Catfish Fishing Tips

Sometimes when people go for fishing, they have specific fish in mind to hunt. But, there are some who would settle for just about anything which will get hooked by the hook! The professionals most often go for either the larger species of fish like carp or a rare one like a large mouth bass. But one of the most popular fish for hunting is the catfish. So if you are looking out for some handy catfish fishing tips, well just have a look at the text below.

Tips for Catfish Fishing

Bait your Time: More often than not, catfish are active only at night and if you go for cat fishing during the day, they are snugly settled at the bottom of the river or lake at that time. So wait till the sun is just on the edge of setting. Light a campfire and fish for a couple of hours. This time is your best chance to let the cat in the bag, instead of out of the bag! Time factor is a primary concern in catfish fishing tips.

Which is the Cat (Fish)?: If you catch three fish, one of them would be catfish. A normal freshwater fishing pole set up is just perfect, though on an occasion you might get hold of a bigger catfish. And catfish has 2 large whiskers and a large stomach. So, that also makes it easier to identify.

Cat(ch) Them: Using their sense of smell, the catfish can find out the bait around them. So the best bait for cat fishing are night crawlers. Power bait, can also be used to attract catfish. If you get a bite on your line, you would fee a few tugs on your line. This could mean a bit of a tussle with the catfish, as its trying to put up a fight.

Consider This: Many times, the catfish will swallow the whole hook. This makes it impossible to remove the hook without killing the fish. So have a pair of nail clippers with you, so that while you are fishing, clip the line as close to the mouth of the fish as possible. Look out for eels along with the catfish as you catch a lot of eels at night.

Do Not Forget This: Quite contrary to the common perception, the whiskers of catfish do not sting. However, out of their 3 fins, there is a protrusion of a sharp bone like edge. It can impale your skin, if it comes in contact with that bony edge. So its better to take care of that aspect. This is a a very important thing with regards to catfish fishing tips.

Now lets get technical and have a look at cat fish fishing methods and techniques.

Catfish Fishing Techniques

Best Bait: A live bait is the best for cat fish fishing. The popular ones are minnows, worms, grubs, small sunfish and crawdads. Night crawlers are top notch for catching catfish. Homemade baits like liver, stinky cheese, sour corn and a few others are also used as baits, but they cannot guarantee a large or a considerable catch.

Gear It Up: In case you encounter a large catfish, you should be prepared with the right fishing gear, which is sturdy enough. Ideally using a 10-15 lb test line, with a medium heavy pole, would be good. Even if the hooks are not very large, they need to be strong enough.

Reel and Rig: A sliding sinker using an o-ring for keeping it sliding from the hook is a good rig. Tie a 16 inch leader to the hook, as this will lead the cat to feeling no resistance when it picks up a bait.

Location Matters: If possible, fish in an area with a point, dips, cove, or large rocks for some good fishing experience. Behind a point or rock, where the current is not so strong is likely to have more fish.

If you are tempted to go for catfish fishing right now, well, give in to your temptation and keep in mind these catfish fishing tips.

Do let the cat (fish) out of the bag! So going fishing? What say!