For the past 40 years, I've tried just about every imaginable way to tie a hook onto a line and catch fish. Here's a collection of conditions that I have encountered and the solutions for them that worked.
Channel Catfish
I like to catch channel catfish because they stay shallow year around in Oklahoma. I can always find channel catfish no matter what the weather or mood simply because they're creatures of habit that like to eat. The channelcat prefer shallow water from 1 to 15 feet, and are always near standing timber, blowdowns, submerged logs or even cattails and vegetation in less than a foot of water.
Punch Bait Rig
For these conditions, I like to use punch Bait on a treble hook rigged with a sliding sinker in the Texas Rig configuration. The sliding sinker is threaded on first, then a plastic bead, then a swivel is tied on. (I never use a snap swivel simply because I've had too many of them opened up during the fight with a nice catfish.) I tie on a 12" to 18" leader of the same or stronger test line, then tie on a #4 to #2/0 bronze treble hook. The same rig can be tied up using a #4 to 2/0 "J" style hook for using cut bait, chicken livers or grasshoppers. Size the hook to the bait.
Slip Cork Method
Sometimes the channelcat are suspended and not feeding on the bottom, or the bottom has snags or weeds on it. In these conditions, I use a slip bobber rig.
First, slide a bobber stop up the line and snug it so that it will not fall back down the line. Follow it with a small bead and then a large bead that will not pass through the hole of the bobber. Thread on the bobber and then a small sinker. Tie on a swivel to stop the sinker, then add a leader and preferred hook. At this point, the bobber will slide down to the swivel. Adjust the bobber stop to the depth you wish to fish and tighten. If you use the yarn bobber stop, do not trim the ends. Test the rig to assure that the bobber is not overweighted by the sinker and bait. If it is, reduce the size of the sinker and try again.
Blue Catfish
Rigging Methods for Bluecat
For the tough fishing situations where the big bluecats are up in the shallows during spawn, I have had to develop a rig that allows me to control the big fish and turn them away from the stumps that they always manage to go around. The water tends to be less than 2 feet deep and the bottom is silt or sand.
Magnum Rigs
In order to have a fighting chance to turn the really big bluecat towards the boat and get them in, I had to start the rig at the reel by spooling up with 80# test dacron braid line with no stretch. The rods are heavy or medium/heavy saltwater bottom fishing boat rods of 6 feet length and medium to medium/fast action.
Next, I cut off the swivel, leaving 18 to 24 inches of line attached for the leader. Tie the open eye of the swivel to the bitter end of the line and then tie an 8/0 Gammagotcha circle hook directly to the end of the leader.
To attach a sinker, tie a 24" length of 17 to 20# test mono to the sinker slider and tie on a bank sinker of the desired weight. The lighter mono will snap when the sinker becomes snagged, releasing the fish to fight to the boat. The rig seems like overkill, but I haven't lost a trophy catfish since I started using this rig on the Arkansas River. If the fish does manage to wind up on a stump, it's a simple matter to pull anchor and go to the fish.
Long Distance Fishing
To fish below a dam or along a river where the cast needs to be over a couple of hundred feet, special tackle must be used. A long rod and a good high capacity reel capable of smooth casting are required. The rod should be fitted to the fisherman... a person who is less than sis feet tall weighing 150 pounds or so cannot cast the longer rods like a person who is over 6 feet tall and weighing 200+ pounds. The real deciding factor is not in strength, but rather, leverage. For better details on long distance casting, visit www.catfishin.net.
For the best distance, the line must be thin and strong... the new superlines fill this bill easily with 30# test having the diameter of 12# line. The biggest problem is in casting the rig. The centrifugal force developed to make the cast is often too much stress for the line test, resulting in the sinker and bait flying off in an unknown direction... hopefully not thru someone's windshield.
So, to begin the rig, use an albright or a blood knot to join the main line to a shock leader which is at least 40# and a length which will allow the shock leader to hang from the tip of the rod to the butt and have enough shock leader to wind a few turns on the reel. (I always make my shock leader long enough to be broken off and re-rigged a few times.)
For the long distance cast, the 3oz to 6oz sinker should be tied directly onto the end of the line and a loop be tied into the line about two feet above the weight. The hook is placed on the loop and baited. The bait should be kept small and have no thin edges such as fins or tail to prevent the helicopter effect. My favorite bait for this is a shad head or a chunk.
The cast is made by releasing enough line to bring the sinker close to the reel, then swinging the weight like a pendulum behind you (away from the water). When the weight is approaching 45 degrees out, begin the power cast, continuing thru to a 45 degree angle to the water, pointing the rod tip in the direction you want the weight/bait to fly. Again, for more complete instructions for long distance casting, visit www.catfishin.net.
