Catfishing Tips, Tricks, And Hints For Catching Catfish

Here we are going to be talking about catching fresh water catfish that live in streams, rivers, lakes and farm ponds. I use the tips on this Hub Page to catch huge amounts of catfish from farm ponds. But keep in mind that in order to catch catfish you need to know where they live in the pond, lake, or stream, what they like to eat and what techniques you need to use to catch them.

For most catfish catching situations your going to need a rod and reel to catch the catfish. You need to purchase your rod and reel knowing what size of catfish you are likely to catch. For fish under 20 pounds you need a six foot rod and 10 pound test line. For fish over 20 pounds you need a seven foot rod and 20 pound test line. You can read on the spool of fishing line and see what pound test it is. If your going to be fishing from the bank your going to want metal fishing stands for your rods and it helps to have a large net to scoop the fish up in when you catch it.

Keep in mind that longer rods are great for fishing from the bank because they allow you a greater reach. This is why you need to go somewhere and practice casting your rod and reel with just a sinker on the end so you can learn the perfect way to cast and have the bait end up where you want it.

Most people will want a tackle box with basic items in it like bobbers, hooks, sinkers, and other fishing gear. Some people like to have a good quality fishing knife for cleaning their catch. If you do take a fishing knife with you be sure to keep it dry and clean at all times so it doesn't rust. Be sure to watch the video on how to clean a catfish.

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If your going to be fishing after dark you should be sure to purchase a supply of glow in the dark or lighted fishing bobbers so you can see the fishing bobber at night. Sometimes especially in the heat of summer you can do much better catching catfish after dark than you would in the daytime. Your probably going to want to take along a ice chest to keep drinks cold and a bucket or buckets to put the catfish you catch in. For me I like using buckets because I think they keep my catfish alive longer and they are usually alive when I get home so I know I have fresh fish. I also take folding chairs so I have a place to set down while I'm waiting for the fish to bite.

What Type Of Bait To Use To Catch Catfish.

What kind of bait to use for catching catfish can be overwhelming to some people so I'm going to give you some ideals of the type of baits that I know work. Cut bait is one of the most popular baits used to catch catfish. Quite often I will purchase frozen mullet, herring, or shad and use that for my cut bait. I slice it up in thin slices and put a thin slice on my hook and cast it out to where I know the catfish are. Channel catfish especially love cut bait.

In some areas you can use live minnows fished under a bobber to catch catfish. I've found that clear fishing bobbers are best to use when fishing with a live minnow. You also need to know what depth the catfish are likely to be at. In warmer weather when the water heats up the catfish will often be in shallow water but in the colder months they will be deeper.

Other baits that work better in some regions of the country include crayfish, night-crawlers, white shrimp, chicken livers, and dough baits. This is why its important to talk to other people who fish in your area to find out what type of bait they are using to catch their catfish with.

Catfish Love Chicken Livers

I have huge success with catching catfish with chicken livers. Yes I know they are hard to keep on the hook but in a southern farm pond they are the best bait to use for hungry catfish. What I do is take several cartons of chicken livers with me and I keep the chicken livers frozen until I'm ready to use them. Once I have a carton of chicken livers starting to thaw out I set that carton of chicken livers down in the ice in my ice chest so the liver doesn't get thawed completely and get soft and mushy.

Keep your thawed or thawing chicken liver as cold as possible and you'll have a much better experience with fishing with it. Don't miss the recipe in the one video there for making a dough bait out of cheese and chicken livers. That is a great bait especially for rivers and I have had a huge success and caught a lot of catfish out of rivers with it.

White Shrimp Is Another Great Catfish Bait

If you can find it white shrimp makes a great catfish bait. Or you can use almost any shrimp. Lay it up outside for 24 hours before you use it and the smell will help to draw in the catfish to your bait. I like to lay my bag of shrimp out for 24 hours outside in the sun and then I freeze it back down before I thaw it out and fish with it.

