close to Cover! Fishing on structure is great but to get more precise and catch more fish, you should have your bait close to the stumps, rocks, trees, etc that are on that structure. The closer you can get your bait the better chance of catching a catfish. Start by using only One Rod and then add more rods as you go. You should practice getting a great presentation with one rod and catching a few fish first. After you feel comfortable fishing on rod, add another rod and practicing working with two or more. Follow Seasonal Patterns to know which structures will be best when you go fishing. Its your guide to finding catfish all year. Fish With Confidence! If you believe you will catch catfish, you will. Though it sounds like a phrase that people just say, confidence effects your focus and presentations, which counts for more or fewer catfish. Fish Early and late in the day. The time when the sun is rising and falling is called low light periods. In these periods catfish have the sight advantage over their prey which increases their chance of eating…which makes them more aggressive. Use a Equipment that is in your price range. You can pay more for a better piece of equipment but that doesn’t mean that its necessary. I’ve watched my dad fish is entire career with rods that cost less than $20. Oh and he catches the stew out of any fish he wants. Use enough Sinker to keep your bait on bottom. Whether its heavy current or light, you don’t want the weight to be moving and getting hung in the cover. Start at 1 oz and move your sinker weight up by 1 oz until your rig doesn’t move. Also use a Flat Sinker. Its more current resistant which means that it stays on bottom better. Practice your Boat Positioning for anchoring techniques. Practice setting your boat up within casting distance up wind or up current from your target. Practice casting your bait close to the cover on the structure. Practice the Presentation as a whole. Use a Depth Finder to find key structures and cover that catfish use. Learning to use a Depth Finder can greatly increase your catch rate and understanding for what your do because you can see what your finishing better. Fish Current Breaks on rivers. This is one of my key catfish fishing tips. They are the key to finding river fish and large schools of them. If you know how to fish current breaks you can make amazing catches. Why? Because when the current is running, nearly all fish have to move to some form of current break in order to not tire themselves out. Catfish must do the same but they also feed while there. Fish with a Friend! Other than the fact that you’ll have a much better time at it. You and your partner can test different rigs and baits. Plus if your fishing buddy is catching fish doing something that you have never used, you will quickly pick up a new technique. Which is the good part of your partner having bragging for that day.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 21:31:49 +0000