How far should you cast for catfish?

Casting 100 yards (300 feet) or more is typical for an experienced long-distance catter, achievable for most anglers with the right equipment, good guidance, and practice. Skilled casters abandon the more traditional catfishing rod-and-reel setups, relying on longer surf-style spinning or casting combos.

How deep should you fish for catfish?

Conclusion. The best depth for catching catfish is between 15 and 20 feet deep in lakes. This is known as the catfish zone because they reside within such depths in most lakes. However, depending on the time of the year and the temperature of the water, they can also reside in shallow areas.

Where should I cast to catch catfish?

During the day, look for catfish in muddy water areas, such as a tributary and its outflow. Also good are deep structures, like river bends, the base of drop-offs, deep holes, and humps. Catfish will also hold around cover, like standing timber and deep weed edges. Night brings excellent fishing.

How often should I recast when catfishing?

We'd recommend checking bait and recasting every 10 minutes when starting out with shrimp and extending it as your experience grows. Sand fleas can be tricky as well. Sometimes if they're “too alive”, they'll burrow into the sand when you cast and there goes your chances of catching a fish.

How many yards of line do I need for catfish?

The best models hold at least 200 yards of 17- to 20-pound monofilament. Good ones also feature a "clicker" mechanism that gives an audible signal when line is pulled from the reel, thus indicating that a catfish is taking your bait.

5 Tips To Help You Cast Farther

Is 100 yards of fishing line enough?

The Amount of Line Needed When Inshore Fishing

Inshore fishing doesn't typically require you to have a ton of line on your reel, and on most trips, you can reliably get by with around 100 yards of line on your reel. With infrequent exceptions, most inshore fishing takes place in 100 feet or less of water.

Do you need a leader for catfish?

Catfish leader line also serves as a “shock absorber” when a catfish strikes. This absorbs the force of aggressive strikes from big catfish. That shock absorption is important with mono and braid but due to the lack of stretch in braided fishing line you should always use a monofilament leader.

How long should you wait for catfish to bite?

When you are fishing for numbers of fish, especially channel catfish you should never sit around and wait for the fish to come to you. Successful anglers go find the fish. That's what produces numbers. The fifteen-minute rule is basically this: If you go fifteen minutes without putting fish in the boat, you move.

How long does it take for catfish to bite you?

Fry the catfish nuggets in batches until they are no longer translucent in the center and are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.

Will catfish bite during the day?

Fact: Catfish are active at all hours of the day and night, this includes all three species of catfish. Catfish can easily be caught throughout the day regardless of the season. Catfish eat when they are hungry, not when it gets dark. Myth: If you want to catch flathead catfish, you have to fish at night.

Do catfish feed on the bottom?

For the most part, catfish are bottom feeders and usually hold in deep water, although they will move into shallows to feed, especially at night.

Do you fish on the bottom for catfish?

Slip Rigs. As versatile and effective as drift and float rigs often are, many catfishing situations call for live or dead bait still fished on the bottom. The most popular bottom rig for all species of catfish is the egg sinker slip rig.

Should I use a bobber when fishing for catfish?

When catfishing with these techniques the sound of the float hitting the water helps draw in fish and gets them to strike. Using a streamlined float that doesn't make a good “splash” in the water would actually work against you so the traditional bobber rig is preferred.

How do you target big catfish?

Cut bait is one of the most effective baits for blue catfish

Large live shiners, herring, and shad are deadly, especially on flathead and channel catfish. But it's hard to top a section of cut bait from a herring, shad, or mullet for both of those species and blue catfish as well. Cut them into steaks ¾-1 inch wide.

Where do catfish like to hide?

1) Outside River Bends

These bends are trophy catfish honeyholes, especially for flatheads, which love dark hollows. The river gouges the bank, forming undercuts. The undercut ledge or lip offers natural seclusion to giant cats waiting for a meal.

How do you outsmart a catfish?

Whats the best catfish rig?

The egg sinker slip rig is, hands down, the most popular rig for still fishing catfish. Consisting of an egg sinker on the main line held in place above the hook by a lead shot, this rig is ideal for keeping the bait near the bottom, which in turn, allows a catfish to swim off with the bait with little tension.

What is the best month to catch catfish?

Late March, April, and early May are some of the best blue catfish fishing of the year for numbers of fish and also offers excellent opportunities for trophy class catfish as well. Channel catfish action is typically excellent and very consistent also.

What time of day do catfish bite the most?

The best time of day to catch 3-seasons catfish is from an hour before sunset until 2 hours after sunrise and during the winter, from late morning until just before sunset. These are not hard and fast rules, but you will find the most active and hungry catfish consistently biting in these windows.

Is braid or mono better for catfish?

Monofilament for catfish

It also breaks much easier than other lines when you snag up. While this seems like really great stuff so far, there are a few negatives to mono. It is thicker than braided line, so there is more drag in the water, especially if you are drifting or trolling.

What size hooks for catfish?

A number two hook is a good size treble for very large catfish and the largest you want to go with. A number 6 hook is a reliable, standard size. You might use the number 8 if you're looking for smaller cats. Trebles are ideal for punch baits and dip baits.

What weight should a catfish rig be?

Standard Three-Way Rig

The three-way rig consists of a dropper line 6 to 24 inches long, anchored by a bell sinker of sufficient weight to keep the bait near bottom. A half-ounce sinker might be sufficient in still water, but 3 to 8 ounces are needed to drift around the tips of wing dams for blue and channel cats.

How much line should be on my reel?

Casting reels should be between an eighth of an inch from the top and all the way to the top. If you get too much line on them, you'll get a weird sound when you cast. Spinning reels should be all the way full, right to the top. If you get too much line on them, the line will jump off the spool in coils.