Fish With Red Worms Or Night-Crawlers After A Heavy Rain

Quite often after a heavy rain catfish will go after red worms or night-crawlers in a big way. I will often fish red worms or night-crawlers on a hook about 12-16 inches under a bobber especially after a heavy rain when red worms or night crawlers are likely to wash into a farm pond. I've also caught some nice bass this way.

Farm Ponds Are A Great Place To Catch Catfish

If you know where one or more farm ponds are ask the owner if they contain catfish. If they do ask if you can have permission to fish there. I've had great success fishing in farm ponds for both catfish and bass. But be sure to always ask for permission and clean up after yourself. Don't leave any trash behind when you leave. And obey the owners fishing rules. If they ask you to only catch and keep 10 catfish then only catch and keep 10 catfish. If they ask you to put back any bass you catch then by all means release any bass you catch.

You will find that catfish will bite better when the water temperatures warm up to 50 degrees or warmer. This is more important if you live in the northern parts of the United States. In the American south catfish can be caught all year round. But you will need to fish in deeper water during the colder months. You have to fish where the fish are if you want to catch the fish.

I think you will find that catfish are more active in the morning especially in the warmer summer months. As the water heats up the catfish especially the larger catfish will move into deeper water. Catfish tend to feed earlier in the day especially during the hot summer months.

A lot of people miss the fact that you can catch huge catches of catfish at night. Just be sure to know the fishing rules and regulations for your area and be sure if you need a fishing license to have one. In some parts of the USA there are daily limits on catfish and in some locations they must be a certain size before you can keep them so be sure to read and understand the local fishing rules and regulations.

Look for calm slow moving water or large pools of water in the river or stream and fish in the center of that large pool of water. If there are logs laying in the river or large rocks you can often have great success with fishing near or in the calm area created by the log or rock. Fish right up against logs or rocks especially if you know there is deep water there but be ready to quickly reel your fish in and get it away from that log or rock. This is the reason I almost always use 20 pound test line or larger when I'm fishing in a stream or river.

If your fishing for catfish in a large lake look for a area where a small creek or stream flows into the larger body of water. This is often a place where catfish like to gather up to feed on the worms, bugs and etc that the smaller stream carries out into the large lake. Fish there and you can usually catch a lot of catfish.

A lot of people don't know it but there can be some really large catfish in ponds. I've caught 30 - 50 pound catfish in farm ponds and so can you. Especially if you know the best time to try to catch that big catfish and what to use for bait.

In case you don't know in the warm summer months catfish like to feed on small fish and minnows around dawn and dusk. Fish in water about 2 foot deep where the small fish will be in the pond. Fish your live minnow about 12 - 16 inches under a clear bobber for the best results. Solid color or colored bobbers can spook wary old catfish. You will want to cast the minnow out into water that is deeper and then reel it back into water that is 2 - 3 foot deep. The large catfish will often check this depth of water for minnows they can feed on especially near dawn and dusk.

The larger a catfish is the more it will need to eat so fish with live minnows in shallow water near dawn and dusk in summer months and you just may catch a large catfish this way. I'll often catch several large bass this way but I stick to it and the large catfish will usually show up if you will stick to it. If a farm pond has been there for 25 years or longer then its likely to hold some very large catfish that you can likely only catch with a live minnow near dawn or dusk. And remember this will only work well in the warmer months of summer when the catfish are searching the shallow water for bait fish.

Bank Fishing In Farm Ponds

You will need metal fishing stands to set your rods in while your fishing from the bank. Catfish are really strong fish when you get them on the hook and if your not watching carefully they will often pull your rod and reel out into the water where your not going to find it easily. I purchase metal fishing rod stands that push down into the ground and keep your rod and reel safely on the bank where they belong.

If You Fish A Lot Of Farm Ponds Keep A Journal

You should always keep a journal about where you fish with as carefully detailed notes as possible. Be sure to write down weather conditions, air temperature, wind direction and etc. If you catch a lot of catfish be sure to write down what you were using for bait and I even draw a small map of each farm pond and mark the spots on the map where I have success. This way I can look back at my notes and know exactly how I was successful the last time I fished that particular farm pond.