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Mar 11, 2024 · Some popular lures for river fishing catfish include soft plastic baits, live bait options such as shad or crawfish, and natural scent lures like blood or garlic scents. Experimenting with different lures and techniques can help you find what works best in your specific river fishing location. Remember to stay patient and persistent, as catfish ...
- Drift Rigs
- SlipFloat Rigs
- Slip Rigs
- Poly Ball Rigs
- Three-Way Rigs
- Paternoster Rigs
- Float-Paternoster Rig
- Release Rigs
Most situations, though, call for a bit of weight for better casting distance and more accurate bait placement. A lead shot or two pinched on the line 6 to 12 inches above the hook casts farther and drops to the bottom faster than a plain piece of bait, for fishing deeper water. Cast alongside a snag in light to moderate current, and the bait move...
Float rigs also keep baits moving along the bottom at current speed, but snag less often than shot rigs. Cigar-shaped slipfloats are more sensitive than round bobbers, allowing cats to swim a short distance with a bait without feeling much resistance. Small, thin designs like the classic Thill Center Slider are perfect for drifting small to medium-...
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. The object of this rig, which consists of an egg sinker sliding on the main line held in place above the hook by a lead sho...
In some situations, you want the bait anchored in place, but off the bottom. Live baits that are kept up and swimming attract more fish than baits that cower under cover. And deadbaits suspended above bottom debris are easier for fish to locate. The floating jig heads used by walleye anglers work well for crawlers, leeches, and small pieces of cut...
The three-way or Wolf River rig is one of those rigging options that's so versatile it should at least be considered in most situations for all catfish species. It's an effective rig for presenting static baits in the heavy current of a tailrace, or the still waters of a lake or pond. But it's unparalleled for slipdrifting on big rivers like the Mi...
The paternoster rig is a sort of three-way slip rig well worth the extra time needed to tie it in many situations, particularly for presenting livebaits to flatheads. The low-frequency vibrations produced by a struggling baitfish attract catfish by stimulating their sensitive lateral lines. Livebaits of all sizes must first be wild and super lively...
This rig is a top choice when the situation calls for placing a big bait in the lair of large fish and waiting them out. Editor-In-Chief Doug Stange credits this rig with the biggest flatheads he's caught during the last several seasons. The fish were taken from large eddies just behind huge piles of snaggy timber lining deep river holes. With eith...
Release rigs aren't terminal rigs, but a way to deploy terminal rigs based on the limbliner's approach. Master catman Ed Davis has used this system to catch the North Carolina state record flathead and blue cat, and several line-class world records. Davis uses multiple rods to cover several areas and experiment with different baits. At least one li...
- In-Fisherman
People also ask
What lures attract catfish?
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Can you target catfish with lures?
Feb 2, 2024 · Casting and Retrieving: Casting is vital in fishing as it allows you to cover more ground and target specific areas where catfish might be hiding. Baits like crankbaits, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, and topwater lures are designed for long-distance casting and imitate prey to attract catfish.
Most rods designed for artificial lures have fast tips, while those for fishing natural baits have slower actions, where the rod bends down the upper third before meeting strong resistance in the butt section. Soft-tipped rods help lob delicate baits like stink bait, cut bait, blood bait, as well as larger live baits intended for flatheads.
Jan 22, 2021 · You can use basic lures like spinners, jigs or soft-plastics and spice them up as needed to attract catfish. Scented Lures For Catfish: Catfish have olfactory receptors all over their bodies, which is why they are so attracted to scents. You can buy scented lures like Berkley Gulp!
Catfish are not fish you can simply cast and catch with ease like some other species. A number of baits — both alive and freshly dead — like shad, crawfish, and shrimp can entice a bite from them. Here’s a rule of thumb: baits are usually better, but strategic artificial lures DO work, too!
