Catching catfish or eating catfish, I don’t know which I like the best.
In my opinion the best tasting catfish are the ones that you catch fresh from the river, skin, clean and then cook in an iron skillet right over an open campfire. Oh man, if you have never experienced the excitement of catching a catfish and then cooking it out doors, you are missing one of the greater joys of life.
Methods for catching catfish:
There are many different methods for catching catfish. Some like to set out trot lines, which are long lengths of fishing line, that have many hooks attached, usually about three feet apart. One end of the line is then secured to a tree stump or sometimes even an empty bleach bottle(something that will float),then slowly led out by hand from your boat. A heavy weight is then secured to the other end of the fishing line to take it to the bottom of the lake where catfish are likely to to be found. The trot line is then left all day or overnight to give the catfish time to find the baited hooks. The trot line will be checked at that time, morning and evening, and any fish will be removed, the hooks will be baited again and the process started all over. This is an excellent method for catching many catfish at once!
Throw lines are another method for catching many catfish at one time. Throw lines are similar to trot lines as they are a long length of fishing line, or sometimes a rubber band type material, with many hooks attached and a heavy weight on the end. The difference with throw lines is that they are used from the bank of the river or lake instead of from a boat. Throw lines are attached to a tree or some other stationary object and then thrown as far as you can into the water. The baited lines are left all day or over night before being checked for catfish, the same as with the trot line method.
The rod and reel is my personal favorite method for catching catfish. It doesn’t matter if I am fishing from a boat or sitting in a chair on the riverbank or at the lake, I will use a rod and reel every time. It just seems more sporting with this technique. I have a certain method that I use to rig my hook and weight. The hook is tied to the end of my line and the weight is placed about a foot to eighteen inches above that. I like to tight line, meaning that I do not use a bobber or float, to let me know when I am getting a bite. I love the thrill of setting the hook at just the precise moment to catch my catfish. Then you have the fight on your hands. There is nothing else like it!
Bait used for catching catfish.
There are many different baits that are used to catch catfish. Chicken liver, chicken hearts, chicken gizzards, beef heart, beef liver, beef kidney, basically any bloody internal organ will do. Some prefer minnows, shad or even small perch as bait. While others like night crawlers, catalpa worms, milk worms or large grasshoppers. Some fishermen like prepared baits such as dough balls, which are a form of stink bait, stink bait or blood bait. Some people make their own secret concoction made from several of these baits with things like onions, garlic and even flavored jello as ingredients that they swear will catch catfish.
Each fisherman or I suppose in my case would be fisherwoman, have their own preference as to the type of bait that should be used to lure a catfish to bite your hook. I am no different. I have three favorite baits that I use most often. Night crawlers, catalpa worms or catawba worms as some call them, and stink bait. Armed with these three baits I am ready to set out and catch more catfish than you can shake a stick at!
Best time to catch catfish.
Most people that like to fish believe that the best time to catch catfish is after dark and all through the night, or from dusk til dawn as one popular country song states. Because this is the time that they feed. I disagree. I have always had my best luck catching catfish in the afternoon. From 3:00 p.m. until dark.
Best conditions to catch catfish.
In my experience the phases of the moon have a big influence on whether the catfish will bite or not. The best time is when the moon is full or during the new moon cycle. It may sound like a bunch of superstitious nonsense, but it is true. Weather also affects the way the catfish bite. I have found that I will catch more catfish when the weather is unstable, like just before a storm or a cool front. I guess this has to do with the barometric pressure rising or falling, and catfish will also bite better when the wind is blowing than they will on a calm day.
One other little tip that I would like to throw in the mix, that will help you to catch more catfish, is the fact that catfish are more plentiful in six to nine feet of water, especially in the spring and fall.
