Catfishing is very popular with many anglers because this species puts up such a challenge they create a lot of excitement. The catfish got its name because it features whiskers just like a cat. Catfish are normally dark gray, brown and black. Their skin is thick and scaleless and the fins are soft. They can be found in murky and dark water.

Catfish put up a huge fight and depending on their size they can take a long time to reel in. There have been instances where it took twenty to thirty minutes to land one of these fish. You need to be prepared for this fight and be in good physical condition to go catfishing. Otherwise, you may end up with some very sore muscles the next day.

During the day the catfish tend to stay in deep pools of water and they look for debris to hide under. Logs, brush and grassy areas are very popular places to find catfish. When catfishing you will find that the best time to get started is dusk. This is because catfish are more active at night. Cool evenings and cloudy days are also good conditions to go catfishing. Normally, you will have better luck catching catfish during the spring and fall seasons. They are around in the summer months just not as abundantly but in the winter, it will be very hard to find any catfish.

Best Tackle, Bait and Techniques to Use

When cat fishing you need to have a good sturdy rod, reel and other equipment or you may find yourself going home much earlier than originally planned. With the fight that these fish can put up it is easy to damage or break equipment that is poorly designed or made strictly for light fishing. The recommended rod for catfishing is a 7 to 9 foot rod that is combined with a reel with a good drag. It needs to have a lot of line capacity because it is suggested that you use twenty pound test line. Invest in a quality baitcasting or spinning reel to have the best results.

The knot that you use will make a difference in the results you have when catfishing. The most used knot that works great is called the cinch knot. It is a simple knot to learn how to make and works best when used for lines over ten pounds. When securing the hook the snell knot is recommended because instead of pulling from the eye in the hook it pulls from the shank.

When fishing for catfish in shallow water the sip float rig seems to work great. This is especially true if the bottom of the water is rocky and rough causing snags. You will need to match the weight with the size float you use and after determining the depth of the water you can add and adjust the bobber stop. The slip sinker rig is the most commonly used. It is a simple rig that has a bead and a flat sinker weighing between two and four ounces attached to a large swivel. By placing the bead in-between the swivel and the sinker you can prevent your line from being damaged as often.

Anytime you are fishing for catfish in deep water with strong currents you will want to use the three way swivel. The main line will be attached to one swivel, an offset hook to another and the last should have a sinker weighing two to four ounces tied on by a foot of two pound test line.